Jonah Patel
The US Constitution is a document that lays out the powers of the federal government and the rights of citizens. The Bill of Rights, which forms part of the Constitution, was originally interpreted as only applying to the federal government, and not to the states. However, this changed in the twentieth century when the Supreme Court began to hold some of these rights enforceable against the states. The Constitution protects citizens' rights, including the right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, and the right to assemble peacefully and to petition.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Protects the rights of individuals | The right to freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, the right to assemble peacefully and the right to petition |
| The right to vote without discrimination based on race | |
| The right to not self-incriminate | |
| The right to not be a slave | |
| Protects against the federal government | The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not given to the federal government, or prohibited to the states by the Constitution, to the states or to the people |
| The Bill of Rights was originally construed to apply only against the federal government and not against state or local governments | |
| The rights of individuals were protected from state intrusion only by the state constitutions themselves |
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What You'll Learn
- The Supreme Court ruled that witnesses before congressional committees retain all their constitutional protections, including against self-incrimination
- The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not given to the federal government, or prohibited to the states by the Constitution, to the states or to the people
- The Bill of Rights was originally interpreted as applying only to the federal government, not the states
- The first state constitutions limited government from performing arbitrary acts that would deprive people of their freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to bear arms, and right to assemble peacefully and to petition
- The Constitution lays out the powers of Congress, which are often exceeded by laws passed by Congress or unconstitutionally delegated to the executive branch
The Supreme Court ruled that witnesses before congressional committees retain all their constitutional protections, including against self-incrimination
The Supreme Court has ruled that witnesses before congressional committees retain all their constitutional protections, including against self-incrimination. This means that individuals who are called to testify before a congressional committee have the right to refuse to answer questions that may incriminate them. This ruling is significant because it ensures that witnesses' constitutional rights are protected, even when they are appearing before a powerful governmental body like Congress.
The Supreme Court's ruling in Watkins v. United States (1957) highlights the importance of safeguarding individuals' rights, particularly in the context of congressional proceedings. It is worth noting that the Constitution is not solely focused on protecting constituents but also outlines the powers of the federal government, including Congress.
The Bill of Rights, comprising the first ten amendments to the Constitution, was initially interpreted as applying only to the federal government and not to state or local governments. This interpretation changed over time, with the Supreme Court beginning to enforce some of these rights against the states in the twentieth century. The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not given to the federal government or prohibited to the states by the Constitution, to the states or the people.
The rights protected by the Constitution include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, and the right to assemble peacefully. These rights are fundamental to the American concept of liberty and have been defended by the Supreme Court on multiple occasions. The Court's ruling in Watkins v. United States underscores its commitment to upholding these constitutional protections, even in the face of potential self-incrimination.
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The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not given to the federal government, or prohibited to the states by the Constitution, to the states or to the people
The first state constitutions limited the government from performing arbitrary acts that would deprive people of their freedom of speech, their freedom of religion, their right to bear arms, and their right to assemble peacefully and to petition. Madison thought that the greatest danger to individual liberties came from the states, so he originally drafted the First Amendment to read: 'No state shall violate...'. In its final version, it became: 'Congress shall make no law...'.
For many years, the courts interpreted the Bill of Rights as applying only to the federal government, not to the states. This changed after the American Civil War, with the passage of three amendments intended to protect the rights of the newly freed slaves. The Thirteenth Amendment prohibited slavery, and the Fifteenth Amendment protected the right to vote from discrimination based on race.
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The Bill of Rights was originally interpreted as applying only to the federal government, not the states
Madison thought that the greatest danger to individual liberties came from the states, so he originally drafted the First Amendment to read: “No state shall violate . . .”. In its final version, it became: “Congress shall make no law . . .”. For many years, the courts interpreted the Bill of Rights as applying only to the federal government, not to the states.
In 1833, a Baltimore wharf owner asked the Supreme Court to extend the Bill of Rights to state and local governments, arguing that the city had violated his Fifth Amendment right to due process. The appeal was rejected. Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in Barron v. Baltimore that the Bill of Rights amendments “contain no expression indicating an intention to apply them to the State governments”.
However, the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) did forbid states to abridge the rights of any citizen without due process, and, beginning in the 20th century, the U.S. Supreme Court gradually applied most of the guarantees of the Bill of Rights to state governments as well.
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The first state constitutions limited government from performing arbitrary acts that would deprive people of their freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to bear arms, and right to assemble peacefully and to petition
The first state constitutions were designed to limit the government from performing arbitrary acts that would deprive people of their freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to bear arms, and right to assemble peacefully and to petition.
The first state constitutions were designed to protect the rights of individuals from state intrusion. Madison, who drafted the First Amendment, originally wrote: 'No state shall violate...'. However, the final version became: 'Congress shall make no law...'. This change in wording reflects the fact that the Bill of Rights was originally interpreted as applying only to the federal government, and not to the states.
The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments to the US Constitution. The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It forbids Congress from promoting one religion over others and also from restricting an individual's religious practices. It also guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting Congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. The First Amendment also guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peaceably and to petition their government.
The right to assemble peaceably was tested in the case of Cruikshank and others, who were charged under the Enforcement Act of 1870 for conspiring to deprive the victims of their constitutional right to assemble peaceably. The Court explained that the charges did not allege that the victims were trying to assemble for a purpose related to the national government, and therefore their peaceful assembly was not protected by the First Amendment. The Court's dicta explained that the First Amendment was not intended to limit the powers of state governments in respect to their own citizens, but to operate on the national government alone.
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The Constitution lays out the powers of Congress, which are often exceeded by laws passed by Congress or unconstitutionally delegated to the executive branch
The Bill of Rights, which forms part of the Constitution, was originally interpreted as restricting only the federal government and not the states. This changed in the twentieth century when the Supreme Court began to hold some of these rights enforceable against the states. The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not given to the federal government, or prohibited to the states by the Constitution, to the states or to the people.
The first state constitutions limited the government from performing arbitrary acts that would deprive people of their freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to bear arms, and right to assemble peacefully and to petition. Madison, who drafted the First Amendment, originally intended it to read: "No state shall violate..." However, the final version stated: "Congress shall make no law..."
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution protects the rights of individuals from the federal government.
The Bill of Rights was originally only applied to the federal government, not state or local governments.
Yes, after the American Civil War, three amendments were passed to protect the rights of newly freed slaves.
The Thirteenth Amendment prohibited slavery, and the Fifteenth Amendment protected the right to vote from discrimination based on race.
The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not given to the federal government, or prohibited to the states by the Constitution, to the states or to the people.
