Preview

Constitutional Limits

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
518 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Constitutional Limits
The Constitution was first written in 1787 during the Philadelphia Convention. The Constitution has twenty-seven amendments and the first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights. James Madison wrote these amendments to prohibit certain governmental powers and protect individual people’s freedom. The first Amendment of the Bill of Rights 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.” This amendment has many constitutional limits, which are “the provisions of a constitution that restricts the powers of a …show more content…
This freedom of religion is protected by the first amendment and the constitutional limits of this amendment prohibit the government from taking away one’s freedom to believe what he or she wants to believe. Because of the second right in the first amendment, the government cannot pass a law that prohibits individuals from voicing his or her own opinion verbally or literally. With this constitutional limit, people can write and speak whatever they want to if they are not invading other people’s rights. In consequence of the third right in the amendment, the government cannot create a law that outlaws people from posting or voicing in the press about their beliefs and opinions. Due to this constitutional limit, people can have freedom of press. Due to the fourth right in the first amendment, the government cannot devise a law that denies the people’s rights to freely assemble into a certain group. Because of this constitutional limit, people can form a group at their own liberty. Lastly, because of the fifth right that is incorporated in this amendment, the government cannot establish a law that forbids individuals from petitioning against the government. As a result, people can protest against the government if they have a valid reason to believe that the government is not doing their job in protecting

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    The United States Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 and executed on March 4, 1789, replaced the less effective Articles of Confederation, and is now the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the oldest written constitution still in use, and plays a decisive role in US law and politics. The Constitution is often hailed as a philosophical marvel, and serves as a template for several other nations. Nevertheless, it has been challenged numerous times since its creation. Our founders included a process to amend the constitution if necessary as they foresaw this. The first ten of these amendments are justly named the Bill of Rights for they protect the natural rights of citizens by putting limitations…

    • 272 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The U.S. constitution created America’s national government and fundamental laws. It guaranteed certain basic rights for citizens and was ratified in 1789. The constitution wanted to make the federal government stronger with three branches; executive, legislative and judicial. They also created a system of checks and balances to ensure no branch would be allowed to have too much power. In 1791 the first ten amendments “Bill of Rights,” were added to the constitution.…

    • 704 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The First Amendment protects individuals “right to freedom of religion and freedom of expression from government interference” (http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/first_amendment).…

    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    House of Representatives, made 19 amendments to add to the Constitution. On September 25, 1789, Congress adopted 12 of the amendments and then sent them to the states for ratification. Ten out of the twelve amendments were accepted and called the “Bill of Rights”. They were ratified and became a part of Constitution on December 10, 1791. The Bill of Rights provides basic protection as an American citizen. For James Madison helping writing the drafting of the Constitution he became the “Father of the Constitution”. To today, there have been hundreds of proposed amendments to the Constitution. However, only 17 amendments have been ratified in addition to the Bill of rights making only 27 amendments in…

    • 321 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first 10 amendments to the constitution are what make up the Bill of Rights. This is the fundamental basis of all individual rights for each and every American citizen. Just to name a few of the rights that protect you from the government are: Freedom of speech, of press, the right to peacefully protest and assemble, the right to petition the government, and the right to bear arms. Those outline just the first two amendments, to give you a scope of just what the Bill of Rights covers. The Bill of Rights was approved by congress on September 25, 1789 and was originally given for approval with 12 amendments but only the ten known today were…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the final approved version of the Bill of Rights, it lists ten amendments. The amendments were written in “broad language” but in a way, very specific as well. Even though all ten of the amendments are very important, the first two amendments are probably the most talked about, especially today in modern America. The first amendment describes that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment” of the freedom of religion, speech, press or petition against our government…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the United States, the Bill of Rights is the name by which the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known. They were introduced by James Madison to the First United States Congress in 1789 as a series of articles, and came into effect on December 15, 1791, when they had been ratified by three-fourths of the States.…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Citizens United Case

    • 1758 Words
    • 8 Pages

    At the time of America’s establishment, the founding fathers drafted a Constitution without specified basic rights for American individuals. Therefore, the citizens demanded a Bill of Rights to guarantee their freedoms. James Madison scripted the First Amendment to protect the freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition as evidenced by the direct quote:…

    • 1758 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Freedom of Speech also may also include symbolically expressing your opinion by wearing certain clothing, holding signs, and burning the flag. Freedom of Religion basically says that the government cannot interfere with religion. This part of the Amendment created the separation of church and state which is the thought that keeps political distance between religion and the government. The Establishment Clause this clause limits governmental power over established religions, and says that the government cannot promote or encourage religion. Scholars usually tend to agree that the Establishment Clause…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The first amendments to be added to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. They encompass amendments one through 10. Two groups formed to discuss the ideas of a bill of rights. The first group, known as the Federalists did not think a bill of rights was needed. The second group, Anti-Federalists believed a bill of rights would prevent the government from threatening the…

    • 1718 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The US Constitution established America’s government, laws, and essential rights for its citizens. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. “The Bill of Rights consisting of 10 amendments guaranteeing intrinsic individual protections such as freedom of speech and religion became part of the Constitution in 1791. To date, there have been a total of 27 constitutional amendments.” (History.com)…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    One of the most important parts of the Constitution is the Bill of Rights, also known as the ten amendments. The ten amendments were ratified December 15, 1791. The ten amendments were written by James Madison as a response for the great demand for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties (Bill of Rights...). Commonly violated amendments are the 5th, 6th, and 7th. Everyone has the right to be accused but us still innocent until proven guilty and cannot be tried for the same crime twice.…

    • 1435 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many individuals and groups alike that choose to express their disdain for certain actions, laws, and behaviors through the use of Freedom of Speech. The First Amendment has been cited by many protesters when demonstrating that it is their right to Freedom of expression. Freedom of Expression is powerful enough that sometimes words do not have to be spoken for a message to be conveyed. However, not all acts are protected by the First Amendment. For example, burning the flag is protected under the First Amendment but promoting the benefits of marijuana at a school event would be protected (U.S. Courts, n.d). If by chance there is a question of constitutionality regarding the First Amendment, it is usually linked to the overbreadth doctrine. Simply meaning, an individual may feel that their rights and/or others rights to Freedom of Speech may be prohibited by laws when applied under the context in which they were written. Broadrick v. Oklahoma, 413 U.S. 601 (1973) is the most quoted case that addresses issues of the overbreadth doctrine as it pertains to the First Amendment.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bill of Rights In 1789, James Madison introduced 19 amendments to the Constitution out of which Congress adopted 12 of the amendments for ratification by the states, ten of which were collectively known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights guaranteed citizens basic protections and limited governmental power in certain spheres, and became a part of the Constitution on December 10, 1791. For example, the First Amendment protects our rights as citizens to free speech and religion while the Fourth Amendment protects us from unwarranted governmental intrusion in our homes. Other rights include the right to a quick and public trial by an impartial jury as well as the right to bear arms.…

    • 494 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Under the new constitution came the creation of a Supreme Court and minor federal courts. In addition, it gave executive power to an elected president, but most importantly, it established the principle of a balance power between the three branches of government, the executive, legislative, and judicial. Under this principle, each branch had its own means of counteracting and balancing the activities of others, thus ensuring that none of the three branches could exercise dictatorial authority over government operations. The constitution was accepted in 1788 and it was ratified three years later. The first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, were added to the constitution in 1791.…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays