Discuss The Rights And Responsibilities Of Citizens Essay

In comparing Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution, it is evident that the basis of all three documents is the idea that all human beings possess God-given fundamental rights and that government is created to protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, is the first of the three documents penned. This is important because it defined the rights of liberty and equality of all American citizens as outlined in John Locke’s natural law thesis (Martin, page 113). In addition to providing an itemized account of the grievances colonist’s held against King George III of England, it served to justify the colonist’s quest for independence and separation from British rule. The Declaration of Independence conveyed to the crown that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Founders’ of the New World understood that their pursuit of liberties and autonomy specified in the Declaration of Independence could not come to fruition without instituting decrees. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution, was written to replace the Articles of Confederation with a better defined series of stringent laws that would legally uphold the freedoms and privileges established in the Declaration of Independence. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in

When the first ten amendments were added to the Constitution, they were planned to shield the public from the national government and not the states. States had their individual constitutions, and their laws only had to comply with their constitution. The founders of our country were very concerned about creating too powerful of a centralized government that might overstep on the given civil liberties of the public. As a protection of individual liberties, the Bill of Rights was formed. The Bill of Rights contains the first ten amendments of the Constitution and protect and preserve inalienable rights against abuse by the federal government.

The constitution is the foundation of America. It has the country’s beliefs and rights within it. In 1791, the Bill of Rights was added to the constitution because the Anti Federalists refused to ratify the constitution till the Bill was added. The Bill of Rights not only guarantees citizens rights but also it ensures a limited government. The 14th amendment was later created in 1868 which guaranteed due process of law and equal protection under the law. The Bill of Rights and 14th amendment was made in hope that the government would learn their limitations and wouldn’t interfere with a person’s rights. It was basically the rules set for the government to follow. However as time goes by, the effectiveness of the Bill of Rights has lessened.

The Declaration of Independence states “A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.” to explain that a ruler, such as a tyrant, that would not bring what is morally right or fair to the people, does not grant justice to those living in that country. This helps us understand that part of the reason why The Declaration of Independence was created was to dispose of this cruel rule in America. The effort the founding fathers went through to make sure there was justice for the people represents as an example to how justice for all defines what it means to be an American. Moreover, it is stated in The Federalist Papers that “The vigor of government is essential to the security of liberty; that, in the contemplation of a sound and well-informed judgment, their interest can never be separated;” to show how a strong government is important to securing the nation's liberty. Having a certain security on the nation’s liberty shows how important it was for the federalist to make sure justice was brought to the nation. According to the Bill of Rights, “rights that are unmentioned in The Bill of Rights are retained by the people, which gives people the freedom that is necessary” to show that the government won’t take away any unnecessary freedoms, thereby giving the people justice as a country (Hilp). According to The Federalist Papers, The Bill of

The Bill of Rights were added to our Constitution because the framers wanted to protect the citizen’s individual rights and so that the government can’t abuse it’s power.

In 1791, the Bill of Rights was created to specify the individual rights of every human being. Madison James is the creator of the 10 Amendments, he believed it was necessary to create the document to further explain what the Constitution will provide for each person. The Bill of Rights gives every citizen the right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, as well as the freedom of the press, and lastly the due process rights. This document was formed when the Constitution in 1789 was drafted. Federalist viewed the Bill of Rights as an unnecessary document that the Anti-federalist wanted in order to feel safe in knowing what the Constitution was really about and what was entitled to them.

In 1791, a vital document for the United States of America was written. The Bill of Rights. James Madison fulfilled the Anti-Federalists wishes by adding a list of rights to the constitution in order for the document to be ratified. The Bill of Rights addresses rights and freedoms which were violated under British rule. Although all 10 amendments are important, I have analyzed each one and ranked their importance. In 1791, some amendments would seem more important than others due to the recent events from the Revolution. Each amendment is relevant in its own way but some are exercised more than others by individuals in the United States. The first amendment of the Bill of Rights is the most important amendment.

The Bill of Rights is considered a cornerstone for freedom in America. It purpose to the country is to protect the rights of the citizens in the United States. The Bill of Rights was put in place in order to ensure that the people will be granted a number of personal rights as an American citizen, and that the government will not become as powerful as to pose a threat to the citizens of the United States.

