...The 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th amendments have all greatly affected and changed the lives of many Americans for different reasons. Each of these amendments has to due with giving people equal rights no matter what race or gender that they may be. These are all tremendous milestones in American history. First, the 13th amendment was passed in 1865 to end slavery. African Americans were no longer allowed to be considered as property. Instead, they became viewed as real people, and slavery was banned unless it was used as a form of punishment This amendment was passed because before and during the civil war, most northern citizens strongly stood against slavery. They thought it was unjust to make people work for long hours and to be treated unfairly. This amendment clearly and effectively signified that no American citizen could own slaves....
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...POS – 301 November 2, 2014 Professor Biddle My Rights and Freedoms As a citizen of the United States I do not appreciate the freedom and rights given. I have not thought about how fortunate I am to live in a country that allows freedom of speech, freedom of expression, or my favorite, freedom of religion. Throughout this assignment I will explain which freedom in the first amendment relates to me the most, discuss why the Bill of rights are important, and discuss the process for amending the Constitution. The freedom in the first amendment of the constitution relates to me the most would be Freedom of Religion. Freedom of Religion states that as an American I can practice ANY religion I want or I do not have to practice any religion at all. The reason freedom of religion relates to me most is because I am a strong believer in the idiom “to each his own”. I do not care if my friend is Jewish, Hindu, Christian, the list goes on. I think expressing one’s self is extremely important and religion is one of those ways. To me, what a person’s religion is does not determine if they are a good person or not. There are people that consider themselves “Jewish” or “Christian” but yet they are extremely mean and do not care about others. Freedom of religion allows for every single citizen of the United States to have a sense of freedom. We do not feel obligated to have a certain type of religion, which is better! The reason I say this is because if we are not forced to follow...
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...There are many methods to properly address racism and make other people aware of it. The most obvious and effective one is to expand one’s knowledge on racism and understanding if what it is. Racism often develops as one’s character develops, so it should be the right thing as parents to teach kids about it early on about positive cultural difference and racial injustice (Kids Matter). A child’s personality is influenced by the parents so it becomes greatly significant to educate the child about cultures and their importance as the child becomes older and forms...
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...the constitution, the principles of federalism are mentioned in various articles. For example article 1 section 8 displays the power available to congress. It contains the ‘elastic clause’ that potentially gives the federal government so much power over the states. And the amendments provide a list of ‘can’t do’s’ for the states. For example states can’t enter into treaties with foreign powers. As the aspects of federalism is displayed in the codified constitution, signifies the importance for the US to collectively follow this system. However, Federalism is a method of government that also allows the states to maintain their sovereignty, without the fear of intervention of the central government, unless they violate or clash with the constitution. This is evident as each state has its own constitution and its own executive, legislature and judiciary all working within the limits set by the national constitution; executive; legislature and judiciary. An example of a state constitution that has relevant articles to its needs is Idaho. For instance in their constitutions article 16, section 1 the constitution talks of the need for the Idaho legislature to pass laws that protect livestock from disease. The federalism structure helps create an adaptive US state as laws concerning them individually are taken into account, which prevents ignorance from the central government and a more effective and efficient America. State sovereignty is further enhanced as the constitution also...
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...will recount the bloody paths Americans of all colors had to follow in order to enjoy the civil liberties which so many take for granted today. The origins of civil liberties for the United States dates back to England. The United States has a clean start by including the Bill of Rights in the American Constitution. The Bill of rights at first were the symbolism of American ideals because there was no way of enforcing them until 1803 where in the case of Marbury v. Madison the Supreme Court took action in striking down laws for the first time that were considered unconstitutional. From that point on the Supreme Court established a precedent of wielding the power to strike down any unconstitutional legislation. Marbury v. Madison happened long before the Civil War and before any of the other cases mentioned. However its importance to civil liberties is essential to any civil liberty essays because it was the one case that allowed for the Supreme Court to take action and enforce the bill of rights along with any other law that is deemed unconstitutional. It was this case that brought about the exercise of judicial review in the United States under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing the rights of every American one case at a time. Although countless Americans lost their civil liberties during the civil war due to President Lincoln suspending the Writ of Habeas Corpus, a larger number of others benefited by Lincoln’s polices as did African Americans and many other groups...
