BILL OF RIGHTS

In the United States, this consists of the first ten amendments, or changes, made to the Constitution. These were adopted by the Congress in 1791, because the Constitution itself contained few guarantees of personal liberty. Americans had recently freed

themselves from British rule. Some were suspicious that the new Federal government might become just as oppressive, and demanded a Bill of Rights. The bill therefore guaranteed such important rights as freedom of religion, speech and assembly (1^st amendment), the right to carry arms (2nd), freedom from unreasonable search and seizure (4th), the right not to give evidence against oneself (5th), the right to a fair trial (6th), and protection against excessive bail and fines and cruel or unusual punishments. During the 1800’s and 1900’s, the Bill of Rights was extended by more constitutional amendments.

The original bill protected only against federal misgovernment. However, the 14^th amendment (1868) extended the bill to state governments as well.

Important ‘ancestors’ of the American Bill of Rights were the English Magna Carta of 1215 and Bill of Rights of 1689. In America, the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1766) formed a model for the bill. The American Bill of Rights itself has been a model for other countries. In 1948, the United Nations adopted a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and, by 1956, 77 nations had passed laws to protect personal rights.

Visit https://fedricxconsult.blogspot.com to read daily articles, story series, Kirikiri news and lots more