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Difference Between Law And Citizen Rights

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Law and Citizen Rights Essay by: Charis Johnston

Two-hundred and forty years ago, the idea of freedom enabled the creation of The United States of America. Freedom inspired the founding fathers of this country to establish the Articles of Confederation, then the US Constitution, and finally the Bill of Rights. Each document furthered and improved both the people’s idea of freedom and their ability to reach it. Beginning from the idea of freedom, the law of the United States developed through each document, rule, clause, and amendment, into the system that stands today. The Articles of Confederation constructed citizen’s rights. The US Constitution established citizen's rights as the main focus and thesis of government. The Bill of Rights defined …show more content…
The first ten amendments to the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights, exist as the source of a citizen’s basic rights. They stand to enable freedom of speech, religion, press, and assembly, right to bear arms, right to petition the government, trial by jury, and safety from unreasonable law enforcement for every citizen of America. The bill limits the role of government so as not to impose upon the freedoms of the people. For instance, Amendment I, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…(Avalon Project - Constitution of the United States : Bill of Rights. (2017). Avalon.law.yale.edu. Retrieved 19 September 2017, from http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/rights1.asp)” shows the responsibility of the government to not make laws inflicting upon the freedoms of others. Careful restrictions of power crafted a government that created freedom for its people.

Through the Articles of Confederation, US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, citizen’s rights have evolved from ideas into absolute rights that are defined and protected by law. Through the examination of each document, one can see: the establishment and subjection towards federal government simultaneously establishes a citizen-run government, federal government is by and for the governed, and distribution of power allows the most power to the people of the United States of America. The building of ideas over each renewed system has brought the rights of citizens to a level desired by the rest of the

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