Assess The Importance Of The Sixth Amendment In The United States

The originally Bill of Rights protected the rights of citizens from infringement by the federal government, but made no mention of the states. The Fourteen Amendment, adopted shortly after the Civil War, protected citizenship and individual rights from infringement by state governments. Under the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause, the United States Supreme Court began to apply the most important rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights against the states. This process began in the early 1900s and is known as the doctrine of selective incorporation. Duncan versus Louisiana was the landmark case in which the court incorporated the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial against the states.

In 1787 the United States’ constitution was written, two years later the Bill of Rights was added. The Bill of Rights consists of ten amendments which were designed based on the American ideals to ensure that the federal government is not too powerful, and that it would protect the rights of the people or of the state. One of the most important amendments in the Bill of Rights is the sixth amendment, which gives the people the right to enjoy a speedy trial when accused, and it allows the accused person to know the cause of the accusation and who his accuser is. It clearly represents some of the American ideals such as: democracy, opportunity, and equality.

The Sixth Amendment was ratified on December 15, 1791. It guarantees rights related to criminal prosecutions in federal courts and it was ruled that these rights are fundamental and important. The Sixth Amendment gives the accused the right to speedy and public trial by the impartial jury. The accused has the right to be informed of the nature and reason of accusation and also be confronted with the witness against him as well as obtaining witness in his favor. In this research paper I will provide a thorough analysis of these above rights and give some history of the 6th Amendment.

("The 6th Amendment.") The Amendment offers protection especially for citizens who are in judicial proceedings.("Why Do We Have The Sixth Amendment? - Liberty First Network.") The amendment also protects accused people from unfair investigation and trials. The Sixth Amendment is for the people to protect themselves before and in court. I believe that the amendment protects people from racism and unjust trials. This amendment gives the accused a chance to prove their innocence and explain their case. In “The Sixth Amendment." A Kids' Guide to America's Bill of Rights it is said that “The Sixth Amendment is meant as a step toward making sure that the United States offers "liberty and justice for all," not just liberty and justices for the wealthy." ("The Sixth Amendment." A Kids' Guide to America's Bill of Rights) The amendment gives all accused people a fair chance in court and establishes the basis of the modern court

Over the course of time the Supreme Court has had multiple cases reviewed, and using the past history of famous court cases to evolve the Sixth Amendment. The Supreme Court uses selective incorporation (this a constitutional doctrine that ensures states cannot pass laws that take away the constitutional rights of American citizens that are protected in the Bill of Rights.)One example of the Supreme Court using selective incorporation is Impartial Jury: Voir Dire-defendant and prosecutor look over all juries to get rid of any bias that might be against the person. This also gives the criminally convicted different varieties of people on the jury to have an un-bias judgement. The reason this is a selective incorporation because the Supreme Court

For example, these rights protect a suspect from self-incrimination, as cited in the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution. As additional evidence, these rights also uphold one's right to receive due process with legal counsel, as cited by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution. Consequently, to remain with in the guidelines of the Bill of Rights, Miranda Rights need to be read to all those accused of a crime.

The fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments regards the rights individuals have when coming in contact or in custody with police officers. The fourth amendment is the right of search and seizure. A search is when a police officer goes into a space where the individual bevies they have privacy. A seizure is when a police officer says or does something that an individual would suspect that they are not free to leave police officer contact. The fifth amendment is the right to remain silent and the right to council. The right to remain silent and council only pertain when an individual is in arrest custody. And states "no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process." The sixth

America is built on the foundation of society being run and well-flowing around the three values the Republic of the United States hold most dear to: equality, freedom, and justice. The rights of the accused is an important factor in maximizing justice. Amendments 4-8 in the Bill of Rights specifically detail how criminal law should be dealt with, and how justice can be ensured every step of the way. The Fifth and Sixth Amendments contain two systems that go hand in hand with one another, a due process and a trial by jury for all citizens. Amendments 4-8, a Due Process, and a Trial by Jury are essential for establishing the rights of the accused and their absence would be detrimental to the effectiveness of the American criminal justice system.

