57-315 O Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1966 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office PREFACE The "Layman's Guide to Constitutional Rights" was first compiled in 1961 in response to a great demand from tens of thousands of citizens who have asked what their rights are under the Constitution of the United States. Thirty-five thousand copies of the first edition were printed. The Guide has been used as a study tool in schools, reprinted in magazines and newspapers, and has served as an aid for members of organizations studying citizenship and constitutional rights. It is the purpose of this study to define the citizen's constitutional rights broadly but succinctly so that he can relate his day-to-day experiences to these rights. What follows is not, then, a comprehensive legal treatise on constitutional law. Americans should be ever aware of those cherished rights which are protected by our form of government and which are so essential to our way of life. Equally important is the duty of every individual to be vigilant in helping to safeguard these rights not only for himself, his family and his neighbors, but for all citizens. The subcommittee is hopeful that this document will assist him in his efforts. The success of our constitutional system depends, in the last analysis, on the way each American performs the duties of citizenship. That citizenship should be grounded in an understanding of "constitutional rights." SAM J. ERVIN, Jr., Chairman, Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. III |