Oklahoma Social Studies USG.C.6

Standard Cluster

Explain how the Constitution of the United States of America preserves the equal protection of rights and liberties. Evaluate the importance of the rule of law as the principle that all citizens and institutions are to be held accountable to the same laws and consequences. Explain how the Constitution of the United States of America provides majority rule with equal protection for the rights of individuals of the minority. Examine the traditions and historical documents which have contributed to the American concepts of rights and liberties (e.g., English Bill of Rights, Virginia Declaration of Rights, Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom). Analyze the civil rights and civil liberties affirmed and guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Explain how individual liberties are essential to the functioning of the United States of America constitutional republic society. Examine how liberty and private property have contributed to economic opportunity and prosperity in the United States of America. Identify basic rights, liberties, and protections of due process protected by the Bill of Rights and subsequent constitutional amendments. Explain how the Bill of Rights protects individuals from abuse by the national government and explain the extent that protections have been applied to the states through the “doctrine of selective incorporation” established by the 14th Amendment. Describe the concept of American exceptionalism and examine arguments that the United States of America has played a distinctive role in promoting political liberty, economic development, and innovation. Explain how freedom of expression is an essential element of a constitutional republic by examining historic landmark Supreme Court decisions which have addressed and clarified individual rights under the First Amendment (e.g., Gitlow v. New York, Brandenburg v. Ohio, New York Times v. United States, and Texas v. Johnson). Analyze how the First Amendment protects religious freedom through both the Free Exercise Clause and the Establishment Clause by examining landmark Supreme Court decisions including free exercise cases (e.g., West Virginia v. Barnette, Wisconsin v. Yoder), Establishment Clause cases (e.g., Engel v. Vitale, Lee v. Weisman), and cases addressing the tension between these clauses (e.g., Kennedy v. Bremerton School District). Explain why due process rights are essential for the protection of individual rights and the maintenance of limited government by examining landmark Supreme Court cases which have specified due process rights over time (e.g., Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona, and Furman v. Georgia). Describe how significant issues in American society have been addressed by examining landmark decisions (e.g., Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, McDonald v. City of Chicago, and Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health).

Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026)