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...University of Phoenix Material Influences on the Constitution Table Write one or two paragraphs in each section. Include citations for your sources. Documents Summary What was its influence on the Constitution? Magna Carta Magna Carta, also called Magna Carta Libertatum or The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, is an English charter, originally issued in Latin in the year 1215, translated into vernacular-French as early as 1219,[1] and reissued later in the 13th century in changed versions. The later versions excluded the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority that had been present in the 1215 charter. The charter first passed into law in 1225; the 1297 version, with the long title (originally in Latin) "The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, and of the Liberties of the Forest," still remains on the statute books of England and Wales. The 1215 charter required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties, and accept that his will was not arbitrary, for example by explicitly accepting that no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land, a right which is still in existence today. Magna Carta was the principal document forced onto an English King by a group of his matters, the feudal barons, in an effort to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. It was followed and directly influenced by the Charter of Liberties in 1100, in which King Henry I had specified particular...
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...Additionally, Taney declared that Congress did not have the ability to prohibit slavery from territories because this would allow Congress to violate the fifth amendment that protected property rights of slave owners (“Dred Scott Case”). The idea was that if a slave was brought to a free state they were to operate under the order of their master because slaves were property and therefore the law did not pertain to them. This led Taney and the courts to disregard Scott’s inhabitants in free territory, but also use the law of Missouri to prevent Scott being taken back into this slave state. Under previous Missouri free slave cases similar to Scott’s, they were able to secure their...
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...the form of modern day slavery, which is also referred to as human trafficking. Human trafficking comes in several forms and it can in many ways be a hidden problem within our country that many people do not see on a day to day basis. Many people may not ever actually see the problem of human trafficking at all in their lifetime. Human trafficking has many different effects on its victims, but the most damaging effect caused by human trafficking is the psychological effects that can last a lifetime and can cause many future problems, such as being able to function properly and being able to trust others again after their terrible experience. Basically to be able to summarize the issue of human trafficking, we must first take a look at what exactly human trafficking is. Human trafficking is in its most basic form an aspect of modern day slavery as we would compare it to. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2000), human trafficking is, “Trafficking in persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation” (para. 1). The crime of human trafficking is very widespread throughout our country and this problem...
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...1790 to 1877 that were the most influential in shaping the United States were Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, and Dred Scott v. Georgia. The Supreme Court Case Marbury v. Madison shaped a large part of the United States economy, social, and political aspects. The case formed the basis of Judicial Review and focused on what should be considered constitutional and who can make that decision. The federalists were in a bit of a rough spot because they had lost the presidency and much of the control that they used to have. Adams made a couple of last minute adjustments as president, which included increasing the size of the federal court system and appointing William Marbury as justice of the peace for Columbia. As soon as Jefferson become president he noticed some “undelivered commissions, including Marbury’s” (book 170). When Jefferson told Madison not to give the commissions over, Marbury sued and the case went directly to the Supreme Court in 1803. The case was all about deciding if the judicial branch of the federal government should be able to determine if the laws of congress and the executive branch actions go against the constitution. The chief justice, John Marshall ruled in favor of Madison, but it still gave the federal courts more power. “The judiciary Act of 1789 gave the Supreme Court jurisdiction, but the Marshall court ruled the Act of 1789 to be an unconstitutional extension of judiciary power into the realm of the executive” The History Channel Website...
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...fundamental freedoms and privileges guaranteed by the 13th and 14th amendments and subsequent acts of congress including the right to legal, social and economic equality. This makes gun ownership as much of a civil right as freedom of speech, religion and freedom of the press. Supreme Court affirms Second Amendment as a fundamental civil right (District of Columbia v Heller) The Heller case challenged several laws in Washington DC that constituted a complete ban on the Second Amendment rights for D.C. residents with no exception given for self-defense. In the Heller case, the Supreme court ruled that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental individual right to have functional firearms in the home that are commonly owned without being connected to any service of the state or military organization. The Supreme Court also ruled that the Second Amendment is a fundamental part of the bill of rights, which guarantees citizen’s individual rights. Lastly, in this 5 to 4 decision with Associate Justice Antonin Scalia writing for the majority, the Supreme Court affirmed that Washington DC gun laws violated the Second Amendment Civil Rights of DC residents and to positively restore those rights. Quotes from Scalia’s majority opinion: D.C.’s requirement that lawfully owned firearms in the home, such as registered long arms, be “unloaded and disassembled or bound by a trigger lock or device” also violates the Second Amendment as it makes it impossible for citizens to use those...
