Thomas Jefferson once said, “A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference”. The Bill of Rights provided U.S. citizens with the right to bear arms, freedom of speech, the right for the people to be safe in their houses against random searches, and the right for the accused to a public and immediate trial, and many other important civil rights. The Bill of Rights is a very important founding document that influenced society when it first was added and still today provides the United States citizens with civil liberties.
The first ten amendments of the United States Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights protects individuals’ fundamental rights and liberties. James Madison, a founding father and also the fourth president of the United States, formed many drafts for the Bill of Rights for the U.S Constitution. George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Independence influenced James Madison and gave him insight on what to include in his Bill of Rights (Source 7). On June 8, 1789 James Madison introduced his proposal of twelve
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different amendments for the Bill of Rights to the House of Representatives. Congress approved ten out of Madison’s twelve amendments and the Bill of Rights was formed. In December of 1791, the Bill of Rights became an official part of the Constitution. The Bill of Rights, even though written in 1789, still has a major impact on individuals today. Several college campuses around the United States are still debating issues about free speech and the students have started protests against inflammatory speakers inciting hate and violence. In addition to the first amendment, several other amendments are also controversial today. The Bill of Rights addressed many common issues of the day with its ten amendments. It was put into place to protect citizens from uncontrolled government and to allow citizens the freedom to be themselves and express their beliefs without government mandate. The Bill of Rights helps assure that the powers of the federal government are separate from the power of the states. Adding the Bill of Rights to the Constitution was the first major step that united America to form an ideal union and this document has shaped America and explains what it means to be an American citizen. This part of the Constitution will always be a primary symbol of the culture and freedoms of the nation. The Bill of Rights guarantees many rights but there are still many controversies. When the Bill of Rights was first added to the Constitution questions about how to interpret the amendments led to many court cases and the government worked to fix the issues as they came up. Marbury v Madison in 1803 (Source 6) was one of these controversial cases that affected the civil liberties present in the Bill of Rights. In this case William Marbury was designated as a justice of the peace in the hours leading up to the departure of the Adams administration. When Marbury’s petition was denied, this was the first time that the Supreme Court had declared something unconstitutional. Judicial review was established because of this court case. This is one of the first court cases that had an influence on the checks and balances idea in the American government. Barron v Baltimore in 1833 (Source 5) was a case where the Supreme Court declined to expand the Bill of Rights to control the power of the states because of a lawsuit that Barron had filed because he believed that the city had deprived him of his property. This case mostly was an issue under the Fifth Amendment where the Supreme Court agreed that the Bill of Rights concerned only actions passed by the federal government. The first amendment is controversial to many individuals in the United States because it states “Congress shall make no law… prohibiting the free exercise of freedom of speech”(Source 7) It has been determined that it is not allowed for an individual to yell fire in a closed room or incite violence. But other forms of hate speech or speeches relating to political matters are less defined. Where do you draw the line? Other issues include the speech relating to political matters, hate speech or even criticism of the government. Free speech will always be an issue because there are so many ways it can create conflict. The second amendment explains that the citizens of the United States have the right to keep and bare arms (Source 1).
This has been a controversy for a long time because there are different ways to carry arms. These ways include Constitutional Carry, Open Carry and Concealed Carry. These differ because Concealed and Open Carry require a permit to be able to carry one around and for Constitutional Carry a permit is not required. If the United States has the armed services to protect it then there is no longer the need for a citizen militia, and the need for citizens to bare arms may be unnecessary. However some issues are present even with this amendment in place. Many individuals have a deep love for their guns and need them for hunting, they need the gun for protection anywhere they go and they are not willing to give up the
gun. The Ninth Amendment may seem like it’s not that important and has no place in the Bill of Rights but it really does. The Ninth Amendment in simple terms is explained as rights retained by the people. These rights even though not specifically stated anywhere in a founding document are supposed to still be followed and cannot be violated. This amendment makes a simple statement about which rights to follow. The Ninth Amendment as stated in the Bill of Rights says, “The enumeration of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people” (Source 7) The Bill of Rights is a list of boundaries on government power. The assumptions that underlie the Bill of Rights are justified. All of the amendments proposed by James Madison had a reason and each amendment provided a different civil liberty. For example, the First Amendment protected the logical right of an individual to speak and choose his or her own religion. The Fifth Amendment explains that “no person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury”. The Fifth Amendment is important because it provides citizens the ability to not be denied the privilege of life, liberty or property. The first ten amendments of the Constitution are not perfect and there are still some issues present today. The Bill of Rights is still valid today and legislators from different states have wanted to add more amendments but they have been turned down because of weaknesses. Some assumptions made by citizens that some might find offensive include certain beliefs about each different amendments. The first amendment is one that has major issues because it states that Congress does not have permission to make a law relating to the establishment of religion. This implies that all religions are equal. This specifically might be offensive to Christians because some believe that Christianity is the true religion over all of the other religions. However because not everyone is a Christian the first amendment assures that all religions are treated equally. The Bill of Rights is one of the founding documents in the United States. It outlines ten amendments that protect citizen’s rights. Without James Madison’s Bill of Rights, America wouldn’t be the same. It has protected America citizens since 1791, and hopefully will last for many more years.
