This social studies unit considers the nature and sources of the individual rights of American citizenship as well as the complexity of the federal system as it operates on the liberties of the individual and relates to state government. The unit is structured chronologically to indicate that the history of liberty is largely the history of legal procedures. It notes changes in the understanding of individual rights from early manifestations in England, through the 18th century American contributions in the Bill of Rights, to the Fourteenth Amendment. To further illuminate how legal processes affect the acquisition of human liberties, the 1963 "Gideon v. Wainwright" decision and the right to counsel are discussed. The right to trial by jury in federal court, the use of evidence without a warrant, and extensions of the right to counsel are then considered as examples of the part that the Supreme Court has played since the Twenties in the reaffirmation of civil liberties. Included are excerpts from relevant Supreme Court decisions, such as "Escobedo v. Illinois" and "Palko v. Connecticut." [Not available in hard copy due to marginal legibility of original document.] (Author/JB)