What is the intent of the American Bill of Rights?

Answer 1

The intent of the "Bill of Rights" was both to specify individual rights, and to place further restrictions on government in order to maximize personal liberty. The early United States, particularly the Anti-Federalists, were very concerned about the new Federal Government becoming tyrannical (as it is today). The Bill of Rights was designed to minimize or prevent government's natural tendency to abuse personal liberty.

Particularly in recent times, leftists judges have intentionally misinterpreted the intent of many of the Bill of Rights' Amendments in hopes of realizing their own political agendas. For example, the First Amendment reads, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

The first word of the First Amendment is "Congress", but the Amendment's intent has been misinterpreted to suggest that no government, not even State government can have anything whatsoever to do with religion. This is despite both the writings of the Founding Fathers themselves, and over 200 years of history proving the exact opposite was understood. What was intended as freedom OF religion, has become Freedom FROM religion, or more accurately, an official government policy of preferential treatment for atheists. By outlawing religious displays in all but the most private affairs, these Leftist judges have effectively legislated law through intentional misinterpretation, doing the exact opposite of what the founders intended.

The Second Amendment, on the other hand, (The right to keep and bear arms) was designed to both serve as a final check and balance on government, and to preserve the right of the people to overthrow tyrannical government if they deemed it necessary, as stated in the Declaration of Independence:

"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

It is interesting that the intent of the person above is an attempt to show where the people who wrote the constitution did not intend for there to be an "Inseparable wall between church and state [government in all forms]" quoting Thomas Jefferson.

Other quotes that may help you understand, on the specific topic of religion would be:

• "Our Constitution... has not left the religion of its citizens under the power of its public functionaries, were it possible that any of these should consider a conquest over the consciences of men either attainable or applicable to any desirable purpose." --Thomas Jefferson: Reply to New London Methodists, 1809. ME 16:332

• "No religious reading, instruction or exercise, shall be prescribed or practiced in the elementary schools." --Thomas Jefferson: Elementary School Act, 1817. ME 17:425

• "Ministers of the Gospel are excluded [from serving as Visitors of the county Elementary Schools] to avoid jealousy from the other sects, were the public education committed to the ministers of a particular one; and with more reason than in the case of their exclusion from the legislative and executive functions." --Thomas Jefferson: Note to Elementary School Act, 1817. ME 17:419

• "The clergy, by getting themselves established by law and ingrafted into the machine of government, have been a very formidable engine against the civil and religious rights of man." --Thomas Jefferson to Jeremiah Moor, 1800.

• "But a short time elapsed after the death of the great reformer of the Jewish religion, before his principles were departed from by those who professed to be his special servants, and perverted into an engine for enslaving mankind, and aggrandizing their oppressors in Church and State." --Thomas Jefferson to Samuel Kercheval, 1810. ME 12:345

• "I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another." --Thomas Jefferson to Elbridge Gerry, 1799. ME 10:78

• "Believing... that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their Legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church and State." --Thomas Jefferson to Danbury Baptists, 1802. ME 16:281

• "History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes." --Thomas Jefferson to Alexander von Humboldt, 1813. ME 14:21

• "In every country and in every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses in return for protection to his own." --Thomas Jefferson to Horatio G. Spafford, 1814. ME 14:119

• The civil Government, though bereft of everything like an associated hierarchy, possesses the requisite stability, and performs its functions with complete success, whilst the number, the industry, and the morality of the priesthood, and the devotion of the people, have been manifestly increased by the total separation of the church from the State (James Madison, letter to Robert Walsh, Mar. 2, 1819)
• Every new and successful example, therefore, of a perfect separation between the ecclesiastical and civil matters, is of importance; and I have no doubt that every new example will succeed, as every past one has done, in showing that religion and Government will both exist in greater purity the less they are mixed together (James Madison, letter to Edward Livingston, July 10, 1822
• If the Church of England had been the established and general religion and all the northern colonies as it has been among us here and uninterrupted tranquility had prevailed throughout the continent, it is clear to me that slavery and subjection might and would have been gradually insulated among us. Union of religious sentiments begets a surprising confidence and ecclesiastical establishments tend to grate ignorance and corruption all of which facilitate the execution of mischievous projects (James Madison, Letter to William Bradford, Jan. 24, 1774).
• Is the appointment of Chaplains to the two Houses of Congress consistent with the Constitution, and with the pure principle of religious freedom? In the strictness the answer on both points must be in the negative. The Constitution of the U. S. forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion. The law appointing Chaplains establishes a religious worship for the national representatives, to be performed by Ministers of religion, elected by a majority of them; and these are to be paid out of the national taxes. (James Madison, Detached Memoranda, circa 1820)
• Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion - (Treaty of Tripoli, 1796)

The US Constitution means what it meant on the day it was written, and by those who wrote it; not what those things may mean today (US Supreme Court).

Further, the quote by the person above about "states are left to make those determinations" is also untrue; quoting the US Constitution, Article VI (6) Judges in every state (as well as) elected and appointed officials; are controlled by the US Constitution; without including the 14th amendment. You will also note that the people who wrote the constitution, and knew what it meant, mentions any state or government employee (functionary).

The historical documentation by those who wrote the constitution is absolute, and it is best quoted by them - as given by their quotes above; it (the bill of rights) was intended to ensure that people (as that person above) could not violate certain rights; and those "leftist judges" are actually listening to the people who wrote the constitution.

If you would like to learn more, you can read "Constitutional Commentaries" by Justice J. Story; this is considered the defining work upon the meaning of the constitution and the bill of rights.