Amendments of the U.S. Constitution HIS/301 Amendments of the U.S. Constitution The United States Constitution is a beloved document of this country. In this document many powers, liberties, and freedoms are given to the citizens of the United States of America. These citizens were first made up of immigrants or settlers from England who wanted a place to live without fear of death, and freedom of liberties. The people who made up the first colonies of the America’s fought long and hard through many generations to get to the point they were at writing the Constitution. Though writing the Constitution was the “icing on the cake” for those who lived in America and those looking to live in America, there was a time when the original …show more content…
There are many different practicing religions in America because of the first amendment. The Bill of Rights also made it possible for a movement to begin that we now call “Women’s Liberation,” eventually giving women the right to vote. The fact that the right of freedom of speech was a protected right made it easier for people to speak out about injustices. The civil rights movement was because of the proposed unconstitutionality of some laws that went against the portion called the Bill of Rights. The fight for civil rights was won because people knew that the equality of people was not being met as the Constitution provided for. More than two hundred years later there are still ongoing effects from the Bill of Rights adoption to the Constitution. Amendments Twelve, Twenty-Two, and Twenty-Five To date there are Twenty-Seven Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The three that I will be addressing here all have to deal with the Presidency of the United States. In the original Constitutional document the structure of the government was addressed, including the office of the Presidency. It is assumed by many that any issues with the Presidency would have been addressed when the Constitution was drafted. The need for amendments was noticed by the drafters of the Constitution, and no part of the Constitution was without scrutiny, or error. In Article II of the Constitution it states there is to be a President,
Have you ever wonder the process that the Founding Fathers of America had to go through to create our system of government? One of the vital pieces to establishing this government was the famous document known as the Constitution. The Constitution was a highly argued document, because many people were concerned about if it would protect the newly-separated country of america from the tyranny that they had faced with their previous king. The Constitution ended up being the people's’ savior after the delegates signed it in September 1787, and protected them from tyranny in their country even better than before. All and all, the Constitution guarded the United States against tyranny creating a system
The United States Constitution was drafted up to help America grow as a country and be a country where everyone wanted to live. It was written as a guidline to follow to ensure its citizens rights and liberties, and their pursuit to happiness. There is a lot of controversy over the US constitution on whether or not some of the things in there are good or bad or what not. I think that the United States Constitution was very well written and it follows a very principalistic guidline and it has its own moral and principals. Just like the unalienable rights that everyone talks about. These rights are meant to stand for its people. They cannot be taken away from the government, they cant be tampered with by the government or anything like
Imagine a country where every way you turn your head there’s horror. Different currencies, inflation, debt, just dreadful. Now imagine that same country making a document that changes it all. There's happiness, smiles, and rainbows. Everyone is just very jovial. That’s what the constitution did for the U.S. When the constitution was written in September, 1787 the government was under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was our first national government but, it was terrible. The central government had no power and, the states had all the power. Our country couldn't operate. The constitution saved us for many reasons, some of which, it provided a system of checks and balances, it gave us a national
It was crucial for the colonists to figure out a way to live and work together. This was their first time making decisions without being commanded by a king or Queen and it was important to formulate and then implement a plan of action. (Schmidt, 2017). The idea of a constitution was thus created for the betterment of those living in America and has served as a rallying cry, a defense mechanism, and a safeguard for all citizens within the United States. This irreplaceable document has survived throughout time not only on paper but also in the hearts of many Americans. The Constitution of the United States officially went into effect on “September 17,1787” (Schmidt,2017, pg.35). The greatness of this constitution is still seen today as it serves as a solid base, with room allowed for re-examination or change if needed. Every now and then an issue may arise and the laws set forth into the constitution are reexamined and an amendment may be set
The 1st Ten Amendments to the US Constitution, Ratified in 1791 & guaranteeing such rights as the freedoms of speech, assembly, worship with the concestance of others. Federalists had promised the protection of individual liberties to the Constitution during the ratification struggle. From 210 proposed amendments, 12 were recommended by congress for adoption. Ten were ratified by the states in 1791, which are now known as the Bill Of
In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was just written on September 17th. During this time, the common man was still under the power of the Articles of Confederation, a weak document that loosely connected the 13 former colonies. Although the Articles didn’t give the United States of America the strong centralized power that it needed, opposers to the new Constitution would argue that the Constitution took away the rights of the common man and gave that power, that the individual once had, to the federal government. Although this statement is correct, the federal government’s newly given power was used to protect the fundamental rights and liberties of its citizens and create a powerful government in the hopes that it would benefit
The Constitution was created in the 1700’s to unify a growing nation and to ensure the basic rights of all citizens. However, as time went on, it seemed as if the large ideas in which our nation had been based upon, began to diminish and after the Mexican-American War, the nation began to face a large split in opinions mainly when regarding slavery. By the 1850’s the largely different interpretation of the Constitution caused such tension between citizens (northerners vs. southerners; those who were for slavery vs. those who opposed slavery), that the constitution could be described as an instrument of destruction that would lead to one of the darkest periods in this country’s history. The Constitution may have built up the union, but it ultimately contributed to its failure as well. The Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, the different interpretations of the constitution and the Dred Scott case, all contributed to the failure of the union the Constitution had created.
