...The Bill of Rights is the name for the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution. The first ten amendments protect basic American freedoms. The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution in 1791, and those first ten amendments have not been changed since then. Owing to the fact that the Bill of Rights first became effective about 224 years ago, the language used in the document is very different from the language we use today. There are multiple parts to the first amendment, including the freedom of speech. Freedom of speech allows individuals to say their opinions or ideas without the fear of judgement. People are allowed to express their thoughts without being criticized. Having freedom of speech gives United States citizens...
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...The first ten amendments are a very important part of the constitution known as the Bill of Rights as it protects thefoundation of American society. They protect the people from wrong doing or any crime acted towards them. It is simply our freedom to speak, practice our religion, freedom of press and right to assemble without any interruption. One of the most important freedoms granted by the first amendment to people in this country is freedom of religion and religious practice. Everyone has the full right to practice their own religion without any interference. Every religion has different beliefs, perspectives and opinions when it comes to marriage and it should not be taken lightly. Same sex marriage is also known as gay marriage or marriage...
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...The Bill of Rights is what had made up the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States. The first ten amendments give people the essential freedoms and civil liberties that would keep the United States categorized as a democracy. These ten amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791 and as such were added to the Constitution. One thing most people might not know is that the Bill of Rights had been proposed by George Mason during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The idea had been rejected due to the states already having documents that stated rights to their citizens and felt that a federal bill would be quite unnecessary. Another highly influential reason they did not form a Bill of Rights then was because all the...
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...The First Amendment I believe that the First Amendment was written as a means of protecting the church from the state. The First Amendment is considered the most important amendment in the United States Constitution. It protects the rights to freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of press from government interference. [1] According to J. Hutson in his book the “Church and State in America”, he states the amendment “prevented the federal government from establishing a national religion and allowed people to freely exercise their religious beliefs and practices.”[2] Basically, the First Amendment gives the people the ability to live their lives the way that they want to, the lifestyle that they choose. This amendment was passed 1789. James Madison, known as the “Father of the Constitution” for his contribution to the Constitution, and proposed twelve amendments, which ended up becoming the first ten amendments of the Constitution. These first ten amendments make up what became known as the Bill of Rights. [3] The purpose of the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights, written mostly by James Madison, with the assistance of Thomas Jefferson, was to address three fundamental freedoms all citizens have: religion, speech and peaceful assembly. According to the Buchanan (2010), when the U.S. Constitution was signed, it did not contain the essential freedoms now outlined in the Bill of Rights, because many of the Framers...
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...States. It was quite simple; there wasn’t a bill of rights drafted in the original copy. Without a bill of rights, the people would never be aware of their unalienable rights and the power and roles of their government. Patrick Henry said, “The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them,” at the Convention of Virginia in June 1788. He was trying to convey a message that showed the importance of citizens having their rights listed, so the government would never be able...
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...Alice Paul is a great woman for the yet to be designed ten dollar bill. One of the major requirements for the ten dollar bill is the woman has to be a champion of our inclusive democracy, and Alice Paul fits the bill. Alice was a huge women's rights supporter in Britain and the U.S. This means she fought to include all rightful citizens into our democracy. Alice Paul went to great lengths to ensure that women would be included equally and fairly into our "power to the people" method of governing. Alice Paul was a very strong and independent woman, who believed very powerfully in women's equality to men. She was extremely determined to make women and men equal, especially on a federal level. This makes her a great woman to put on the bill...
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...Rights and Freedoms When the founding fathers wrote the Constitution they realized they did not outline the rights of the people. The added the Bill of Rights to ensure that the people knew their rights and so future politicians could not infringe on those rights. The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments ensuring Americans freedom of speech, freedom to protest, freedom to bear arms, and many others. The first amendment is the most popular and one of the most important of the amendments. The first amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Personally the most important part of the first amendment is the freedom of speech. Being able to speak your mind without fear of being prosecuted for it is a true freedom. I have family that came from Cuba; a country where speaking your mind can lead to jail time or death. I know that this is a freedom we take for granted in the United States. The first ten amendments are significant because they are the first but there have been many more amendments that have changed America for the better and some for the worst. The most blood was spilt before the thirteenth amendment was passed and ending slavery for good in the United States. However this did not end discrimination so the government...
