Citizens of the United States of America are privileged with having a republic that gives them rights that are not available all around the world. American citizens have many rights that have been given to them in the Constitution such as right to bear arms and freedom of the press. Most of these rights are spelled out in The Bill of Rights. One of the important responsibly that American citizens have is to check the government’s actions. American citizens are required to follow the law and pay taxes. Americans participate in elections every year. This however is not required, but it is an important right that Americans do have. The Constitution has taken ideas from several other governments and writing. Some of these documents are The English Bill of Rights, The Spirit of Laws, and The Federalist Papers. These documents helped shape the Constitution and how it is perceived today. …show more content…
The English Bill of Rights was put in place to stop the King’s tyranny. The English Bill of Rights gave rights to the people and to parliament. The Framers wanted to make sure that some of the rights from the English Bill of Rights was put into the Constitution. One of these would be the 8th Amendment of the Constitution which states “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted.” This is almost word for word in the English Bill of Rights. This right is important because it makes sure that a judge has to give a fair ruling. It also shows the checks that people have on the government. The Framers wanted to make sure that the power stayed with the people and laws such as this one prevents the government having too much power. This keeps the judicial branch in check making sure they don’t abuse their power. Another document that The Framers used would be The Spirit of Laws by Baron de
In the development process of America, its sound that legislative system has a very solid foundation for the construction of American society. The Bill of Rights as one of the successful act in America, its importance position has never been ignored. The Bill of Rights was introduced by James Madison and came into effect on December 15, 1791. It has given the powerful support for the improvements of American society. The Bill of Rights has become an essential part in guaranteeing the further development of culture. The influence of The Bill of Rights can be easily found in its cultural revolutionizing. It can not only guarantee the harmonious relationship among all the walk of society, but can also promote the construction of harmonious
Throughout the pass of time, human history has seen different forms of governments, from the tribal leader, to the Roman Republic, to the absolutist monarchies of Europe. Yet, few of them had centered their main ideals in freedom and sovereignty. Actually, sovereignty is a fairly recent term, grasped among Europeans when they finally decided to stop intervening so much in each other’s affairs. For many centuries, monarchies, especially those with an absolute ruler, had been the top choice for European governments, and, as it should have been expected, they had brought the same governing style to the American colonies. Thus, it was not a surprise to observe European governments where an absolute leader had control over everything and everyone,
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 Bill of Rights creates separation of powers, limits the powers of the monarchs, and enhances the democratic election and bolsters freedom of speech. By creating checks and balances as well as absolute monarchy slowly becoming obsolete and constitutional monarchy becoming a thing of the future. The significance of the English Bill of Rights brought a more democratic system in the English political structure. The transition for absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy was a rough one for England, but would help the ideas of the Enlightenment era long with the structure of the Declaration of
The Bill of Rights made better the life of citizens by giving to them the freedom of speech and promising them less harsher punishments and fines that are no as high. In the Bill of Rights it declared that, “…he freedom of speech, and debates or proceedings in parliament, ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of parliament … excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” Due to this citizens were able to practice free speech and no one but the parliament held the power to impeach the right of free speech. Since the members of parliament were selected by the citizens without impact from the royal crown, the Parliament was not likely to take it away. Also, the cruelness and hardship of punishments were reduced, and excessive fines were banned. This allowed the citizens to be free and more influential to monarchy. Another source states, “The King was forbidden to establish his own courts or to act as a judge himself,
The Bill of Rights and Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen are based on the same principles of natural rights; therefore each document is similar in protecting the people's natural rights. However, despite their similarities, their differences are apparent due to the social situations in which they were adopted. The Bill of Rights stood to protect the freedoms of each individual by establishing a democratic government. The French Revolution eliminated the hierarchy of class and established equality among men with the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. Several influences from past philosophers and documents assisted the frame work of the Bill of Rights and Declaration of Rights and Citizen.