In this Modern Era, there are three amendments that greatly impact us; the 13th amendment, 19th amendment, and 22nd amendment. Throughout history many important decisions and laws were made based on age, beliefs, gender, race, and ethnicity which reflect on our society today. The constitution is an important decision wisely created by the United States to protect the natural rights of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness, and within the constitution are the amendments. Amendments consist of civil rights, civil rights are given to citizens to enjoy political and social freedom as well as equality. Before the 13th amendment African Americans were deprived of their life and pursuit to happiness, when the 13th amendment was ratified and abolished
In my personal opinion, I would not change any of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. First, the Constitution is not a simple document that can be changed overnight; it will take a long time because of the diverse positions and opinions about it. Today, the population of the United States comprises more than 320 millions of people and try to satisfy all of them is not possible. And second, the Bill of Rights gives to Americans the basic or natural rights such as: Life, liberty, and property or "pursuit the happiness"( according to Thomas Jefferson). These rights allows to American to enjoy a better quality
The constitution is the document that has framed and shaped the United States from inception. It is the document that is defended by all new presidents and also the document which affords the citizens of the United States freedoms and rights that cannot be removed. In its drafting it shaped the formation of a new country and a new style of governance. It is a ‘bottom up’ as opposed to established ways of government which are ‘top down’. However for all its virtues the Constitution is somewhat ambiguous and there is some debate of the intent of the drafters, did they intend to
This right states that government make the search and seizure warrant based on the cause. For example, if a person was accused for some crime and that person already have record of the crime before then the court will make the warrant based on that record. Sometime policies don’t need warrant such as bounty hunters, because the court already took the rights of the person who is being accused away. This right
The Bill of Rights contains 10 amendments that were designed to protect the people and prevent an over powerful government. There are 3 amendments that are absolutely needed in order for the government to protect the people. That being said the 3 amendments that the people absolutely need are the 1st, 10th, and 2nd amendments. We need the 1st amendment because without freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion, and petition, there is no personal liberty, and without it, we wouldn’t be allowed to disagree with the government. The 10th amendment prohibits the government from becoming too large and taking over the states, and that’s important because without that, the government could easily take over the United States, and not be punished.
Background - In the U.S. legal system, the Constitution forms the basic template for legal theory and management of law. This document formed the bases for the U.S. government and defined the three main sections: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. We must remember, too, that the idea of this constitution of removing ties to a monarchy and setting up a separate government "by the people, for the people," was a very radical idea in the 18th century and had a background not only in the various documents from the Mayflower Compact to the numerous colonial governmental charters. There, were however, numerous compromises that had to be made to ensure ratification of the Constitution. However, had these compromises not been made, (e.g. slavery, etc.) it is unlikely the colonies would have come together to ratify the document, and the British may have prevailed. (National Constitution Center, 2009).
Due to the British oppression, every American, including our founding founders, wanted greater protection of their rights. To accomplish this, James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights and by the end of 1791, every state had ratified the first ten amendments. The First Amendment is primary, not just because it is at the beginning, but because it articulates the First Freedom and the nature of that freedom. It states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” By connecting the freedom of religion with the freedoms of speech and press, the First Amendment showed the people of America what it is to be a human (Bill of Rights).
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.