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... The very first 3 articles of the Constitution make the rules and separates each of the three branches of government. They are the legislative, executive and judiciary branches. This constitution was created on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It took two years before becoming effective on March 4, 1789. The United States Constitution can be changed through the amendment process. The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment guarantees citizens the right to practice whatever religion they choose. Therefore, the government cannot interfere in an individual’s freedom of worship. This is an example of an individual's liberty from the government. Civil rights are the positive actions the government should take to make all Americans equal. Civil rights, specified in the 14th Amendment is also in the Bill of Rights. The question is; do we need the U.S Constitution to protect our civil rights and liberties? The Bill of Rights in the Constitution is provided in Article 5. With the Bill of Rights our liberties are protected. These ten amendments are laws that gives each individual the same law to follow. Without the Bill of Rights in the Constitution, the government cannot be trusted with our given rights. If the government could be trusted, the First Amendment wouldn’t be based on what the government cannot do because we have freedom; it is said right in the Constitution. With the Constitution stating our ten amendments, there is...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper Jeremy Hall, Sheila Henderson, Sondra Lettsome, Elvina Scott, Desmond Thomas University of Phoenix U.S. Constitution HIS/301 Dr. John Theis November 10, 2011 Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper The founding fathers of our country had it right when they put in place an irrefutable plan of action and order. Although many things have changed since the inception of the original documents, the process and ways of which something must be done and adopted remains viable to us today. This example is not only found in the legislative democracy but also in the educational, religious, and social genres of the world. The constitution shares with all who take the time to peruse, the reasoning behind it, the amendments that are attached, and the rights of each person living the American Dream. After Congress proposes an amendment, the Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is charged with responsibility for administering the ratification process under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 106b (Archives.Gov.) If two-third of the number of votes of both the Senate and the House of Representative are in favor an amendment can be proposed by the Congress. Otherwise, two-thirds of the legislatures of the fifty states can call for a constitutional agreement for the purposes of proposing amendments to the Constitution. After an amendment to the Constitution has been proposed, it must be ratified...
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...Bill of Rights & Amendments Paper Intro The United States is a country that was founded on the principle of freedom; it took the Bill of Rights to be added to the Constitution to guarantee citizens freedom. The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments in the constitution; a document that outlines how the new American government would be created and operated. The Constitution was ratified in 1788 which was the start of protecting the interests of each citizen, two years later the Bill of Rights was proposed by congress and went into effect in 1791. It was designed to prevent the government from taking total power over citizens and to provide them with legal defenses. This essay will discuss the understanding of how amendments become apart of the constitution and how it adopted the Bill of Rights. As well as the changes in society that led to amendments XIII-XV that became part of the constitution. The effects of the Bill of Rights to this country have been beneficial; they lay down the blueprint for freedom by allowing citizens a voice. The failure of the Articles of Confederation was what led to the Constitution; The Articles had a weak national government with no president, or judicial branch. Hence, this led to the Constitution, which showed the three branches of government legislative, executive and judicial; it describes the power of each branch. It was set up by our forefathers in order to change it if necessary. It tells the relationship of the federal...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Tahitia G. Brown HIS/301 May 17, 2012 Abeba Salter-Woods Bill of Rights and Amendments The original United States Constitution was ratified in 1787. However the current document by which all laws are governed was confirmed and made into law on September 17th of 1789. This document enabled the people some control over government, which was created not only for them by also by the said people. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in a manner, that the text could evolve and mature just as the persons for which it was written. This paper will detail how and why amendments become a part of the constitution, problems which have arisen due to the original document motivating the adoption of the Bill of Rights and their effects. Further listing other issues arising, due to changes in society which have led to amendments thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen, and their affects (University of Phoenix, 2010). Amendments In Article V of the Constitution an amendment process was adopted to ensure that as changes in society occur, so should the document by which all inalienable rights and freedoms are explained in depth. The aforementioned article stipulates the ways in which the Constitution may be amended. The first is by a two-thirds vote from both the House and Representatives and the Senate and 38 of the 50 states must ratify the proposed amendment, which has been the only manner in which all...