This amendment was a part of the Bill of Rights and adds a number of rights for an accused citizen. These rights include a fair trial, speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, a notice of accusation, a confrontation of the witness, and right to a lawyer. A speedy trial means that the government cannot delay a trial to keep you in jail. A public trial ensures that rules a being followed correctly. An impartial jury means that they will not convict you without sufficient evidence. A notice of accusation forces the government to tell you what you did wrong. A confrontation of a witness is that people who saw the crime must testify. A right to a lawyer means that you have the right to have a lawyer even if you do not have the money for one.

The Seventh Amendment is truly a strong method to ensure that human rights are protected. Its importance might not be as obvious as that of the the First Amendment, with the three most known freedoms of religion, speech, and press, as well as freedom to assemble peacefully and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. However, this amendment helps to protect these freedoms, as without it power would be taken from the people and given unfairly to the government.

Amendments in the Constitution are giving people, Americans the rights to have freedom and showing that from the Constitution. The rights that we as people have in our lives to speak up, and stand up for what we believe in.“U.S Constitution established Americans national government laws, and guaranteed basic rights for citizens”( The U.S Constitutions). Ten amendments were ratified by the states, there are twenty seven amendments in the constitution of the United States. All Amendments are representing America, for its rights and freedom. Amendments help and benefit Americans, they are a way to represent our freedom and of course the privileges that we are able to have. The Fifth Amendment is a very important one to the

Constitutional Amendments 4, 5, 6, part of 7, and 8 include our “Due Process” rights. Due process is defined as “a variety of procedural guarantees for those accused of crimes” The 4th amendment includes the right that protects people from unreasonable search and seizure and requires both probable cause and a warrant. It only allows the police to search for the person being arrested, things in view of that person, and things the person can reach that are in their immediate control. The 5th amendment protects against self-incrimination. People don’t have to answer any questions that might incriminate themselves and they can “plead the 5th” which means they are refusing to answer because it might incriminate them if they do. People have to be read their Miranda rights when they are being arrested and that lets them know they have the right to remain silent. The 6th amendment gives people the right to council and the right to trial by jury. So if you cannot afford an attorney you will receive a public defender to help with your case. You also have the right to a speedy and public trial by a jury of your peers. The 7th amendment protects you from being tried by a jury and then having the court overturn their decision. The 8th amendment protects against cruel and

After reading thoroughly through each of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments, I found the Fifth Amendment to be the most significant among the three, which deal with criminal rights. While each amendment holds its place within our Constitution, the Fifth Amendment is seemingly the one, which holds the most value to an accused person within their criminal rights. This is an especially important issue in the era we live in with all of the medias attention set on the criminal justice field with police brutality. It is crucial that American civilians know their rights so that they may protect themselves and protect the values that this countries criminal justice and government sets upon.

The Fourth Amendment will protect individuals from search and seizures indirectly but not directly. The Fifth Amendment helps safeguard individuals from self-incrimination that do not apply to pretrial procedures because this amendment involves obtaining identification and not testimonies of evidence. The Sixth Amendment safeguards the individual’s right to an attorney during any criminal proceedings. This Amendment also safeguards identification procedures of an individual when an initial judgment presented to charge him or her with a crime.

Under the Fourth Amendment, law enforcement officers cannot conduct unreasonable searches and seizures through my personal belongings. In effect, these statements ensure privacy and prevent possible discriminatory motives and practices. The Fifth Amendment ensures indictment by a Grand Jury and rights of eminent domain. In other words, local municipals and federal officials shall compensate financially to construct commercial and public projects on my private property. Under the Sixth Amendment, all judicial courts shall conduct fair legal proceedings with impartial juries on all civil cases. In addition, I am guaranteed the prevention of cruel or unusual punishments and excessive bails. Finally, the Constitution also ensures and protects capitalistic institutions and maintains military organizations. Without these liberties, oppression within America would ensue, causing chaos and anarchy. Ultimately, our general welfare would