WASHINGTON,
D.C. (Achieve3000, November 13, 2006). In
the United States, Americans have certain freedoms. These are promised by the
Bill of Rights.
The
Bill of Rights was signed on December 15, 1791. In 1941, President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt named that date as Bill of Rights Day. Roosevelt wanted people
to remember their freedoms as Americans.
The
Beginnings of the Bill of Rights
The
idea for a bill of rights is much older than the United States. In 1689,
Britain drew up its own bill of rights. It gave people certain freedoms. It
also said that the king or queen must ask elected leaders before doing certain
things.
In
the 1700s, many people wanted America to be free from Britain. Why? Britain
fought wars on American land. It wanted Americans to let British soldiers live
in their houses. It made Americans pay money to Britain. Also, Americans had no
voice in the British government. Americans had no rights of their own.
In
1774, many people said that Americans should have rights. These should be the
same rights as the British had. In 1775, the war with Britain began. Each of
the 13 colonies wrote its own laws. A new nation was formed.
The Writing
of the Bill of Rights
I n
1787, leaders wrote the U.S. Constitution. They sent it to the states. The
states would vote on it. The Constitution gave the U.S. government certain
powers. However, it did not talk about some rights for people. The Constitution
was passed in 1789. Still, many states wanted a bill of rights.
The
First United States Congress met that same year. Lawmakers wrote a bill of
rights. It was a list of amendments, or changes, to the Constitution. It told
about people's rights. The lawmakers wrote 17 amendments. Congress and the
states passed 10 of them. These became the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Today,
Americans live by the Bill of Rights. It gives them their day-to-day freedoms.
Dig
Deeper
Life
in the U.S. would be different if it weren't for the Bill of Rights. Look back
at some events in history. They took place before America had a democratic
government.
First
Amendment
Congress
shall make no law [ordering a] religion, or [outlawing] the free exercise
thereof, or [taking away] the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right
of the people peaceably to [gather].
Take
John Peter Zenger, for example. He printed The New York Weekly Journal.
In 1735, Zenger's newspaper ran a story about William S. Cosby. Cosby was a
government leader. The news story said Cosby was breaking laws. Zenger was
jailed. He was accused of libel. At the time, this meant he had criticized a
government leader. But Zenger was lucky. He had a great lawyer. Zenger was
found not guilty. But what if the First Amendment had already been in place?
Would Zenger have been jailed?
Second
Amendment
A
well regulated militia [and] the right of the people to keep and bear arms,
shall not be [taken away].
During
Colonial times, America did not have an army. So the colonists formed militias.
These were fighting units. They were made up of citizens. These militias became
a problem for the British. This was in the 1760s. It was after the French and
Indian War. The British had passed new laws. The laws created new taxes for the
colonists. These taxes helped Britain pay its war costs. The British wanted to
make sure these laws were followed. So they placed troops in the colonies.
Fights arose between the soldiers and the militias. So the British tried to
take people's guns. This made things worse between the colonies and Britain.
The problems led to the American Revolution. Does this explain why the Second
Amendment was written?
Fourth
Amendment
The
right of the people to be [safe] against unreasonable searches and seizures,
shall not be [taken away]. No Warrants shall [be given], but upon probable
cause.
Some colonists smuggled taxable goods.
They did not want to pay the new taxes. So the British got search warrants.
They were called "writs of assistance." They allowed the British to
search homes and companies. The searches were arbitrary. The British didn't
need to explain them. They could simply claim they felt someone had smuggled
goods. This is why the Fourth Amendment outlaws "unreasonable
searches." There must be "probable cause" for a search warrant.
Question for the
day
Question for day 1:
Why did President Roosevelt name December 15 as
Bill of Rights Day?
a. Roosevelt wanted Congress to write a new bill of
rights
b. Roosevelt wanted Americans to remember their freedoms. c. Roosevelt wanted lawmakers to write down the rights of Americans.
d. Roosevelt wanted people
to think about the war with Britain.
|
Question for day 2:
Here is a sentence from the news story:
It also said that the king or queen must ask elected
leaders before doing certain things.
Elected
leaders are those who are __________.
a. Named by other lawmakers
b. Put in place by Congress
c. Voted into office by the people
d. Named by the president of the U.S.
|
Question for day 3:
In 1775, the United States formed a new nation.
Each state __________.
a.
Made its own laws to
follow
b.
Was without any laws
c.
Went only by the laws of
Britain
d.
Wrote laws for the new
country
|
Question for day 4:
a. No families of their own
b. No rights of their own
c. Lots of new land to live on
d. Lots of money to spend
|
Quiz Day 5
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