Fourth Amendment Importance

The Bill of Rights is the first Ten Amendments written into the constitution. These amendments were designed to make a list of certain unalienable that the United States Government was not allowed to infringe upon. Many deemed these unnecessary, but the newly freed Colonists were terrified of large national Governments and were hell bent on keeping their newly acquired freedoms safe. After much back and forth between the federalists and anti-federalists they finally agreed to add a bill of rights to the constitution. James Madison was tasked with writing them, Madison was highly qualified for this job. Attending Princeton and studying government and history and being very well read about current issues and the law. Madison was also present …show more content…
One of the many grievances listed against the king was the searches and seizure of private property by British soldiers. If you were suspected of having contraband your house could be searched and ransacked without any paper work or probable cause. To combat this the fourth amendment was ratified saying that the government did not have the right to trespass on or come into and search private property without a written warrant. Making it so evidence or permission by the owner of the property was required before you could enter the premises. Ending the day’s of random searches and living in constant fear searches of the police or military. Today they have added that with probable cause, you can be searched or if it’s considered a matter of national security. Controversy today over this is centered on the airport and the TSA has been able to take steps some see as unconstitutional to assure you don’t take forbidden items on a plane. This is another example of how new technologies have caused discussion over the overall relevance of the first ten …show more content…
Its states that a person does not have answers for their crime unless they are in front of grand jury it also insures that you will not be tried twice for the same crime or be forced to testify against one’s self. This was in response to the way that justice was carried out at the time. When accused you could be jailed or executed without any trial whatsoever if deemed necessary by a governing official. This also ensures you don’t have to speak about anything you have done or testify against yourself which you may have been forced to do under British control. In America this is how things were supposed to be carried out. Early on there were many acceptations. If you were a woman accused of witchcraft, a minority group or in a rural area justice could be delved out in many different ways. Today the rules are much more strictly enforced and these rules are still the basis our justice system operates