The Ten Amendments

645 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Long essay about the 10 amendments

“We the People” translating to “We the white landowning men” The ten amendments are a list of rights called the Bill of Rights. These rights were meant to be applied to all citizens of the United States of America, right? Well, not at first. See, back when the Bill of Rights was written, an American citizen was not what it is now. Then it didn't matter whether you were a resident of the United States and paying taxes, in order to have the rights of the ten amendments you had to be a land-owning white man. Women, people of color, non-landowners etc were not included, these people were forgotten in the Bill of rights. The original intent of was to not include everybody. (In this essay the terms slave and slavery will not be used as the writer does not feel comfortable using them) Proof of this is shown in the following Amendments. It all starts with the first amendment: Religious freedom and Freedom of Speech. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” (US Const. Amend. 1 ) At this time Non-Landowners were …show more content…

This is a requirement for search warrants when the public authority decides to search individuals or their houses or to seize their property in connection with some legal action or investigation. “against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” (US Const. Amend. 1V) This amendment does not apply to African Americans because they were viewed as property. So if an African American were to be accused of a crime the police could just search their person and their belongings without a warrant. The police would not have to go through the process of going to a judge for a warrant and giving a good reason for wanting a

Show More
Related

  • If I Stay In This Bloody Land David Walker Summary

    1063 Words  | 3 Pages

    David Walker describes the fact that slaves are humans just as much as their White American masters are. He states the pressing matter is that “You [colored people] have to prove to the Americans and the world, that we are MEN and not brutes, as we have been represented and by millions treated.” (Page 33) He asks the question “How can those enemies but say that we and our children are not of the HUMAN FAMILY, but were made by our Creator to be an inheritance?” Although nowadays many people agree that black people have the same anatomy as whites do, but back then many people did not view blacks as equals to themselves.

    Read More

  • Breaking The Spell King's Approach To Civil Disobedience

    630 Words  | 2 Pages

    In America the Amendment 1 of the U.S. Constitution gives the American people the right to peaceably assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Most notably Amendment 1 is known for and most often cited as giving the Freedom of Speech. Even before this amendment was ratified people in the U.S. were protesting, as in the Boston Tea Party. Protesting has been a way to effect change in America. A question to ask is this: is there a right way or wrong way to protest.

    Read More

  • The Pro-slavery Constitution

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    It should be noted that the Declaration of Independence made it clear that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Although this progressive view was shared by many of the members of the Constitutional Convention, it is clear that the original text of the American Constitution is rather pro-slavery and up to a certain point protects the slave-owners. It is of utmost importance to note that the words slavery/slave are not used in the text of the Constitution.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay About Slavery

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    “We hold these truths to be self evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” If the confusion has not yet set in, then give it a moment. This nation, the United States of America, prides itself on being far superior to all other nations because here in America we are free men. We set ourselves on a pedestal above Great Britain because the Declaration of Independence clearly states that everyone inside the parameters of our country will be treated as equal as the same individuals neighbor. Yet for nearly three centuries, our nation was full of individuals, including our forefathers, who “owned” people that were regarded as less than themselves simply due to the fact that the pigments in their skin did not allow them to fall within the Caucasian race. The very legal document that had the word “Independence” written within it’s name and blatantly stated that it is obvious that no human is greater than any other because we were all made by the same god for the same reason, is the foundation of a nation that used innocent lives as fuel for slavery. It wasn’t until some educated individuals finally stood up and realized how incredibly wrong these two concepts are when put together. It is said that when the former slave Frederick Douglass

    Read More

  • Analysis: The First Ten Amendments Of The United States Constitution

    479 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the year 1787, fifty-five delegates convened with the intention of declaring sovereignty, decrying tyranny and ultimately, establishing a nation. They did, and the result was the United States Constitution; a document designed to preserve life, liberty and property, a document rooted in the ideas of John Locke and the Magna Carta, a document that would transform this nation forever. Subsequent to ratifying the Constitution, it was amended twenty-seven times. The first ten amendments comprise the Bill of Rights which were written to protect natural rights and prevent a tyrannical rule of law. The pursuing seventeen amendments address national issues that have arose over the course of time.