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper Jessica Ruiz HIS/301 April 4, 2013 Ryan Tarr Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper The Constitution is a fundamental law, which describes how a strong government should work (Zink, 2009). The Framers had stated that America’s Constitution was a vast contribution to the governments practice, and offered a new form of government to the United States. The United States Constitution is also known as the ultimate law, which was created by our founding fathers to establish a strong governmental structure, to meet the needs of the people in our nation. The Constitution was created to protect the rights of the people and their freedom by enforcing laws on the individuals who did in fact hold power on a political level. The vision of the Framers of an appropriate government for American’s was incorporated in the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights. Amendments becoming part of the Constitution In the Constitution Article V reads, that there are two ways for an amendment to become a part of the United States Constitution. The first way is with a two third vote in both houses of Congress the House of Representatives and the Senate. Today the most common used method of the amendment process is the first way by having the Representatives and Senate vote. The second way is a convention that has been set up by two thirds of the state’s legislatures followed by ratification for the amendment (Patterson, 2009). The ratification process is...
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...Written in 1787 at the Philadelphia convention, The United States Constitution is the shortest and oldest written constitution still in use. It contains a preamble, seven articles and twenty seven amendments. The very first thing you will read in the Constitution is the Preamble. It expresses the ideas in the Constitution using only these 52 words, “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 this Constitution for the United States of America”. Below the Preamble there are seven articles. The first article explains the Congress which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. There are ten sections in this article. Some of these sections describe the terms in which one may be elected for in the House or the Senate, how many people each state can have in each, and the compensation of these people. Other sections refer to bills, taxes and the power of Congress. The second article has four sections and it explains that the President holds executive power. It demands that the President must be at least thirty five years of age, and a resident in the United States for at least fourteen years. The article notes that the President is commander in chief of our military and reasons for impeachment. The third article and its three sections...
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...The Bill of Rights and Amendments Throughout history the United of States experiences several of events. These events made an impact on our nation which left a mark. The impact of the events led to the changes of the constitution which are referred to as amendments. The original ten amendments made to the United States Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights, these were created by our forefathers. This essay will discuss, the understanding of why did our amendments became a part of the constitution, and what issues of the original documents motivated the adoption of the Bill of rights. People and the government are constantly making changes which could affect their lives as well as others. Therefore, there were many effects because the Bill of Rights. This essay will further discuss the problems with the original document, the changes in society, which led to later amendments, and the effect of those amendments. How and why the amendments become part of the Constitution In order to adjust to society constantly changing, there are changes made to the constitution. It is mention within an article that changes could be made to the constitution. Making changes involves proposing an amendment following ratification, through this process the amendment become a part of the constitution. This process consist of The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Bill of Rights and Amendments 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. Amendments and Constitution According to the Constitution, an amendment may be proposed and be presented, where it is put to a two thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The original article is then forwarded for processing and publication to NARA's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) (U.S. Constitution, 2011). The OFR maintains the document until it is either adopted or a failed amendment, then it is transferred for protection to the National Archives. Soon after a proposed amendment is ratified by three-fourths of the states, it becomes a part of the Constitution. (U.S. Constitution, 2011) Not all proposed amendments are accepted and must meet certain constitutional purpose to be passed, for example: after the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and stating that “all men are created equal” the institutionalized system of servitude was a reason to pass to what is now the 13th Amendment of the Constitution and the abolition of slavery. This amendment provided that neither...
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