There was a short time where all was calm right after the civil war. king charles the second and his father were both dead so Charles brother took over. this is king James the secondf and he was a Catholic sao he appointed many high positions in the government. Most of his sibjects were protestant and did not like the idea of Catholicism being the religion theyd have to abide by. like his father and brother king james the second ignored the peoples wishes and ruled without Parliament and relied on royal power. an English Protestant leader wanted to take the power away from james and give it to his daughter Mary and Her husband William from the Netherlands. William saled out to the south of england with his troops but sent them away soon after they landed
The Bill of Rights is dictation of the first ten Amendments to the constitution, written in their inventive form. The most important articles in the Bill of Rights are amendments five and eight, which protect one’s right to a speedy trial and just punishment. In the end of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, we are able to recognize the necessity of these articles, because combined; they could have helped save Proctor’s life.
The Constitution of the United States is one of the most iconic and important documents of all time. However, when it was first generated, its writing and ratification caused some major concerns. The purpose of the Constitution was to address the great number of issues of a new nation. To be more specific, the Constitution was meant to resolve the political, economic, and social problems of the country. Nevertheless, the document spurred much discussion and concern over people’s rights, the economy, and political corruption.
The English Bill of Rights is an Act of the Parliament of England that deals with constitutional matters and sets out certain basic civil rights. This constitution was passed on December 16, 1689.The Bill was passed to declare laws and liberties of the people. Also the people wanted separation of powers and limits the of power to the king and queen. It guarantees the rights of enhancing the democratic election and to get more freedom of speech. No armies should be raised in peacetime, no taxes can be levied, without the authority of parliament. Laws should not be dispensed with, or suspended, without the consent of parliament and no excessive fines should imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. King James the 2nd, had abused his
On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified effective by Congress. These first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America promised the states certain rights and freedoms which could not be infringed by the government. After all, the founding fathers knew from experience that men in their weakness were often tempted by power. They had become all too familiar with this when under the control of King George in England. Therefore, in order to protect the future people of their beautiful country, they promised certain liberties which could not be taken away. Every single one of these freedoms is important for the United States of America. However, the second amendment is especially important to our nation because it allows the people to protect their freedom and defend themselves and the common good against an overreaching government.
The Bill of Rights was created as a listing of the rights granted to citizens, the Bill of Rights serves to protect the people from a powerful government. These civil rights granted to U.S. Citizens are included in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, Locke’s ideas about checks and balances and the division of church and state were later embodied in the U.S. Constitution as well. The Constitution replaced a more weakly organized system of government as outlined under the Articles of Confederation. John Locke was an English philosopher who lived during 1632-1704.
The American Bill of Rights mainly focused on the people of the United States explaining and showing to them their rights as an American
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.
When the Second Constitutional Convention wrote the Constitution in 1787, there was a controversy between the federalists and the anti-federalists surrounding whether or not to have a Bill of Rights. The anti-federalists claimed that a bill of rights was needed that listed the guaranteed rights that the government could never take away from a person i.e. “inalienable rights.” A Bill of Rights was eventually deemed necessary, and has worked for over 210 years. There are many reasons why the ten amendments are still valid to this day, and the best examples are the First Amendment, concerning the freedom of religion, the Fifth Amendment, and the Sixth Amendment.
In the years after the American Revolution, the colonies were faced with a second task: building a new government to establish liberty for future generations. Not everyone agreed on the best way to do that. A Constitutional Convention was called to reform the government, and the leaders gathered there formed the document we know as the US Constitution. Patrick Henry was very worried by the new powers granted in the Constitution. He feared that a paper document would not be able to preserve liberty from potential tyrants. He was especially insistent on the inclusion of a bill of rights. “The rights of conscience, trial by jury, liberty of the press, all your immunities and franchises, all pretensions to human rights and privileges, are rendered insecure, if not lost, by this change… is this same relinquishment of rights worthy of freemen?” Thanks to Patrick Henry, America got its bill of rights. Without him, that great document ensuring liberty for future generations might never have been written. Patrick Henry has been proved right. The Bill of Rights has served as an indispensable support of American liberty, serving as a check on all who would abuse their power. Every time we read an uncensored newspaper, worship as we please, or voice our opinions in the public square, we are enjoying the legacy of freedom Patrick Henry
The Bill of Rights are the first ten Amendments to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights works to provide constitutional protection for the individual and to limit government power. The First Amendment and the Sixth Amendment protects the individual by allowing religious and political freedom, and by promising a public and speedy trial. The Fourth Amendment protects the individual’s privacy and limits the reach of the government into people’s homes and personal belongings. The three essential Amendments from the Bill of Rights are: the First Amendment- Religious and Political freedom: the Fourth Amendment- Search and Seizure: and the Sixth Amendment-Criminal Court Procedures.
“The bill or rights the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791 and
Imagine being in a world where you could not speak your opinions. This is would become if there is no bill of rights. After the Constitution was ratified, two groups were formed that came to a disagreement. The Federalists were in favor of how the Constitution was and believed it needed no change. The Anti-Federalists, however, wanted a bill of rights to be added. By limiting the government’s power and allowing people more rights, the Bill of Rights will be very beneficial to all.
The Bill of Rights cemented the new Republic together by preserving the national government and highlighting individual liberties. The Bill also explains that not all of a person’s rights are listed, but that doesn’t mean that specific forms of expression are prohibited.
Nelson Mandela once said “To be free is not to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that enhances the freedom of others.” The Bill of Rights gives us the rights to many different liberties and privileges, and enhances our freedom. It is the part of the Constitution that applies to everyone alike, and gives us many beautiful privileges. I believe that some of the most important rights are freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of religion. I also believe that the Bill of Rights should not be changed, despite many arguments that it should.