BILL OF RIGHTS IN THE USA

In the United States, the Bill of Rights is the name by which the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known. They were introduced by James Madison to the First United States Congress in 1789 as a series of constitutional amendments, and came into effect on December 15, 1791, when they had been ratified by threefourths of the States. The Bill of Rights limits the powers of the federal government of the United States, protecting the rights of all citizens, residents and visitors on United States territory. The Bill of Rights protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to keep and bear arms, the freedom of assembly, the freedom to petition, and freedom of the press. It also prohibits unreasonable search and seizure, cruel and unusual punishment, and compelled self-incrimination. The Bill of Rights also prohibits Congress from making any law respecting establishment of religion and prohibits the federal government from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law. In federal criminal cases, it requires indictment by grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime", guarantees a speedy public trial with an impartial jury composed of members of the state or judicial district in which the crime occurred, and prohibits double jeopardy. In addition, the Bill of Rights states that "the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people,"[2] and reserves all powers not granted to the federal government to the citizenry or States. Most of these restrictions were later applied to the states by a series of decisions applying the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which was ratified in 1868, after the American Civil War. Below is a listing of the 10 amendments to the Constitution and what they mean. Amendment I: Americans have the freedom to worship where they want, to speak freely even if what they say disagrees with the government, to meet in groups peacefully and to change laws that are unfair. Amendment II: Americans have the right to keep weapons to be used for a militia or citizens' army. Amendment III & IV: Privacy of Home. Home may not be searched without a special paper called a warrant. The government cannot force people to keep soldiers in their Houses in times of Peace. Amendment V-VIII: A person is considered innocent until proven guilty of a crime. Each citizen has the right to a speedy trial by jury. If an accused person does not have a lawyer, one must be provided for him or her. Amendment IX: Americans have basic rights that are not all listed in the Constitution. Amendment X: The powers of the federal government are written in the Constitution. All the rest are given to the states or to the people. The idea of adding a bill of rights to the Constitution was originally controversial. Alexander Hamilton, in Federalist Papers No. 84, argued against a Bill of Rights, asserting that ratification of the Constitution did not mean the American people were surrendering their rights, and therefore that protections were unnecessary: Critics pointed out that earlier political documents had protected specific rights, but Hamilton argued that the Constitution was inherently different. He held that Bills of rights are in their origin, stipulations between kings and their subjects, abridgments of prerogative in favor of privilege, reservations of rights not surrendered to the prince. Finally, Hamilton expressed the fear that protecting specific rights might imply that any unmentioned rights would not be protected. Hamilton and other Federalists believed in the British system of common law which did not define or quantify natural rights. They believed that adding a Bill of Rights to the Constitution would limit their rights to those listed in the Constitution. This is the primary reason the Ninth Amendment was included.