Preview

How the Bill of Rights Affects My Life

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
456 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How the Bill of Rights Affects My Life
How the Bill of Rights Affects My Life

In 1791, the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States, also known as the Bill of Rights, become ratified. The Bill of Rights contained freedoms that Americans held to be their inalienable rights, and were so important that before ratifying the Constitution many states insisted on a promise of amendments guaranteeing individual rights. It was created to set limitations on the power of the United States government, protecting the natural rights of liberty and property. The Bill of Rights affects every Americans life, in many different ways: it sets standards for people to live by, it gives us the right to be citizens, and it also gives us freedom of speech. The Bill of Rights gives citizens freedom, but it also crosses the line between right and wrong. It punishes those that have done wrong, and rewards those that deserve it. It basically sets boundaries, not just for the lower or middle class, but for everyone. It reminds me of the Ten Commandments; rules are set for the people of the land, and when those rules are broken, justice is served. The Bill of Rights also gives us the right to be citizens of the United States. Not just anyone can become an actual citizens, most aliens in the U.S. are illegal. Why? Because the Bill of Rights put a stop to them becoming legal; and while that has its positives and negatives, I believe that it’s a good thing that not everyone can become a citizen of our great nation. The culture, the history, the population, all of it would be different if just anyone was allowed in. I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. Lastly, the Bill of Rights grants us the freedom of speech. The liberty to speak our minds and say what we need to say. In so many countries freedom of speech is banned, and here, sometimes even I take it for granted. Freedom of Speech is saying what you believe needs to be said, whether good or bad, without being punished for it. So, as one can see

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
  • Better Essays

    It outlines the freedoms and rights that citizens have, for example when a citizen is on trial they have the right to a fair trial, before trials were often unfair and innocent people were found guilty. Just like the United States has changed and evolved over the past 200 years, certain rights addressed in the Bill of Rights have also changed. Some don't really even pertain to today. Amendment three for example doesn't really have any relativity today. Back then housing troops was a major issue but today it is not. The Bill of Rights was written in an era completely different than ours. Issues were different and with that there were different situations to arise. I believe that the Bill of Rights to change as the times change. 200 years ago they didn't have the issues of searching people when going through the airport, because of the fear that there might be some kind of danger. As times change I believe so should the Bill of Rights, to an extent. There are certain rights that are just as relevant now as they were 200 year ago, yet the ones that no longer pertain to us should be taken out and replaced with new ones that would serve the people better. The Patriot Act which was enacted to protect citizens from terrorism, seems like it has limited basic rights more than it has protected. Citizens passing up rights in order to feel protected. There are people out there though…

    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better 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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    "We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..." We must be on alert about our rights, for this 'constitution' will allow our governments to take away our 'unalienable' rights. We have paid for our liberty with our blood, our lives, and our loved ones. Why must we take chances with a document that does not guarantee success? The need for a Bill of Rights is essential. Without the Bill of Rights, we are bound to face many issues: Our nation will split in two; we will have another Revolutionary War.…

    • 399 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Articles of Confederation held many problem that the people of the U.S. were angry about. With no Bill of Rights in the Articles of Confederation many people were angry that their rights were not protected by anything. Since the states had different currencies this also mde people in the U.S very angry because they could be rich in one state and in the other poor. As well as this making it so that the states couldn't trade. Lastly the government couldn’t tax the people making the United States poor and in heavy debt.…

