The Bill of Rights is defined as the first ten amendments to the constitution. Without these amend- ments, the people would not accept the constitution. The people thought of the constitution as a list of rules without any rights. In return, the Bill of Rights was created to satisfy those demands for privileges. A congressman from Virginia named James Madison created the Bill of Rights in March of 1789. It was comprised of twelve amendments, and was sent to congress for approval. Congress approved the addition to the constitution and it was then sent to the states for ratification. In December of 1791, the required three fourths of states ratified the third through twelfth amendments, which soon became the first through tenth …show more content…
Legislature agreed with eleven of the new amendments, not accepting the amendment dealing with congressional pay. On the other hand, on December 1, Georgia rejected the Bill of Rights; legislature stated it was too early to consider new amendments since the constitution has not been tested yet. Maryland accepted all twelve amendments on December 19, and North Carolina did as well on December 22, however North Carolina wanted eight additional amendments, some involving congress. South Carolina also agreed with all twelve amendments and also pushed for more amendments on January 19, 1790. Comparable to New Jersey, New Hampshire only accepted eleven of the amendments, rejecting the amendment dealing with congressional pay. The following day, January 26, Delaware became the sixth state to ratify the Bill of Rights, however Delaware did not accept the amendment dealing with the number of representatives. New York was the next sate to ratify the Bill of Rights, accepting all the amendments but one, the amendment dealing with the size of the house. Pennsylvania rejected the first two amendments but agreed with the remaining amendments and became the eighth state to ratify the Bill of Rights on March 10. On June 7, Rhode Island voted yes to all amendments but the one regarding salaries. Soon after earning statehood, Vermont accepted all of the amendments in November …show more content…
This amendment also guarantees the right to due process, grand jury screening of criminal indictments, and compensation for the seizure of private property under eminent domain. The Sixth Amendment to the Bill of Rights creates the right to a speedy and public trial, the right to trial by an impartial jury, the right to be informed of criminal charges, the right to confront witnesses, the right to compel witnesses to appear in court, and the right to assistance of counsel. All of these rights ensured in the sixth amendment pertain to the defendant in a criminal trial. The Seventh Amendment to the Bill of Rights guarantees jury trials in federal civil cases that deal with claims of more than twenty dollars, it also prohibits judges from overruling findings of fact by juries in federal civil trials. The Eighth Amendment of the Bill of Rights forbids the imposition of excessive bails or fines, though it leaves the term excessive open to
The framers added the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution to ensure citizens’ basic rights. The Ninth Amendment guarantees rights not stated by the Constitution and reads as follows: "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights, shall not construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people”.
1. In 1789, James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights, which lists specific constraints on federal control in a set of 10 amendments ratified by the states. Liberty, meaning freedom from governmental and economic control, was the central factor and of utmost importance in the eyes of Madison and his fellow founding fathers when drafting the Bill of Rights. Protecting the peoples’ respective personal liberties such as freedom of speech and the right to exercise particular religious beliefs played a vital role in the creation of these amendments however limits were also placed on the freedoms granted in order to preserve the nation’s wellbeing.
To further strengthen the rights of the people, The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791. With only the first ten amendments, it is no accident that two amendments, 9 and 10, specifically define the Constitutions purpose to protect rights, given to the government from the people; and the powers of the government are “only those delegated to it by the Constitution on behalf of the people” (Spalding, Page 145).
This amendment was a part of the Bill of Rights and adds a number of rights for an accused citizen. These rights include a fair trial, speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, a notice of accusation, a confrontation of the witness, and right to a lawyer. A speedy trial means that the government cannot delay a trial to keep you in jail. A public trial ensures that rules a being followed correctly. An impartial jury means that they will not convict you without sufficient evidence. A notice of accusation forces the government to tell you what you did wrong. A confrontation of a witness is that people who saw the crime must testify. A right to a lawyer means that you have the right to have a lawyer even if you do not have the money for one.
