The U.S. Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights are the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. They were introduced as a series of amendments in 1789 in the First United States Congress by James Madison. Ten of the amendments were ratified and became the Bill of Rights in 1791. These amendments limit the powers of the federal government, protecting the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory. Among the enumerated rights these amendments guarantee are: the freedoms of speech, press, and religion; the right to keep and bear arms; the freedom of assembly; the freedom to petition; and the rights to be free of unreasonable search and seizure; cruel and unusual punishment; and compelled self-incrimination. The Bill of Rights also restricts Congress' power by prohibiting it from making any law respecting establishment of religion and by prohibiting the federal government from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law. In criminal cases, it requires indictment by grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime," guarantees a speedy public trial with an impartial and local jury, and prohibits double jeopardy. In addition, the Bill of Rights states that "the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people,"[1] and reserves all powers not granted to the federal government to the citizenry or states.

These amendments came into effect on December 15, 1791, when ratified by three-fourths of the states. Most were applied to the states by a series of decisions applying the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which was adopted after the American Civil War.

Initially drafted by James Madison in 1789, the Bill of Rights was written at a time when ideological conflict between Federalists and anti-Federalists, dating from the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, threatened the Constitution's ratification. The Bill was influenced by George Mason's 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, the 1689 English Bill of Rights, works of the Age of Enlightenment pertaining to natural rights, and earlier English political documents such as Magna Carta (1215). The Bill was largely a response to the Constitution's influential opponents, including prominent Founding Fathers, who argued that it failed to protect the basic principles of human liberty.

The Bill of Rights plays a central role in American law and government, and remains a fundamental symbol of the freedoms and culture of the nation. One of the original fourteen copies of the Bill of Rights is on public display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

The original document proposed by Congress to the states actually contained twelve "Articles" of proposed amendment. However, only the third through twelfth articles, corresponding to what became the First through Tenth Amendments to the Constitution, were ratified by the required number of states by 1791. The first Article, dealing with the number and apportionment of members of the House of Representatives, never became part of the Constitution. The second Article, limiting the ability of Congress to increase the salaries of its members, was ratified two centuries later as the 27th Amendment. The term "Bill of Rights" has traditionally meant only the ten amendments that became part of the Constitution in 1791, and not the first two, which dealt with Congress itself rather than the rights of the people. That traditional usage has continued even since the ratification of the 27th Amendment.

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[Guevaristas]

how do you mean "take back", were they taken from you, by whom? And do you believe in this ambulatory approach to law, that constitutions being futuristic can stand the test of time?

In light of this, what of the failed gay marriage amendment to the US Constitution>perhaps that is not a good example.

[NETER420]

@Guevaristas

focus your view on britan!

the have always been the enemy of the us!!!

[givemeanyname1]

It was the Ancient Greeks and the English who invented democracy, all America did was write it all up into a document and say that it was their idea.

[WolfArden44]

VERY GOOD.Thanks for putting this up.Bravo.

[megadeth2thenwo]

6665



[spatesel]

i believe that we Americans have no rights at all, I think of them as priviledges

because in fact, a right is something that can not be taken away, they are god-given, and they granted to us a birth.

The Government has passed several legislations to impinge on our so-called rights for example, The Patriot Act, Marshall Law, and The 16th Amendment requiring us to pay an income tax when in fact there is no law requiring us to pay it. Our Government have been slowly fucking us over for years

[warhater]

Bring Back Human Right's Bill

Rescind fascist Bush criminal

Evil Constitutional destruction

Arrest him for this high treason

Bring U.S. citizens back to normal

[oculist2020]

@jrgo00 Wrong sir/madame. The public is the Malitia. The Constitution forbade a standing army. Once the Continental Army was raised it had to be disbanded within two years. In any case, the amendment is not repealed.

[oculist2020]

@givemeanyname1 NEGATIVE! According to the Constitution, we are "gauanteed Republican form of government". The United States of America is a republic, not a democracy. And none here have ever claimed to be inventors of either.

[macdogq]

This is the most awsome freedom God have ever ordained in modern history.

[Weesnauh]

First ten, and the twenty-seventh.

[SFsc616171]

Read it, again. Yes, we do!

The argument is for an armed citizenry to keep at bay, the government!

[14rondy]

YOU SHOULD READ THE 2ND MORE CAREFULLY YOURSELF "IN PARTICULAR USING THE RULES OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR NOTICE THE COMMA THAT IS WHY WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS.Of course you probably think members of the supreme court for over 200 yrs don't know how to read as well as you

[jrgo00]

So the public does not really have the right to bear arms then. Thats interesting, i wonder if NRA nuts have actually read the II amendment and understood what it meant.

[toberses11]

The magna Carta was the most special time in england for our freedom and power to the people

[NETER420]

You are right my friend!

The way the old Greeks had a picture of the people - scum (demos) seeing trough barns and want the power - on the other hand - I think laos is the old Greek word for "the People"...

at least the old royal structures changed tack tick a little bit!

[givemeanyname1]

NETER420, "focus your view on britan!

the have always been the enemy of the us!!! ".

You don't even knowwhat you've written; "the 1689 English Bill of Rights, works of the Age of Enlightenment pertaining to natural rights, and earlier English political documents such as Magna Carta (1215)."

Perhaps we are the scum of the Earth. But the scum of the Earth were the people who ispired those Americans.

[kothjjh]

99% of all Americans have given up,waived there common law rights. you just did not know that you did it. Have a SSN ? why ?Contrary to popular belief, there is no law requiring a U.S. citizen to apply for a Social Security number to live or work in the United States so you have one right ? then you waived your common law rights. Have a drivers license ? you have waived your common law rights.

[Guevaristas]

britain the enemy of the US? How? You have to stop this internationl antagonism. I do not care when someone is born, US, UK, they are only labels.

[bfbmaster]

The rights were amended to the constitution shortly after James Madison proposed them. The rights were controversial, and a new form of government to rule the land was needed immediatly. So in order to secure the unity of the states, "congress" approved the constitution with the beleive that a bill of rights would be coming shortly.

[MaNarchicDRAKE]

Guevaristas: I always thought they did it via the amendments so it was all consented by the people and these rights weren't forced upon them. Given by liberty accepted by liberty. The ultimate libertarian document

[Guevaristas]

in New Zealand there are no constitutional rights. There exists only the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. This is an ordinary non-entrenched statute. There was an attempt, in the the mid 1980s, to bring in a supreme law Bill of Rights. However, this idea was rejected and the Bill was enacted in ordinary statutory form- repealable by Parliament by a simple majority vote. (see the operative sections of the NZBORA, ss.4 (refects the orthodox Diceyean view of Parliamentary supremacy),5 ,6,).

[Guevaristas]

why did these rights come from "amendments" to the US Constitution, ie why were they not included in the original document?

[cinsere22]

What begins on 4-15-08? Sorry I have to ask

but I've not heard anything about that date.

Other then tax day. Thanks for posting this

good thing for all of us to know to bad that

they don't follow it anymore in this country

though.

[dnHooligan]

It begins 04-15-08.