    • 539 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    What people don’t realize is that the Bill of Rights wasn’t apart of the original Constitution from 1787, and not because the document thought that these “rights” weren’t important, but because, as Hamilton stated, “the Constitution is itself, in every rational sense, and to every useful purpose, a bill of rights.” Think of it this way, when Americans do business with one another, they usually seal the deal with a handshake, but the majority of the time, like good personal relationships, they believe that a good government is followed by a written down agreement after the handshakes. So after the Constitution had been put into effect in 1789, its signers followed up with the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights (though it does not have a title in the Constitution). Now, there are two things about the Bill of Rights that today’s citizens may not understand. One is that the first ten amendments were emphasizing the “States” rights that pertained more to the minority.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed freeing the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain, creating what would become the most powerful democratic country in history. The United States of America’s path to success is filled with trial, error, and countless sacrifices. The founding fathers envisioned a nation that was governed by the people not by a tyrannical king. On December 15, 1791 a very significant document was added to the Constitution of the United States known as the Bill of Rights. Most Americans are vaguely familiar with the Amendments that construct the Bill of Rights. Nonetheless, the Amendments were created to protect the “people” from future government tyranny. This Bill of Rights, like the Constitution, is a fluid document that was meant to always be adapted to the times of the country. The Bill of Rights included the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. I believe the ever evolving First Amendment to be the most important because it protects our freedom of speech and the press, religion, the right to assemble or petition the government. These individual rights are the cornerstone of our country and facilitate a nation free of oppression.…

    • 1071 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bill of Rights is an indispensable part of the American ideal. America was built upon the ideas of freedom of speech, practice and possession. The framers wrote the Constitution to govern this new country of ideals, and soon after the Bill of Rights was created to give citizens rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. The Bill of Rights protects Americans by bestowing upon them the ability to protect themselves, freedom from oppression and the right to a fair and speedy trial.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the key aspects of the Constitution that make it a healthy document relevant more than two hundred years after its drafting is the Bill of Rights. The rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights are as important to our country’s citizens today as they were to the people living at the time the Framers drafted the document. The fundamental rights of freedom of religion, speech, the press, (Nicas) right to a jury trial, protections against unreasonable search and seizure (New York Times)…ultimately protection against a national government that might try to usurp the freedoms of its citizens remain fundamental rights today. (Washington Post) The Bill of Rights protects the freedoms and liberties that are the…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. They were proposed to assure the fears of Anti-Federalist who had opposed Constitutional ratification. The Bill of Rights guaranteed a number of personal freedoms, limit the government’s power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public. Firstly, the Bill of Rights is successful in assuring the adoption of the Constitution. Secondly, the Bill of Rights did not address every foreseeable situation. Thirdly, the Bill of Rights has assured the safety of the people of the United States of America. Successes, failures, and consequences are what made the Bill of Rights what…

    • 1770 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is a compilation of the first 10 articles of the US Constitution. The Bill of Rights basically lays out the principal rights of the people like the right to bear arms, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion to name only a few. As I have previously explained, they needed a bill of rights because without it, the people would not have any power or freedom and could lead to the central government taking over and violating civil rights. This was fresh in everyone's mind because they had just been freed from the British violation of civil rights before and during the revolution. With the Bill of Rights, this cannot happen again, which ultimately provoked adding the Bill of…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bill of Rights lists our basic rights and place limits on the federal government. They include the freedoms of speech and religion, the right to bear arms, the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, and an assurance that the powers not delegated to the federal government in the Constitution are reserved to the states and the people. Many of these provisions were based upon similar protections provided by state constitutions that limited the power of state and local government authorities. Written by James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, the Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power. The Bill of Rights was a controversial idea when it was proposed in 1789 because a majority of the founding fathers had already entertained and rejected the idea of including a Bill of…

    • 488 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bill of Rights was created in 1791 and is, “in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, the Bill of Rights lists specific prohibitions on governmental power.” (Bill of Rights Institute) The Bills of Rights were created by James Madison and there are a total of ten which he added to the constitution. The Bill of Rights is basically a list that was created to limit the government’s power over America’s citizens.…

    • 1029 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The conceptualization that individuals have guaranteed rights bestowed upon them is absolutely fascinating. Unlike any other country, America is a completely free country. To know that the government will never infringe upon citizens’ rights is amazing. Civil liberties are gifts from God. They are liberties that are granted to each citizen of the United States of America that cannot be taken away from anyone or by anyone. The Bill of Rights was establish to list these specific guarantees of civil liberties that individuals of America are entitled to have, such as the second amendment. Only individual’s natural rights are listed in the bill of rights so that a person is aware of the rights that are inheritably theirs. By civil liberties,…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The First Amendment

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Bill of Rights, founded by Thomas Jefferson, is a name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments help to protect the…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays