Amendments to the United States Constitution Essays

  • The First Amendment to the United States Constitution

    2214 Words  | 5 Pages

    December 15, 1791 the First Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, guaranteeing that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech." At an absolute minimum, the Establishment Clause was intended to prohibit the federal government from declaring and financially supporting a national religion, such as existed in many other countries at the time of the nation's founding (University

  • The Second Amendment To The Constitution Of The United States

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    which is the first ten Amendments to the United States Constitution. The second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States involves the right to bear arms. This Amendment is the subject of many present day controversies and cases. In 1787, the United States Constitution was drawn up for the first time by our Founding Fathers. Although the Constitution was beautifully crafted, it only stated what the

  • The 5th Amendment: Amendment V, United States Constitution

    2806 Words  | 6 Pages

    5th Amendment “No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without

  • 13th Amendment: United States Constitution To End Slavery

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Thirteenth Amendment The thirteenth amendment was the first amendment put into the United States Constitution to end slavery. The thirteen amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865. The thirteenth amendment was one of the three Civil War amendments added into the constitution. The thirteenth amendment states that “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime of which the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist

  • The Pros And Cons Of The Fourth Amendment Of The United States Constitution

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Fourth Amendment of the U.S Constitution provides protection to the people against unreasonable searches and seizures. The exclusionary rule was a judicial precedence that made evidence obtained in violation of the US Constitution inadmissible in federal, state and local courts. Its primary focus being to discourage illegal or inappropriate law enforcement investigation practices. This ruling applies not only to evidence obtained directly from an illegal search or seizure, but also branches

  • United States Constitution: Amendment Process

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    The United States constitution has an amendment process that has been included in the Bill of Rights. The amendment allows Americans to make changes on the September 17, 1789 United States Constitution was ratified and made law. The amendment of the Bill of rights has made America to continue growing in prosperity through the years and to become one of the most powerful nations in the world. The United States constitution was created with an amendment in Article V. This amendment process allows the

  • Effectiveness of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    and 15th amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America and considering whether they achieved the purpose of making life better for African Americans. I’m going to start this essay by talking about the Amendments and what they were designed to achieve. In total there are 27 amendments to the Constitution, all with different ways to make America better. Around 1791 the first amendments were made but the amendments I will be looking at occurred later. The 13th Amendment was made

  • The Second Amendment

    1620 Words  | 4 Pages

    “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” - Second Amendment. Throughout history, this sentence of twenty seven words has caused an intense debate. The polemic is that some people claim that a gun control policy is unconstitutional, while others disagree and even say it is necessary in order to reduce crime. Now, what does gun control mean? If it means to analyze who is responsible enough to

  • The First Amendment

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    The First Amendment is the first section of the Bill of Rights and is often considered the most important part of the U.S Constitution because it guarantees the citizens of United States the essential personal freedoms of religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly and the freedom to petition the Government. Thanks to the rights granted by the First Amendment, Americans are able to live in a country where they can freely express themselves, speak their mind, pray without interference, protest in

  • The Importance Of Equality In America

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    voting rights, equality has come a long way with the Constitution in play. Arguments can be made that the Constitution doesn’t have the quality to enhance the equality of America, but others would state that America has made advancements with the Constitution in hand. The Amendments along with the past of America’s fight for equality in religion and race have shown how far America has progressed with the Constitution. Religion

  • Supreme Court Cases: The Contrast in the Constitution and Constitutional Law

    1139 Words  | 3 Pages

    This paper discusses the contrast of two landmark United States (U.S.) Supreme Court cases that helped to clearly define how the Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution is interpreted, and analyzes the difference between the “Constitution” and “Constitutional Law.” Two cases that are referenced in this analysis are (1) Katz v. United States, 386 U.S. 954 (U.S. March 13, 1967), and (2) Olmstead v. United States, 277 U.S. 438 (U.S. June 4, 1928), which differed in ruling; one eventually

  • Reflections On The First Amendment

    1819 Words  | 4 Pages

    Reflections on the First Amendment On December 15th, 1971, the first X amendments to the Constitution went into affect. The first X amendments to the constitution were known as the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment was written by James Madison because the American people were demanding a guarantee of their freedom. The First Amendment was put into place to protect American’s freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly and freedom of petition. The First Amendment was written as follows;

  • Supreme Court and Women's Rights

    1470 Words  | 3 Pages

    popular, and abortions are frowned upon in society. The case Roe v. Wade is about a woman with the fake name of Jane Roe who wanted an abortion but the state of Texas would not let her unless her life was in danger. She sued the district attorney of Dallas County saying that it violated the right to privacy under the 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 14th Amendments. Usually, some arguments for being against abortions are because it is like killing a life, religious reasons, and less chance of future pregnancies

  • The First Eight Amendments

    640 Words  | 2 Pages

    The constitution of the United States of America contains the amendments that give American citizens their everyday rights and privileges. “Within the first eight amendments of the Bill of Rights, there are 25 specific liberties and protections for individuals. Of those 25 protections, fifteen relate directly to the criminal process.” This information comes from sixthamendment.org. These amendments include things like: freedom of speech, the right to a speedy and fair trail, the right to a grand

  • Women's Fight for Suffrage in America

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    for them to gain justice, they had to fight for their right to vote, a right that should’ve been given to them from the beginning. The U.S. Constitution was adopted and signed in September, 1787. It had 10 amendments originally, bur since 1787, 17 amendments have been added, making a grand total of 27 amendments. One of these amendments was the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868. Section

  • I Am An American

    1657 Words  | 4 Pages

    in the United States. Government officials have claimed that the issue of birthright citizenship is the core of the dispute over immigration. To try and remedy this situation, holders of public office have held hearings and debates in an attempt to “redefine” what it means to be an American citizen. Birthright citizenship is the term used to refer to the citizenship that is granted to an individual who is born on the associated territory. Providing an individual with citizenship of any state or country

  • The Second Amendment - The Right To Bear Arms

    2184 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Second Amendment And The Right To Bear Arms Throughout the years there has been an ongoing debate over the Second Amendment and how it should be interpreted. The issue that is being debated is whether our government has the right to regulate guns. The answer of who has which rights lies within how one interprets the Second Amendment. With this being the case, one must also think about what circumstances the Framers were under when this Amendment was written. There are two major sides to

  • Why Is The Second Amendment Important

    778 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Second Amendment states, “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” This statement basically means that people should be able to own guns for their own security and that right should not be taken away. The Second Amendment was added to the Constitution because the creators of the Constitution wanted to make sure that it protected basic rights, including the right to bear arms. It was also

  • The Significance of the 14th Amendment and Its Implications on the Constitution

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Introduction The 14th Amendment to the Constitution of United States addressed the issues related to citizenship of the country and their fundamental rights for equality. This amendment is regarded as one of the most significant clauses in the US constitution since it provides the definition for citizenship, deals with the rights of the US citizens, and defines the state’s obligations to protect the rights of its citizens. This amendment was passed in the year 1866 by the Congress following the

  • The 14th Amendment In The Constitution And The Fourteenth Amendment

    1955 Words  | 4 Pages

    Supreme Court Essay The Fourteenth Amendment has, overall, been a great incorporation into the Constitution through its equal protection clause, due process clause, and other specific feature such as the ability to be show the presence of the separate but equal mindset invested amongst individuals in the Court case of Plessy v. Ferguson, the implementation of said mindset in the decision of the Brown v. The Board of Education Supreme Court case, the usage of the due process clause in the 2000 presidential