bill of rights







The Bill of Rights







Jeremy Goodson




American Government
A. Hoffman
April 20, 2014


Jeremy Goodson
American Government
April 20, 2014
The Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights consisting of 10 amendments was ratified into the constitution in the year 1791. The document’s purpose was to spell out the liberties of the people that the government could not infringe upon. Considered necessary by many at the time of its development, the Bill of Rights was written to protect U.S. citizens from abuse of power that may be committed by the different areas of their government. It does this by expressing clear restrictions on the three branches of government laid out previously in the Constitution. Each amendment either states what the government cannot do or limits its powers by providing certain procedures that it must abide by. The Bill of Rights expresses civil liberties that are for the people and states that the government cannot take action that would go against or infringe upon on these rights. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty including freedoms of religion, speech, a free press, free assembly, and free association, as well as the right to keep and bear arms. The Founding Fathers wanted to ensure that no man could obtain excessive power, which could infringe the citizen’s rights.
“Tetons, Judith Lloyd”. “The Bill of Rights”
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Is The Bill of Rights Important
The Bill of Rights is important because the Bill of Rights was a pretty controversial idea when it was proposed in 1789, because a majority of the founding fathers had already entertained and rejected the idea of including a Bill of Rights in the original 1787 Constitution. For most people living today, this decision might seem a little strange. Why would it be controversial to protect free speech, or the freedom from warrantless searches, or the freedom from cruel and unusual punishment? Why weren't these protections included in the...