To Print the Worksheet: Scroll Down And Click On The "Printer" Icon.

Worksheet Viewer Page

Just Scroll Down To View and Print.
When you are done, just click "Back" on your browser.

Should be a breeze, but if you have trouble check the bottom of this page.
Name ________________________
Date ____________________

 

Constitution Reading Comprehension Worksheet

Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions below.

 

SEARCH AND SEIZURE

History and Scope of the Amendment

History.--Few provisions of the Bill of Rights grew so directly out of the experience of the colonials as the Fourth Amendment, embodying as it did the protection against the utilization of the ``writs of assistance.'' But while the insistence on freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures as a fundamental right gained expression in the Colonies late and as a result of experience,\1\ there was also a rich English experience to draw on. ``Every man's house is his castle'' was a maxim much celebrated in England, as was demonstrated in Semayne's Case, decided in 1603.\2\ A civil case of execution of process, Semayne's Case nonetheless recognized the right of the homeowner to defend his house against unlawful entry even by the King's agents, but at the same time recognized the authority of the appropriate officers to break and enter upon notice in order to arrest or to execute the King's process. Most famous of the English cases was Entick v. Carrington,\3\ one of a series of civil actions against state officers who, pursuant to general warrants, had raided many homes and other places in search of materials.

1. In your own words, what do words ``writs of assistance' mean?

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

2. Why do feel it so important to colonists to have search and seizure amendments added to the constitution?

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

3. Referring to the passage, who do you think Nathan Semayne was?

 

_____________________________

4. Why should anyone have the right to search your home? Explain your answer.

 

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

Powered by: The Online Teacher Resource (www.teach-nology.com)

© Teachnology, Inc. All rights reserved.


Thanks For Visiting TeAch-nology.com!