    Read More

  • Anaphora In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    256 Words  | 1 Pages

    Paragraph 13 first mentions this statement. It starts off with a reminder that the oppressed must speak up to gain their freedom which will not be given to them so freely by the ones who are the oppressors themselves. Before the usage of the word, it is already shown how the Negroes aren’t expected to have their

    Read More

  • An Argument Against Racial Profiling by Police

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Fourth Amendment states “the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.” Despite this right, multiple minorities across the country suffer at the hands of police officers through racial profiling; the singling out of a person or persons as the main suspect of a crime based on their race. Many people have also suffered the loss of a loved one because police believed the suspect to be a threat based on their races therefore the officers use their authority to take out the “threat”. Although racial profiling may make sense to police officers in the line of duty, through the eyes of the public and those affected by police actions, it is a form a racism that is not being confronted and is allowing unjust convictions and deaths.

    Read More

  • Tenth Amendment Essay

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    Tenth Amendment Our bill of rights all began when James Madison, the primary author of the constitution, proposed 20 amendments to the bill of rights and not the ten we know of today. Madison sent these twenty proposed rights through the House and the Senate and was left with twelve bills of rights. Madison himself took some of it out. These amendments were then sent to the states to be ratified. Virginia was the tenth state out of the fourteenth states to approve 10 out of 12 amendments.

    Read More

  • How Revolutionary Was The American Revolution?

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Revolution was a “light at the end of the tunnel” for slaves, or at least some. African Americans played a huge part in the war for both sides. Lord Dunmore, a governor of Virginia, promised freedom to any slave that enlisted into the British army. Colonists’ previously denied enlistment to African American’s because of the response of the South, but hesitantly changed their minds in fear of slaves rebelling against them. The north had become to despise slavery and wanted it gone. On the contrary, the booming cash crops of the south were making huge profits for landowners, making slavery widely popular. After the war, slaves began to petition the government for their freedom using the ideas of the Declaration of Independence,” including the idea of natural rights and the notion that government rested on the consent of the governed.” (Keene 122). The north began to fr...

    Read More

  • The Eight Amendment Essay

    1918 Words  | 4 Pages

    The eight amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the United States Bill of Rights, which took effect on December 15, 1791, after a three fourths of the states ratified the bill. This amendment prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment. It is almost identical to a provision in the English Bill of Rights of 1689, in which parliament declared that excessive bail ought not be required, nor excessive fines imposed , nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted. The state of Virginia had adopted this section of the English Bill of Rights in the VIrginia Declaration of rights of 1776, and the Virginia convention that ratified the US Constitution recommended in 1778 that this language also be included in the federal constitution. On September 25, 1789, James Madison proposed this amendment to Congress thus creating our eight amendment.

    Read More

  • The Civil Rights Movement

    983 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution form what is known as the Bill of Rights. In essence it is a summary of the basic rights held by all U.S. citizens. However, Negro citizens during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950-70’s felt this document and its mandate that guaranteed the civil rights and civil liberties of all people; were interpreted differently for people of color. The freedoms outlined in the Constitution were not enforced the same by the government of the United States for the black race as it did for the white race.

    Read More

  • Declaration Of Independence Analysis

    277 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the document, It states “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights”, but in the 1900’s there was mass segregation. African Americans were denied of their

    Read More

  • Explain The First Ten Amendments Of The Bill Of Rights

    116 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments which protect citizens individual rights. For instance, Amendment 1 states how people have the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and to petition to the government of redress of grievances. In addition , powers are given to the three branches of government. This came about when philosopher Baron de Montesquieu described that there should be three branches of government which are the executive, legislative, and judicial. This is called separation of powers. The national government have enumerated powers and the states had the other powers. For example, Amendment 10 states that powers not delegated to the national government or denied to the states are reserved to the states.

    Read More

  • Slavery and Abolition

    1581 Words  | 4 Pages

    Knowles, H. J. (2007). The Constitution and Slavery: A Special Relationship. Slavery & Abolition, 28(3), 309-328. doi:10.1080/01440390701685514

    Read More

  • Importance Of The 10 Amendments To The Bill Of Rights Essay

    485 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the United States, we have 10 Amendments that form our Bill of Rights. But in a different world, were humans were overthrown by animals, they have a different thought process of these. Some of our amendments may be the same as theirs. Some of our amendments could be way off from theirs. All together, some of our amendments could be totally ignored, or denied, by these animals and the society they run.

    Read More

More about The Ten Amendments

Open Document