Get it right! The first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. They are every bit as important as the main text of the Constitution--the seven articles that established the U.S. system of government.Get to know these 10 Amendments. The rights they guarantee and the responsibilities they entail are at the very core of what it means to be an American. Bill of Rights * I. 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 peace·a·ble adj. 1. Inclined or disposed to peace; promoting calm: They met in a peaceable spirit. 2. Peaceful; undisturbed. to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. II. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. III. No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. IV. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause Apparent facts discovered through logical inquiry that would lead a reasonably intelligent and prudent person to believe that an accused person has committed a crime, thereby warranting his or her prosecution, or that a Cause of Action has accrued, justifying a civil lawsuit. .... V. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury ...; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb The phrase within the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, commonly known as the Double Jeopardy Clause, that provides, "nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb," pursuant to which there can be no ; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. VI. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial ...; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to ... [obtain] witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. VII. In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved.... VIII. Excessive bail excessive bail n. an amount of bail ordered posted by an accused defendant which is much more than necessary or usual to assure he/she will make court appearances, particularly in relation to minor crimes. shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments Such punishment as would amount to torture or barbarity, any cruel and degrading punishment not known to the Common Law, or any fine, penalty, confinement, or treatment that is so disproportionate to the offense as to shock the moral sense of the community. inflicted. IX. The enumeration 1. (mathematics) enumeration - A bijection with the natural numbers; a counted set. Compare well-ordered. 2. (programming) enumeration - enumerated type. of the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage dis·par·age tr.v. dis·par·aged, dis·par·ag·ing, dis·par·ag·es 1. To speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way; belittle. See Synonyms at decry. 2. To reduce in esteem or rank. others retained by the people. X. The powers not delegated to the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it..., are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Questions Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper. 1. What is meant by "due process of law"? Give an example to support your answer. 2. Why do you suppose Amendment VI specifies that trials be both "speedy" and "public"? What problems could arise if they were not? 3. Which Amendment do you think was important to people who had survived British rule, but is rarely thought about today? 4. The Bill of Rights' authors didn't specify what "cruel and unusual punishments" are. What is an advantage of such open-ended language? What is a disadvantage? 5. If you had to pick one Amendment as the most important to you, which would it be? Why? 1. that all appropriate legal measures are followed; that accusers or legal officials can't take shortcuts See Win Shortcuts. in order to find someone guilty; that all accused people are treated equally before the law; other answers acceptable 2. speedy: so people accused of breaking the law cannot be kept in jail indefinitely without proof of guilt; so witnesses can still be found, and their memories remain fresh: public: so the accused and the people can be reassured that proper procedures are followed; other answers acceptable 3. Amendment Ill [British troops commandeering private homes as barracks bar·rack 1 tr.v. bar·racked, bar·rack·ing, bar·racks To house (soldiers, for example) in quarters. n. 1. A building or group of buildings used to house military personnel. or headquarters was a common problem during the Revolution.) 4. advantage: allows for changes in social values, standards, and expectations; disadvantage: hard for people to agree on what constitutes "cruel" and "unusual"; other answers acceptable 5. Answers will vary, but should be supported with concrete examples. * Some words and phrases Words and Phrases® A multivolume set of law books published by West Group containing thousands of judicial definitions of words and phrases, arranged alphabetically, from 1658 to the present. are high-lighted to help you spot key concepts. |
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