Bill of Rights and Ammendments

Bill of Rights and Amendments

The United States Constitution was ratified and made into law on September 17, 1789. The Framers of the Constitution knew that the Constitution had to have a way to grow and change with the people, and their needs. For this reason the creators made the ability to create amendments. The amendment process and the need for the Bill of Rights, as well as how the Bill of Rights has affected America are all areas that will be covered in this paper. In this paper I will also discuss what the Bill of Rights granted American's, and discuss how the later amendments have effected the Constitution and the people that are governed by the laws.

In order for America to continue to grow and change with the needs of the people, the Constitution was created with an amendment process in Article V. Article V lists two ways in which the Constitution can be amended. The first is by a two-thirds vote from both the House of Representatives and the Senate. An Amendment must be ratified by 38 of the 50 states. As of today this is the only method that has been used to make changes to the constitution. The Second method for making changes to the constitution is to hold a Convention that has the sole purpose of amending the constitution. During the convention two-thirds of the state legislatures must attend. Once the legislators have decide that the Amendment being discussed is going to be a change that is made then it must be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. This procedure is much more of a hassle as the House and the Senate meets at different periods of time for the sole purpose of voting on changes to the Constitution.

The Framers and creators of the Constitution were concerned with creating a charter for a working government, of the people, for the people, but the Constitution covered very few rights for the American citizen. During the secret convention of 1787, there was some opposition to the Constitution because it was viewed as not having enough protections for Americas' rights. At that time the bill of rights was created as Jefferson stated "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth" Jefferson, T (1787).

The legislators included an agreement to immediately add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution, which gave way for the Constitution to be ratified. James Madison argued that a declaration of rights for the American people would help the judiciary branch to protect individual rights. George Washington may have said it best when he said "They have given the right of man and fair discussion, and explained them in so clear and forcible manner as cannot fail to make a lasting impression".

The Bill of Rights has affected countless court cases on individual rights. Cases from blacks being able to sit on a bus when Whites were on the bus to students being banned from praying at school. Communities and states can become involved to push moral or financial standards on others. The Bill of Rights stops neighbors, states, and the federal government from infringing on the rights of an individual. The Bill of Rights protects the civil liberties that Americans are granted with citizenship, but it also gives Americans something to strive to be. Current society is in jepordary of losing one of the American dreams, that of home ownership. This is due to the many changes in the American economy and the changes that have had to happen to the financial industry and the number of families that have lost their homes due to the changes in the job market. The Bill of Rights is an ideal and powerful statement of what Americans are trying to be and strive to maintain.

The Bill of Rights accounts for amendments one through ten. Each of the additional 17 amendments has come about because of the need for clarification from the original mechanics of the first three articles or to ensure American's civil rights.

Amendments 13, 14, and 15 are often called the reconstruction amendments. The 13th amendment stated that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, nor