The first ten amendments to the US constitution are called the Bill of
Rights because they provide basic legal protection for individual rights. The terms also applied to the English Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Canadian Bill of Rights 1960, and to similar guarantees in the constitutions of the American states. From the perspective of two centuries, it can be said that Madison chose well among they pyramid of proposal sin the state. he included all the great rights appropriate for constitutional protection. The US Bill of Rights contains the classic inventory of individual rights, and it has served as the standard for all subsequenent attempts to sage guard human rights. The first American use of the term was in 1774 when the first
Continental Congress adopted the declaration and resolves, which was popularly termed the Bill of Rights because it was an American equivalent of the English
Bill of Rights. Two years later came the Virginia declaration of rights, which contained the first guarantees for individual right single gully enforceable constitution. The distinctive feature of the provision in American Bill of
Rights is that they are enforced by the courts. From the time they first settled in Virgin and Massachusetts, the
American colonist relied upon the rights enjoyed by Englishmen. The struggle for independence, however, demonstrated to them that rights not specified and codified in constitutional documents were insecure. The result was a movement as soon as independence was declared, to adopt bindings constitutions that limited governmental power and protected individual rights. Seven of the thirteen states adopted constitutions that included specific bills of rights.
The first state bill of rights was the Virginia Declaration of Rights, adopted as part of the state b's first constitution on June 12,1776. Virginia's declaration, drafted mainly by George Manson, served as the model both for similar state documents and for the US Bill of Rights. It provided guarantees for most of the rights secured in the latter document.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
The first eight amendments in the Bill of Rights were intended to protect Americans ' specific personal rights. The Founding Fathers recognized the importance of these rights and fought so that the people in the United States would have the independence that no other nation had known. These same men were well aware of the unavoidable sacrifices they were going to have to make. Listing every right that a person should possess was impossible to fit into ten amendments. Therefore, congress made the final two amendments in the Bill of Rights to be an all inclusive statute in an effort to prevent the United States government from discovering a loophole and gaining too much power. The Ninth and Tenth Amendments are the final two statutes in the Bill of Rights which outlines the limited control of the government and even more importantly the power of the people.…
- 1547 Words
- 7 Pages
Better Essays -
After the Constitution was written, the new born nation was immediately split into two political sides, the federalists and the anti-federalists, over the ratification. Federalists, southern planters or people that tended to hold interest in trade, advocated a strong executive. On the other hand, anti-federalists, back country people or people involved in business but not in the mercantile economy, opposed the ratification of the constitution. The two sides, after much debate, were able to come to a compromise after the Bill of Rights was included into the Constitution.…
- 769 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights? The purpose of it is to save the Anti-Federalists because from the beginning, they thought that the Constitution favored a central government too heavily. They did not agree that the balance of power provided for by the Constitution prevented one branch from becoming too powerful. They were scared that the Congress and the court system were too far removed from the people of the nation and that the voice of the people was not likely to be heard. There are other things to know about the purpose of Bill of Rights. Here are three.…
- 471 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
“The English Bill of Rights is an act that the Parliament of England passed on December 16, 1689. The Bill creates separation of powers, limits the powers of the king and queen, enhances the democratic election and bolsters freedom of speech” (Walker 1). The government no longer had the consent of the people. English Bill of Rights was not so much for the commoner as it was for Parliament, and rules that the Monarch would have to follow. As a matter of fact, the only real similarity was the provision against cruel and unusual punishment for prisoners. However, just like our Bill of Rights, the English Bill of Rights was heavily influenced by John Locke and other libertarians of his time.…
- 441 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The first Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression from government interference. This is one of the most important amendments in the constitution and is what America is most proud of. However, these rights aren’t all they are cracked up to be. For example, censorship is very common and goes against the freedom of speech. Censorship has many different roles in society both in the past and present. In the past it was used as a way for dictators to control their people and keep them from reading rebellious literature. Hitler even burned all books that he did not like.…
- 581 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The preamble states that the purpose of the Constitution is to create "a more perfect union" and help make the United Sates of America a place of freedom. The Bill of Rights presents the fundamental freedoms of human rights. It lays out what people are entitled to and what the government cannot take away. Both of these documents provide evidence that the United States' government should be fair and reasonable, and lays out what is needed for the country to be successful.…
- 303 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
The Bill of Rights: It was very important measure taken by the parliament which limited the royal power and also established supremacy of the parliament. The bill was passed in February, 1689. It enumerates the act of James II stating that he abdicated from the power by himself. It reduced the power of the king and made the king bound to take into account the consent of the parliament. The king could not suspend or create laws without the allowance of parliament. He could not raise taxes by royal prerogative and he was forbidden to keep standing army in peace.…
- 2107 Words
- 9 Pages
Good Essays -
People would consider the Alien and Sedition Acts unconstitutional because they did not followed they freedom established in the Bill of Rights. According to the Constitution, the President had no authority to imprison or deport aliens he considered dangerous for the nation’s security, because the power is shared between the state government and the national government. The Bill of Rights allows people to have their right to speech and the President couldn’t prison people who doesn’t agree with his laws, publish scandalous or malicious writings against him. All criminal prosecutions have the right to speedy and public trial. Any person can’t be discriminated by their religion or be prohibited of practicing it, just like aliens can’t be considerate…
- 140 Words
- 1 Page
Satisfactory Essays -
After creating the Articles of Confederation, the representatives of each state agreed to make a new, better form of government, the U.S. Constitution. When creating a constitution for our nations, certain citizens wanted to guarantee that there would be a Bill of Rights included in it. These people were called the antifederalist, and they wanted a Bill of Rights to assure that their individual rights would not be taken out of their possession.…
- 700 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Those amendments were adopted between 1789 and 1791, and all relate to limiting the power of the federal government. They were added in response to criticisms of the Constitution by the state ratification conventions and by prominent individuals such as Thomas Jefferson (who was not a delegate to the Constitutional Convention). These critics argued that without further restraints, the strong central government would become tyrannical. The amendments were proposed by Congress as part of a block of twelve in September 1789. By December 1791 a sufficient number of states had ratified ten of the twelve proposals, and the Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution.…
- 2123 Words
- 9 Pages
Better Essays -
Our founding fathers who wrote the United States Declaration of Independence and the Preamble of the Constitution carefully chose the words that they connected with the rights that United States citizens would be granted so that the rights could still be applied in today’s society. Some of the phrases and words that were chosen for the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble include the right to unalienable rights, to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.…
- 742 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
trial in court and to be judged by a jury of his peers. In a…
- 459 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Many people take the Constitution for granted. Not very many even think about it. If we didn’t have a Constitution, or if anything about it was different, what we know as America and the freedoms it gives would be a whole lot different.…
- 333 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
The Key points I see as relevant in the world today is The Declaration of the Rights of Man because this has been hugely relevant for the world as a whole. It has helped to create the idea that people everywhere are entitled to basic Human Rights. The Declaration of the Rights of Man takes ideas from the American Declaration of Independence which was of course inspired by European Enlightenment thinkers and makes them more specific. For example, Thomas Jefferson’s document talks about God- given rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The French document takes this further and specifies exactly what rights are included in Jefferson’s categories. The French document in this way, very similar to the American Bill of Rights which…
- 245 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
What abuses of royal power seem to have most disturbed the authors of the English Bill of Rights?…
- 341 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays