During the construction of the US constitution, many founding fathers debated on what rights citizens should have what rights should be the most important. James Madison introduced eight rights citizens are entitled to, and from that came he final 10 amendments to the Bill of rights. It wasn’t easy getting to the final Bill of Rights as there have been much debate and controversy on what they mean. Using Madison’s 1789 speech as a pretext to the bill of rights, Congress made right decisions and wrong decision particularly in areas of ensuring rights of the minority, making clear the use of arms and clarifying how government is for the people. Firstly, what the current Bill of Rights fails to do is protect the minority from the majority’s overwhelming representation and power. James Madison clearly states in his speech when regarding minorities that “The exceptions here or elsewhere in the constitution, made in favor of particular rights, shall not be so construed as to diminish the just importance of other rights retained by the people, or as to enlarge the powers delegated by the constitution; but either as actual limitations of such powers, or as inserted merely for greater caution” (Madison, 456). What Madison means is when giving people rights, congress cannot infringe on other people’s rights as a result. For example, Plessy V. Ferguson, the infamous court that legalized separation but equal treatment between blacks and whites infringed on African American’s
Is our Bill of Rights necessary? Does it put a limit on our government, or on our liberty? Do these ten amendments hold the same meaning today as they did two-hundred and fourteen years ago? Are they now or have they ever been relevant? These questions were debated by our nation’s founding fathers in the eighteenth century and continue to be debated by the historians, academics, and political scientists today. Over the course of the last two centuries, its meaning has been twisted and stretched by the interpretation and misinterpretation of our legislature and, most of all, by the Supreme Court wielding its power of judicial review. It is my belief that these rights were and are absolutely essential to
The Bill of Rights and the 14th amendment are very important aspects of our government and the way it functions. The Bill of Rights, or the first ten amendments, was ratified in 1791. The 14th amendment was ratified 77 years later, in 1868. Thesel 11 amendments were created to protect the rights of the people. Before the Constitution was ratified, the anti-federalists demanded a Bill of Rights be attached. Afraid of the government gaining too much power like Britain had before, the anti-federalists would not support the Constitution until a Bill of Rights was guaranteed. Eventually, the Founding Fathers ensured the people that a Bill of Rights would be added directly after the Constitution was ratified. James Madison wrote the list of ten amendments
In 1791, the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to guarantee a limited government and protect the rights of the American people from the federal government. The 14th amendment was added later in 1868 in order to ensure due process for all and equal protection under the law. Many people have debated the effectiveness of these documents and called into question whether the freedoms of Americans are being protected. However, they have remained throughout the years as a steadfast guide for the basic freedoms we as Americans hold. The Bill of Rights and 14th amendment are effective because they have created a framework for court cases that have further refined and protected our freedoms, inspired action by the president and Congress to
The Bill of Rights has affected countless court cases on individual rights. Communities and states can become involved to push moral or financial standards on others, and the Bill of Rights stops neighbors, states, and the federal government from infringing on the rights of an individual. The Bill of Rights protects the civil liberties that Americans are granted with citizenship, but it also gives America something to strive to be. The Bill of Rights is an ideal, a powerful statement of what America is trying to be.
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.
In 1791, the Bill of Rights was drafted by congress after arguments ensued over whether the Constitution would uphold the rights of the American people. James Madison proposed twelve Amendments so to limit the power of government, allowing for a more stately and locally controlled system but, only ten were ratified. The ten amendments to be ratified were created to give American citizens freedoms they did not have under British rule. However, in current society the freedoms protected in the Bill of Rights are conflicted by the federal government and the confliction are justified as being beneficial for the general public. The altered interpretations of the Bill of Rights have forsaken freedom of speech, allowed unjustified search and seizure,
1. In 1789, James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights, which lists specific constraints on federal control in a set of 10 amendments ratified by the states. Liberty, meaning freedom from governmental and economic control, was the central factor and of utmost importance in the eyes of Madison and his fellow founding fathers when drafting the Bill of Rights. Protecting the peoples’ respective personal liberties such as freedom of speech and the right to exercise particular religious beliefs played a vital role in the creation of these amendments however limits were also placed on the freedoms granted in order to preserve the nation’s wellbeing.
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.
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.
The Bill of Rights was proposed by James Madison in 1789 and has impacted the US ever since. When proposing the Bill of Rights, Madison had one main goal in mind, to enable United States citizens to fully be aware of their rights and be able to practice them freely and patriotically. With this being said, all of our rights are a necessity and play a huge role in our lives as US citizens. However, I personally view some rights more important than others.
The Bill of Rights became a very important document in the United States Constitution in order to ensure United States citizens equal protection of their rights and liberties. The main objective of the Bill of rights was to place limits on the national government creating an understanding and dividing the powers between the states and the national government. Not all the powers were granted to the national government however not all the powers were prohibited to the states. As stated by Ginsberg, Lowi, Weir & Tolbert (2015) the bill of rights consists of 10 amendments incorporated in the U.S constitution. It is important to note that each amendment contains a legal court case in which the supreme court as well as the government have ruled and have ignored or have protected the rights of the individuals involved.
Created September 25,1978 and ratified December 15, 179, the Bill of Rights was imputed into society as a tool to establish law,order, and morality. James Madison, a political theorist, was known as the father of the Bill of Rights. One of the most important amendments in the Bill of Rights is the right to freedom of speech, expression and media. In the Bill of Rights, the First Amendment states, “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.” The First Amendment guarantees the citizens of America that they have the right to freely express themselves about anything, including political arguments and views. This amendment also guarantees the press/media the right to overtly publish their ideas on any topic in the newspaper. The purpose of this amendment is to assure America’s people that they shouldn’t worry about being censored or punished for the expression of their feelings because they are human just as everyone else.
Do you know what keeps, and has kept America in order since 1789? That would be The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is simply the first ten amendments. Written by James Madison, The Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power. The Bill of Rights was officially added into the constitution in 1791. The amendments are on display in the National Archives Museum.
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.
One of the major topics within both the government and the general public today is the concept of citizens rights and morals being upheld accordingly by both the law and by Congress in accordance with the Constitution. However, the majority of the people who recognized that they are entailed to certain laws upheld by the Constitution, are often mistake by the realization that although they are most definitely entitled to these laws… there is a big difference between the laws that uphold ones’ liberties and the laws that uphold ones’ rights.