One thing that all Americans should be familiar with is the Bill of Rights. “The Bill of Rights protected the freedoms of assembly, speech, religion, and the press; guaranteed speedy trial by an impartial jury; preserved the people’s right to bear arms; and prohibited unreasonable searches” (TAS 157). The Bill of Rights was a necessity to be implemented into the Constitution. Furthermore, “by December 15, 1791, the amendments had been ratified by three-fourths of the states” (TAS 157). The ideas shown in the Bill of Rights are pertinent in today’s society and were instrumental in shaping America.

Throughout the history of the United States there is no question that freedom from not only Britain, but themselves was of the utmost importance to many of the colonists. This was proven with numerous occurrences most notably, the Revolutionary War. However, in the aftermath of all of this was the question of government, and with the failing Articles of Confederation a convention was called, during which a debate over the rights of the citizens ensued. Federalists claimed all the powers of the new government were clearly listed. On the contrary the anti-federalists argued that this wasn’t the case and that it clearly be stated so the government could not violate them. Without the Bill of Rights the constitution offered no protection the citizens rights, this was a concern to not only the anti-federalists but many others. The Bill of Rights was specifically written as a check to the newly formed federal government, as previous experiences with Britain, and tyranny created concern in all of the colonists.

Knowing the suffering and unfair treatment that the British had upon us as The United States of America, our forefather’s didn’t tolerate the harsh treatment, but fought with all the courage and ambition that they had in their hearts for this country. Using the passion of the citizens and the determination in his heart, James Maddison drafted the first ten amendments called the Bill of Rights, knowing that it will cause the positive change in how our government will be in the far future. His first ten amendments reflected the rights that not only Americans should have, but every person in this world should be granted and bless with. As a new era arose, the U.S Constitution was born and grew up to uphold twenty-seven amendments to benefit and to

On June 8, 1789 one of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, James Madison proposed the Bill of rights to the House of Representatives (Document F). He and many other patriots saw that there were certain areas that had not been addressed in the Constitution that left the ability for those who were in the central government to abuse their powers and unreasonably control the American people. Now you have to take into consideration that the American citizens had to battle for years just to be free of the tyrannical powers of the King of England, and they wanted to make sure at all costs that this did not happen again. A constitution that ensured popular sovereignty was the only answer to this dilemma. The Bill of Rights was soon after ratified and it ensured the people liberties such as, “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…,” (Document G). These rights given to the people among many others which were not mentioned made it so that the central government could do their job of governing the people, but they also gave the people the right to rebel and speak out against the government if they were being treated unfairly. Without the Bill of Rights being added to the Constitution of this country there would be no

The importance of the Bill of Rights was not universally agreed upon at the time of their suggestion (Amar, 1992). In fact, in the original Constitution the Bill of Rights was specifically rejected by the Constitutional committee. The general feeling among committee members was that the provisions of the Bill of Rights were unnecessary in that protections were already in place. Fortunately, there was a vocal group of critics who argued that the Constitution was incomplete without human rights guarantees and James Madison, the principal architect was persuaded to draft what eventually became the Bill of Rights. The adoption of these ten amendments were important to the common citizenry as they clarify the various natural rights recognized by the Government such as the right to petition the government, the right to free speech, freedom of religion and the right to assembly. Without these guarantees being set forth in written form many of the Founding Fathers felt that the government would have the tendency to violate the rights of the people and that the Bill of Rights was the best way to limit the power of the national government.

After the flaws present in the Articles of Confederation, the Founding Fathers devised the Constitution, a completely new chapter in American history that would fix and tweak the insecurities of the previous supreme law of the land. Originally, the Bill of Rights was not intended to be included, but it was soon added thereafter to ensure the rights of the people. Back then and still today, the Bill of Rights still holds the government accountable for the protection of its people’s liberties and rights. However, the government has not lived up to this heavy responsibility because they have compromised our liberties and rights in the name of security and general welfare one too many times. The internment of Japanese-Americans, the privacy invasion of Bush’s administration, and the hasty decision-making of Barack Obama on Anwar al-Awlaki are all examples of times when our so-called trusty government failed to keep our rights in mind.

Become a citizen of one of the best nations in the world is a privilege that not many people have. I’m talking about the United States of America. If you are an U.S natural born citizen you have rights and responsibilities that protect you based on the Declaration of Independence and the U.S Constitution. People who are in the position to become U.S. citizens gain the same rights, privileges, and responsibilities of citizenship as natural born American with the only restriction that they can’t be eligible for President of the United States.