The US Constitution established America’s national government, fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens. The framers of the Constitution ensured that the government would be just, and protect its citizens from internal discord. The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments in The Constitution and are to be our most basic of rights. The 5th amendment states “life, liberty, and property without due process of the law”. The 5th Amendment protects people from being held for committing a crime unless properly prosecuted, from being tried twice for the same crime, from being forced to testify against yourself, and from property being taken without payment. It also contains due process guarantees. Due Process gives
The United States Constitution was recognized to Americans as a vague statement in clarifying the privileges and the rights of individuals and centralizing the power within the government itself. With the passing of the Bill of Rights and the first ten amendments, it grants the people to what is said to be their “natural rights” following additional rights that have significantly changed our society.
The American population has been ruled by different documents over time. When a document did not work, the Americans moved on to a different one, such as the Articles of Confederation to the United States Constitution. The Bill of Rights was added for the benefit of Americans, it was a good compromise between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, and that it is still relevant today.
The Bill of Rights includes the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, and this important document gives all United States citizens rights that protect them from corruption and injustice. Even though it was created separately from the Constitution, it has remained an important part of the Constitution for the past 200 years. The document has been used to protect people from various problem such as a Bill of Attainder and an Ex post facto law. A Bill of Attainder is a bill that says that someone can be punished without a trial or an attorney. In the past, this bill and bills similar to it were able to issue harsh punishments such as banishment, disenfranchisement, and death.
After the Revolution, the States adopted their own constitutions, many of which contained a Bill of Rights. The Americans still faced the challenge of creating a central government for their new nation. In 1777 the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781. Under the Articles, the states retained their “sovereignty, freedom and independence,” while the national government was kept weak and inferior. Over the next few years it became evident that the system of government that had been chosen was not strong enough to completely settle and defend the frontier, regulating trade, currency and commerce, and organizing thirteen states into one union.
Such as the Magna Carta, this had placed limits on the power of the British monarch. England’s Parliament emerged as a force that the king had to depend on to pay for wars and to finance the royal government. Like the Parliament, the assemblies that developed in the Thirteen Colonies controlled their colony’s funds, and the assemblies had some control over colonial governors. The English Bill of Rights of 1689 provided another important model for Americans and many thought that the Constitution also needed a bill of rights. The thinkers and Framers also got many of their ideas from the European writers of the Enlightenment. James Madison and other architects of the Constitution were familiar with the work of John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu
“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish the Constitution for the United States of America.” Without the right that the Constitution brings us, we wouldn’t have rights therefore the United States wouldn’t be a good place to live in. The Constitution brings us the right of freedom of speech (first amendment) , the right to bear arms (second amendment), and the right to protect against unreasonable government actions such as search and seizure of person property (fourth amendment). Being an American citizen means that you have rights that they would like you to fulfil. As an American citizen is it voluntary to vote, but others are required such as obeying the law and paying taxes. The Magna Carta, John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, and the Petition of Rights explains the rights and the responsibilities of an American citizen.
The Bill of Rights is a list of limitations on the power of the government. Firstly, the Bill of Rights is successful in assuring the adoption of the Constitution. Secondly, the Bill of Rights did not address every foreseeable situation. Thirdly, the Bill of Rights has assured the safety of the people of the nation. Successes, failures, and consequences are what made the Bill of Rights what they are today.
Constitution protects the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness in a lot of different ways known as popular sovereignty, federalism, judicial review, separation of powers, checks and balances, and limited government. The most significant way the government can protect our rights and ensure domestic tranquility is through the example of popular sovereignty. The government derives their powers from the consent of the governed and therefore cannot impose taxes, laws, etc. without the people’s consent to do so. This comes from the people having unalienable rights that cannot be taken away or infringed upon. In so doing, the government is protecting the people’s rights by having them consent or have them give their permission when the government proposes new laws or acts. This is why we vote and elect representatives who will speak on the behalf of the rest of the people and through this representative the people can voice their opinions and views because it is their