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...An examination of the Bill of Rights and how it extends the protection of the civil liberties to the population, with emphasis on the First, Fourth, and Sixth Amendments, and a description of a public policy implemented to protect the constitutional rights of suspects, when interrogated by the police. The Bill of Rights and Civil Liberties The Bill of Rights is the first initial inclusion of laws to the Constitution, collected as the first ten amendments out of a total of 27 other amendments. This paper discusses three amendments in the Bill of Rights which includes the First, Fourth, and Sixth Amendments, with explanation of each amendment, and how it extends the protection of civil liberties to the population. The First Amendment This Amendment enacts the protection of free speech, religion, press, assembly, and freedom to petition the government (Dautrich & Yolof, 2011). The purpose of this Amendment is to prevent any directive establishing an adherence to a specific religion or any law prohibiting free practice of speech, assembly, and freedom of the press (Volkomer, 2011) The Amendment exclusively affects all individuals living in the U.S. including citizens within the U.S. government. It protects the right for an individual to express themselves freely, without fear of retaliation. The First Amendment is so important, because it protects the rights of the citizens to engage in open discussions and debate on public issues, which are important in any democracy...
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...In this paper, we will discuss the common methods and decisions made to advance onto the chosen career path of a Lawyer; including education requirements, such as passing the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), earning my Juris Doctor (J.D) and passing the state bar examination. Along with further licensing, social and work ethics, salary, income, expenses, commute, as well as my current academic planning and major goals. 1-What is the education requirement? To become a lawyer, you must first complete a bachelor's degree as a minimum education requirement, to progress further you have to take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) which can last half a day, or four-five hours long, after which admissions staff from law schools will assess your results. It is important to note that the Law School Admission Test is different from the State Bar Exam in where the State Bar Exam lasts 18 hours across the span of...
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...history where there was an attempt to resolve issues from the Civil War. It was a period of putting back the pieces. The Confederacy and slavery were demolished and the development of the Constitution strengthened the rights of citizens. The movement tackled the return of southern states that had estranged, the status of previous confederate leaders, and the Constitutional status of the African-Americans. Controversy on how to handle the situations and by the 1870s Reconstruction had been considered a failure for the lack of equally integrating the recently freed slaves into the legal, political, economic and social system. The Dunning School perceived Reconstruction as a failure for different reasons. They claimed Reconstruction took freedom and rights away from qualified Caucasians and gave it to unqualified African-Americans. Revisionism focused on economics, and ultimately downplayed political and constitutional issues. They claimed that the movement was an attempt by financiers, railroad builders, and industrialists to use the Republican Party to control the national government for their own selfish economic needs. There has been much debate as far as which interpretation is best. Dunning’s interpretation is best because although it views the failure of Reconstruction, it also draws attention to what Reconstruction achieved. Reconstruction allowed for former slaves to move forward towards freedom and independence in little time, and allowed African-Americans to play a large role...
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...than just a person, but represent an era in American history. The list of important and influential figures in American history is too long and numerous to list. Yet there is always one name, one man who stands above all the rest. Abraham Lincoln has come to define the American experience. His beginnings as a poor farmer in Kentucky to his rise in politics to his Presidency, his story fascinates everyone who reads and studies it. Abraham Lincoln is the epitome of what America is. He is Americas most cherished and beloved President and he may be the most well known American President in the world. Despite all the praise bestowed upon Abraham Lincoln there are those who do not buy into the ‘official’ Lincoln legacy. A small, but growing group of Lincoln detractors claim that Lincoln was not the father of freedom and liberty, the great emancipator and the savior of the union; they see Lincoln as a diabolical dictator. A man who took advantage of America in its darkest hour, a man who had no respect for the Constitution, he instead sought to destroy and undermine it every chance he got. Abraham Lincoln was President during America’s darkest hour; he saved the union and kept the country together. Lincoln was justified in the actions he took, despite attempts to paint Lincoln as a tyrannical dictator there is no question that Lincoln’s status as America’s greatest President is deserved and true. During his Presidency Lincoln met fierce opposition. This is not uncommon among Presidents;...
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...The Road To Ending Segregation Barbara Pritchard HIS 204: Historical Awareness Professor Kimberly Hornback September 26, 2011 The road to ending Segregation The road to ending segregation was a long and hard move for the South. In the 1800s-1900’s segregation was enforced to keep African Americans separated from whites. During this time African Americans had to deal with the symbols of what was called Jim Crow’s, (Whites Only and Colored Only) signs; which are found today in museums, old photographs, and documentaries. Now since an African American has been elected President of the United States, a person could say segregation seems as old-fashioned and distant as watching an old black and white television. Although, the major challenge is to explain the reasons for the legacy of segregation, discrimination, and isolation to attain equality and civil rights, that African Americans worked to end. The best way to describe the shape of the United States in the second half of the 19th century, “according to eminent historian Robert Wiebe, the answer was isolated island communities,” (Bowles, 2011, Section 1.1, Para 1). Wiebe used the symbol of the island because cities were very much separated and isolated from each other and had a weak system of communication between them. The time came, after the divisiveness and devastation of the Civil War, when the nation searched for order economically, politically, geographically, and racially. Although, emancipation came during...
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