Bill of Rights

The origins of the Bill of Rights started during the debate over the ratification of the newly-written Constitution. The Federalists, under James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay supported a strong federal government, supporting the views that a powerful central government was necessary to keep a country together. The opposite view, the fear of a central government becoming too powerful, was championed by Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. The Federalists backed up the Constitution because it upheld a strong federal government over state governments while the Anti-Federalists strongly opposed this in favor of states' rights. To encourage ratification, Madison, Hamilton and Jay wrote the Federalist Papers outlining their views on the idea of a strong central government. Eventually, the Federalists won out and the Constitution was ratified, but only after the Federalists provided certain provisions that protected individual freedoms and state sovereignty. The Bill of Rights are collectively the first ten amendments of the Constitution, a reassurance to the state-rightists in the guarantee of individual freedoms, the limit of government power and the reservation of power to the states and public.

As an aside, Madison presented 12 "rights" that were rejected by the convention.

The right for a citizen to have a trial by jury in civil suits for an amounts in excess of $20. The majority of US states have established laws that disallow a trial by jury in many civil cases. The basic fact is no state can enact a law which infringes on or takes away the constitutional right of person. That means that a person has the right if they wish to go through the legal process of challenging a state law that directly relate to the matter. The use of the fourteenth amendment is the way in which the majority of state laws are challenged as being unconstitutional on the grounds of selective incorporation.
The 7th amendment protects your right to have a trial by jury.

The Bill of Rights protects the freedoms of speech, press, and religion. It gives all persons within the United States of America (not just citizens) the right to keep and bear arms, the freedom of assembly, the freedom to petition. It prohibits unreasonable search and seizure, cruel and unusual punishment, and compelled self-incrimination. The Bill of Rights also prohibits Congress from making any law respecting establishment of religion and prohibits the Federal Government from depriving any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.

are given to citizens, not men or women (Gradpoint answer)

The first ten amendments of the Constitution.

There are ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. There are many more than ten rights granted or assumed in the Bill of Rights.

I believe the correct answer is zero because the Biil of Rights did not grant rights. The Bill of Rights protected inherent rights from interference by the government. There is room for discussion that "due process" may be viewed as a granted right.

excessive bail and fines; and also cruel punishment

it was there to excessive bail and fines; and also cruel punishment

The eighth amendment does not allow crueal and unusual punishments such as disemboweling, beheading, and pulling you into four pieces by horses. They did declare the death penalty unconstitutional until 1976, since then 628 inmates have been executed. The most common way to kill is by lethal injection, which takes about 7 minutes to do so.

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

Yes it is. This is especially true with regard to the first amendment. Because without the rights of the first amendment all the other rights are at risk. We can't insure a free society without freedoms of speech, religion, the press, and assembly.

The constitution lacked a bill of rights to protect individual freedoms so antifederalists were afraid their freedom would be taken away.
The Americans wanted their rights protected and they wanted a Bill Of Rights to ensure it was protected

The First Amendment states the following:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of; 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.

Back in the mid 1700s, the Writs of Assistance allowed royal officers to search the homes of citizens, mostly as a way of discovering violations of strict English laws. This practice led to a unique awareness among our Founding Fathers of the threat to individual liberty and privacy that is created by unchecked government search powers. They decided to create an amendment that both gave the goevernment power to search criminals and also prevented the government from repeating English history (which was the point of coming to a new land and forming a new government, wasn't it).

The first amendment of the United States Constitution protects the rights of freedom of religion, press, petition, speech, and the right to peaceably assembly. The Amendment states that it guarantees freedom of religion, of speech, and of the press, and the right to assemble peaceably and to petition the government. It clearly states a person's basic rights to live in the United States of America. One of the major things it does is it prevents the government from controlling the nation and all its information. It goes along to state that the person has freedom to political speech as well. This amendment also separates the government from the church. This amendment is so very important, that without it, our nation would not be the way it is today. If someone were to say one thing bad about the person who runs the country, that person would possibly be arrested and jailed. Trial would not even help because before the amendment was made, trials were very unfair.

unwarranted searches and seizures

The right to a speedy and public trial, the right to an impartial jury of your peers, the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusations against you, the right to be confronted by the witnesses against you, the right to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in your favor, the right to assistance of counsel for your defense.

They are called the Bill of Rights and apply to each American equally. These rights cannot be taken away from a United States citizen, unless while exercising these rights, a person infringes on the rights of another.

the fourth amendment IS still used today, just not as much. nowadays no one can come to your house and search it, of a police man does that, you have the right to keep them out of the house and not allow them to enter.

Yes and it works everyday. If you are able to go to the church you wish ( or not go) it is effective. If you are able to protest something in the government or your are it is effective. If you are able to say what you wish ( except to make a threat against a government offical) it is effective. If you are able to own a gun it is effective. Each of these is protected in the Bill of Rights.

When was the 7th Amendment made? According to my little handbook, "The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America," printed and published by the Cato Institute: "The first ten Amendments (the Bill of Rights) were ratified effective December 15, 1791." Please, please--Find a copy of these documents, preferably with a discussion and clarification by someone with the reputation of the Cato Institute, and read them! I had read all this stuff when I was in school, and when I read them again in this little booklet, it was as if I was reading it for the first time! The explanation and text together is priceless. I had even forgotten the part about government deriving its power from the people to be governed! "....Reason is the foundation of the Founders' vision--the method by which we justify our political order--liberty is its aim. Thus, the cardinal moral truths are these:

that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by the Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just Powers from the Consent of the Governed.

We are all created equal, as defined by our natural rights; thus, no one has rights superior to those of anyone else. Moreover, we are born with those rights, we do not get them from government--indeed, whatever rights or powers government has come from us, from 'the Consent of the Governed.'" There is more to this great quotation! It is priceless, and vital for all Americans to learn this!! Government receives power to govern from the people it governs. We allow the government to have only certain limited powers over us. Anything beyond that becomes tyranny and/or the basis for a dictator to take the reins of government and stick the people with slavery in some form. Please obtain a copy of this valuable little booklet. "Additional copies of this booklet can be purchased for $1 each by calling toll-free 1-800-767-1241 (noon to 9:00 p.m. eastern time). The address I found is:

Cato Institute

1000 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.

Washington, DC 20001

Please read this book, keep it by your side, in your purse or pocket, in your car, by your computer, etc. Buy extra copies and pass them out to your friends and neighbors. It is embarrassing how many citizens of this great country know nothing about the two most important documents that exist in this country!

To Protect the rights that were not specified in the Constitution. In my opinion it also was a compromise for the Anti-Federalists, since this was main reason for not ratifying the Constitution.

It could be if each bill of right was taken separately and approved by the senate, congress, president and then approved by 60 percent of the states I believe. Long tough process... Those who believe their guns will be taken away think again.