Abstract
Knowledge of what this Amendment says indicates constitutional literacy at a basic level. In public discourse the 4th Amendment is invoked frequently in principle, if not verbatim, alongside the 1st Amendment (freedom of speech and religion), the 2nd Amendment (the right to bear arms), the 5th Amendment (the right to an attorney and the right to not incriminate oneself), and the 14th Amendment (due process and equal protection under the law). Also, descriptions of police basic training that cite Amendments specifically cite the 4th Amendment more than any other. Knowing the meaning and history of the 4th Amendment suggests a higher degree of constitutional literacy than merely knowing its verbal content. This meaning and history also remind us that the full scope of constitutional literacy is beyond the document itself and includes knowing its history and philosophical influences.
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Dreisbach, C. (2016). The Nature of Constitutional Literacy. In: Constitutional Literacy. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-56799-4_2
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