Analysis Of The US Constitution: The First Ten Amendments

Improved Essays
The U.S. Constitution, which was ratified by the states in 1788, serves two purposes; firstly, to protect individual rights, and secondly, to create three branches of government that keep checks and balances of each other (Goldman & Cheeseman, 2014). The Constitution is made up of 27 amendments, each of which are used to safeguard certain rights of the people. The first 10 amendments are referred to as the Bill of Rights, and they protect the basic individual rights of American citizens. Such rights include freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. The remaining amendments contain clauses that guarantee equal protection rights.

The legislative branch of government creates laws, and

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    Throughout all of American history, no other document has maintained an equally important and ever changing role in our government than the United States Constitution. The Constitution drew the plans for the creation the three branches of government and provided the structure on which the national government would grow. The most famous aspect of the Constitution is the Bill of Rights. Written by James Madison as a response to the States’ demands that individual liberties be provided and protected, the Bill of Rights serves to establish the personal rights of every man in America. Among these rights are the right to counsel, which is preserved in the Sixth Amendment, and the right to not withstand or be subjected to cruel or unusual punishment,…

    • 1252 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The first Article in the Constitution talks about the Legislative Branch and it duty to our government. The branch is in charge of creating laws, approving treaties, sending, bills, regulating trades and declaring wars. ("The Legislative Branch." ) When establishing the legislative branch there was a conflict of how the members would be determine.…

    • 1213 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Under the new constitution, Slaves were also counted as three-fifths of a person. By 1787, Constitution was drafted and had to be ratified by at least 9 states to become law. Afterward, the Bill of Rights became a part of the constitution, which provided basic rights to the citizens. The U.S Constitution comprises seven articles which are nothing else but tells how the government works and lays out the structure of the government. The meaning of the Constitution lies in the three words which are- “We the People” meaning that the United States government is to serve its…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My Title 4 My Essay How did the Declaration influence the Constitution? The Declaration of Independence & The Constitution go neck and neck when it comes allowing Americans the right to live Independent and Safely.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Constitution of the United States was signed by delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787. Many criticisms of the constitution stemmed from the lack of rights provided in the Constitution, creating the first ten amendments of the Constitution, known today as the bill of rights. These ten rights were created September 25, 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791. They guarantee multiple personal freedoms, limit the government's power in the judicial, legislative, and exectutive branches, and reserve some powers to the states and the public. One of these amendments is the fourth amendment, which regulates many of the steps government investigators take in the course of criminal investigations.…

    • 1041 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The first two sections of this constitution highlight the issue of freedom, independence, inalienable rights, defending life and liberty, acquiring property and protecting it, safety, and happiness. Moreover, it stipulates that the Government is responsible in protecting, security, and benefiting the people and that it has the right to change it if it is for the good of the…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The United States of America’s First Ten Amendments is known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights guarantees certain freedom to individuals residing in the United States of America. This right includes, freedom of speech, religion, press, the right to a speedy trial by jury, and right to privacy. Some of these rights are still guaranteed even if one is accused of a crime. According to the United States of America’s criminal law, one who is accused of a crime is still considered innocent unless proven guilty in a criminal court of law.…

    • 1064 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bill of Rights The bill of rights is the first ten amendments to the United states constitution. They created these Bill of Right amendments ‘wiki.com” (to add specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations of the government’s power in judicial and other proceedings.) I love that our government took their time in the bill of rights on the constitution to better protect each law for the free.…

    • 122 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Amendment Essay The purpose of the Constitution is to set up an organized government with rules and regulations that can be changed if needed through amendments. By adding the Bill of Rights, the Constitution became a living document that could evolve and adapt as our nation grows. The Bill of Rights gives us the ability to govern ourselves in the future, enjoy many freedoms that people in some other countries do not have, and change with the times. The amendments specify our rights and liberties, and protects us from being swayed by popular opinion or abusive government officials.…

    • 1335 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    US Constitution Analysis

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    By 1776, the Second Continental Congress decided that the 13 Colonies will be fighting for independence in the Revolutionary War, thus making them in need for a legal base of permanent union as States. A year later in November 1777 the Congress issued what it is considered today to be the first constitution of the United States: “The Articles of Confederation”. This written document was setting up a loose confederation of states, citing that: “each State retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every power, jurisdiction and right” (Goldfield, 176-7). It took almost four years, until March 1781, for these Articles to be ratified by all 13 future States, and six years until it was replaced by our current Constitution of the United…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The Bill of Rights are the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution. The idea behind the Bill of Rights was to insure certain freedoms and rights to the citizens of America. It put limits on what the government could do and control. Freedoms protected include freedom of religion, speech, assembly, the right to bear arms, unreasonable search and seizure of your home, the right to a speedy trial, and many more in America.…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Constitution was a huge step above the Articles of Confederation, however, it was not perfect by any means. This lead to the Bill of Rights which consisted of amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights initially dealt with the individual rights of citizens. These rights included freedom of speech, press, and religion.…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bill Of Rights Dbq

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When the American Congress finally ratified the Constitution in place of the Articles of Confederation in 1788, a new three-branch government was created. This government served as a compromise between federal powers and state powers, and its system of checks and balances helped prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. However, the process toward ratification required 9 out of 13 states to agree, and concerns over an autocratic federal power led to the formation of the Bill of Rights. Although the Bill of Rights were intended to protect liberties won in the American Revolution, the reasoning behind these amendments reflected America’s deeply ingrained fear of governmental tyranny.…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Constitution was drafted in 1787 and ratified by the states in 1789. In the Case of Marybury v. Madison, the Supreme Court ruled that it had powers to interpret the Constitution. According to legal resources, constitutional law deals with the fundamental principles by which the regime exercises its ascendancy. In some instances, these principles grant concrete powers to the regime, such as the puissance to tax and spend for the welfare of the population. Other times, constitutional principles act to place limits on what the regime can do, such as enjoining the apprehending of an individual without sufficient cause.…

    • 729 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Bill Of Rights Analysis

    • 1309 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Assess the view the Bill of rights no longer adequately protects the rights of Americans (25 marks) The first 10 amendments in the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. The Bill of rights was written by James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties; the Bill of Rights therefore lists specific prohibitions on governmental power. A famous quote about the Bill of rights is “The Bill of Rights wasn’t enacted to give us any rights. It was enacted so the Government could not take away from us any rights that we already had.”…

    • 1309 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays