Final answer:
Adults have more rights than students primarily due to legal discrimination based on age, designed to account for differences in maturity and responsibility. The U.S. Constitution protects all 'persons,' but societal norms and legal interpretations can result in varying applications of rights.
Step-by-step explanation:
Adults tend to have more rights than children or adolescents for various reasons. Primarily, this is linked to legal discrimination based on age, which is deemed necessary due to the different levels of maturity and responsibility between adults and younger individuals. For instance, laws that determine the legal age for smoking and drinking are set to protect the health and well-being of younger individuals whose judgement may still be developing. Likewise, driving requires a demonstrated level of competence through tests to ensure public safety, which discriminates against those who cannot meet the criteria.
Similarly, when it comes to education policies, requirements like having a high school diploma or certain standardized test scores to enter college are forms of discrimination that aim to maintain academic standards. The underlying notion is that with age generally comes greater cognitive development, life experience, and a capacity to understand and abide by society's rules, which is why adults are given more freedoms and responsibilities in various spheres of life.
Moreover, societal traditions and politics often influence the extension of rights and liberties. While the U.S. Constitution extends protections to all 'persons,' the everyday application of rights often reflects current societal norms and legal interpretations which can lead to adults having more rights than students.