Amendments Since the Bill of Rights Could Restrict the Rights of Citizens in the Future; Government Wants to Take Away Personal Freedom.

In order to understand the amendments since the bill of rights, one must first examine the bill of rights.

They must see what the bill of rights were and then know how other amendments would impact the country.

In 1789, James Madison introduced in Congress a document that would come to be known as the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights contained the first ten Amendments to the US Constitution.

These new laws provided every American citizen with basic legal rights and defended them against unlawful government persecution.

Probably the most popular of the new Amendments was the First Amendment, which prevented the government from establishing a national religion.

Though most of the country was Protestant at the time, the Founding Fathers did not want religion to affect public policy.

They also wanted to ensure that people had the right to practice any religion they desired.

The First Amendment also gave citizens the right to free speech, a free press, as well as the right to free assembly.

Since early legislators were skeptical of large government, these new laws guaranteed that ordinary citizens would have the right to publically question and criticize their government without having to worry about being detained or arrested.

The Second Amendment of the Constitution gives citizens the right to keep and bear firearms.

This law was deemed necessary because representatives believed that a well-trained militia was necessary to ensure the safety and security of the new nation.

Most of the remaining laws included in the Bill of Rights are concerned with protecting the rights of individuals who had been accused of a crime.

These laws grant defendants the right to a speedy trial, the right to reasonable bail, as well as the right to due process.

All of these laws were designed to protect average citizens from unjust and unlawful government prosecution.

The amendments since the bill of rights did not have the same concern for human rights and freedom.

Amendments Since the Bill of Rights

The US Constitution is a unique piece of legislation because it gives Americans the opportunity to introduce new laws in the form of constitutional amendments.

Since the Bill of Rights was ratified, there have been several important amendments to the Constitution.

These amendments are often introduced only after the majority of Americans agree that there has been a cultural or societal shift, and that the Constitution should reflect this new reality.

For example, in 1920 the Nineteen Amendment to the Constitution was finally approved.

This amendment, although long overdue, granted women the right to vote in America.

Amendments Since the Bill of Rights Limit Rights

However, not all proposed constitutional amendments have garnered public support.

Only recently, religious and conservative groups have begun to petition the government for a new amendment to the constitution.

This amendment would end the gay marriage debate in one fell swoop, as it would define marriage as only between a man and a woman.

More troubling still is the fact that this proposed amendment would take the marriage debate out of the hands of the states and put it under the control of the federal government.