After the Preamble, The Bill of Rights is most likely the most famous part of the Constitution, however is often imperfectly understood. For illustration, the Bill of Rights initially served only to limit the actions of the federal government, and didn't protect citizens from the actions of state governments (as affirmed in the 1833 Supreme Court case of Barron versus Baltimore). Though, many rights that Americans take for granted-like voting-do not appear in the Bill of Rights, and many other rights were not completely articulated or protected till the mid-twentieth century.

Review the Constitution usually, and the Bill of Rights specifically, and describe how and describe why understandings of citizens' rights changed in the mid-twentieth century.

What rights did the Constitution, as originally written (that is, before the addition of the Bill of Rights), protect? What rights did the Bill of Rights add? How did the Fourteenth Amendment and the process of incorporation change the nature of the Bill of Rights? What latest rights would be added from the 1950s through the 1970s?