James Madison presents the Bill of Rights to the First Federal Congress on June 8, 1789 (Primary Documents 1). The First Federal Congress then suggests the twelve amendments to the constitution to their state legislatures (Constitutional Politics in Ohio 1). The very first two articles weren't authorizing. Articles three through twelve were amended on December 15, 1791 (Constitutional Politics in Ohio 1). This was called The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights became the very first ten amendments to the United States Constitution (Primary Documents 1). Which means the powers delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited because of it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or even to the
The Convention then promised that a bill of rights would be attached to the final draft. Already there were several amendments that were considered when the first Congress met in 1789. Then on September 25, 1789, the first Congress of the United States added the 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and sent them to the states for ratification. Only ten of these amendments were ratified, and not until 1791. James Madison wrote those twelve.
On September 25, 1789, Congress transmitted to the state Legislatures twelve proposed amendments to the Constitution. Numbers three through twelve were adopted by the states to become the United States (U.S.) Bill of Rights, effective December 15, 1791.
Adopting the Bill of Rights resolved the most important issues remaining from the struggle between Federalists and Anti-Federalists, clearing the way for new issues to come forward (Cornell et al., 2013, p. 159). On June 21, 1788, it needed one more state, New Hampshire, the 9th state, to ratify the Constitution. The Federalist won the debate and therefore, the Articles of Confederation was replaced by the
presentment and have been indicted by a Grand Jury. This allows for people to “plead the 5th” in court. The text of the Sixth Amendment states that in all and any criminal prosecutions, the accused will be given the right to a public and speedy trial, by an impartial jury of the district and state where the crime took place. The Seventh Amendment gives an individual a right to have a trial by jury instead of judge to some civil cases. The Supreme Court ruled in Justices v. Murray, 76 U.S. 9 Wall. 274 274 (1869), that the Seventh Amendment is not only limited in being applied to civil lawsuits that are tried before juries found in United States courts, but is also applicable in cases that are tried before a jury when at a state court. The
In 1791, the Bill of Rights was drafted by congress after arguments ensued over whether the Constitution would uphold the rights of the American people. James Madison proposed twelve Amendments so to limit the power of government, allowing for a more stately and locally controlled system but, only ten were ratified. The ten amendments to be ratified were created to give American citizens freedoms they did not have under British rule. However, in current society the freedoms protected in the Bill of Rights are conflicted by the federal government and the confliction are justified as being beneficial for the general public. The altered interpretations of the Bill of Rights have forsaken freedom of speech, allowed unjustified search and seizure,
Fifth Amendment: contains four major protections for people accused of crimes. Sixth Amendment: protects the rights of individuals charged with federal crimes to defend themselves in a court trial. Seventh Amendment: provides for the right to a jury trial in federal courts to settle all disputes about property worth more than $20.
In 1791, the Bill of Rights, consisting of 10 amendments, was ratified into the constitution. The document’s purpose was to spell out the rights of the people that the government could not infringe upon.
In the Bill of Rights, the fourth. Fifth, sixth, and eighth amendments are called the “rights of the accused.” These amendments are very successful in protecting the accused against the abuses of the federal government. The government in Great Britain at the time would convict people of crimes they didn't do and then try them in an unfair trial. The Framers of the Constitution did everything they could to keep this from happening. What they did three hundred years ago, is still working today.
Firstly, the Bill of Rights has guaranteed the adoption of the Constitution. James Madison proposed the Bill of Rights to the First Federal Congress on June 8, 1789 (Primary Documents 1). The First Federal Congress then proposed the twelve amendments to the constitution to the state legislatures (Constitutional Politics in Ohio 1). The
There are many Amendments in The Bill of Rights and all of the rights are to the constitution to the United States. The purpose of the The Bill of Rights is to protect individuals liberties. The Bill of Rights was written in 1789 and was ratified in December 15, 1791, James Madison wrote The Bill of Rights and he was the one to guide it through the New Constitution.