In modern-day, the Founding Fathers' interpretations of freedoms are viewed as restrictive because they only applied their ideals to white land-owning men. However, these ideals were progressive for their time. The colonists gained a sense of individualism while Britain was busy at war, which later helped form their four truths. The first two ideals were that all men are equal and god gave them the right to life, liberty, and property. The last ideals claimed that it is the government's job to protect those rights through the consent of the people, and the people secured the right to change the government if they violated said rights. These concepts were then incorporated throughout the Constitution and Bill of Rights to establish a new form …show more content…
This is not to say the colonies did not levy taxes. The colonists were angry because the taxes from Britain were administered without their consent. The Declaration of Independence claims “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.” The colonists viewed actions such as taxation without representation to be tyrannical. The forced taxation infringed upon the colonist’s right to property. This translated into the establishment of the House of Representatives and direct election within the Constitution. Article I Section 2 of the Constitution states “The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States.” This section created the branch of legislature known as the House of Representatives. It was decided that they were to be re-elected every 2 years through direct elections. This means that the people have the power to change the government every couple of years, and that remains …show more content…
The First Amendment protects the ideals that all men are created equal and people reserve the right to change the government. This is because it does not allow the government to make laws “...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” or those that prohibit freedom of religion. This Amendment is important because it creates a basis for modern-day equality. Although originally the freedoms were interpreted differently, this amendment allows a diverse nation such as ours to function. Similarly, Amendments four through eight protect those who have been accused of a crime in order to preserve their rights to the four truths. These Amendments prevent unwarranted search and seizures, self-incrimination, excessive bail or punishment, and give a person the right to a speedy trial and jury. For instance, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated.” This connects back to the treatment the colonists received from the British before the American revolution which led to the creation of these amendments. Amendments four through eight continue to protect Americans from wrongful imprisonment and seizure to this
In the point of view of the British, or parliament, they felt they could tax the colonists how they deemed fit since they were protecting them because they had soldiers staying or quartering in the colonies. However, the colonists felt as though they should be treated as equally as the citizens living in England which was not the
According to Benjamin Franklin, “Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” In relation to this, many of the colonists believed that the natural freedom that belonged to them under God, was stripped away from them under British rule. Years after years of unfair actions opposed upon the colonists by the British eventually led the colonists to take action against them in an attempt to gain freedom and independence. After the French and Indian war, Britain was left in debt and looked to the colonists for revenue. They exercised certain acts such as the Sugar Act 1764, Stamp Act 1765, and Townshend Revenue Acts of 1767, that unfairly taxed and restricted the colonists.
For this reason, a new form of power and governance was taken into place. The constitution focused on giving equal power to congress and the people. The Bill of Rights was established for the people, congress was divided into
I believe the British had the right to tax the American colonies because they were British territories, received protection from the British Army, and the people who lived there were considered British subjects. While the colonists were unrepresented in Parliament, the laws of Great Britain were clear that the taxation of the American Colonies was completely legal and well warranted. Up until the 1760’s the colonist had enjoyed tax-free living. However, in Great Britain the subjects there were under heavy tax burdens because of the ongoing Seven Years’ War in North America. To cover the cost of the war and the army in the Colonies, the British Parliament passed tax acts on the colonies.
When creating the American constitution, the cold days of England's terror lived in the minds of the Founding Fathers. Disputes between Federalist and Anti-Federalists over an addition of a Bill of Rights stalled the ratification of the Constitution; however, Jefferson argued that a Bill of Rights embodied American concepts such as freedom and individualism, and was necessary to protect individual rights. As a result, the addition of a Bill of Rights the freedoms promised in Jefferson's Declaration of Independence came together to create the First Amendment: freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of religion, and the right to assembly and petition. Hence, the beginning of a slippery slope for American discourse began. America is a revolutionary
The third amendment protects us from housing soldiers during war or peace. Unless you allow them to go into your home. The fourth amendment protects us from unreasonable searches and seizures. The government must have probable cause cause or a good reason to search you.
The colonists got angry by this and started rebelling because they did not want to quarter the soldiers and have to do everything for them. However Britain also had power over America by being able to tax them whenever they wanted and however they wanted. George Grenville, Member of Parliament (January 14, 1766) said "The supreme legislative power over America, is granted. It cannot be denied; and taxation is a part of that sovereign power" (Doc 4). Since Britain was able to tax the colonists to make money for the French and Indian war the colonists started rebelling because they did not want to be taxed for items that they used everyday.
In the United States Constitution, the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments from the U.S. Bill of Rights, deal specifically with the rights of criminal defendants. The Fourth Amendment provided the criminal suspects protection from police officers and prosecutors for unreasonable searches and seizures. The Fifth Amendment guarantees a trial by jury, due process of law, and guards against double jeopardy and self-incrimination. The Sixth Amendment provided rights to accused persons and right to a speedy and public trial. The Eighth Amendment protects criminals from punishments.
The eighth amendment shows how to limit the power of the government by having no harsh punishments and excessive bails. The amendment explains, “Excessive bail shall not be required… nor cruel and unusual punishments.” This shows that limiting the government gave people to not have punishments or bails that are excessive. This was added by the Anti federalists because it protects people’s freedoms but also limits the power of government unlike Great Britain when they controlled. The second amendment shows how people have the right to carry and bear arms at any time.
For example, say that someone in North Korea was to speak negatively about the North Korean government. The government would have no trouble or any setbacks in searching through the persons house without a warrant. Compared to this, the authorities of the United States require for warrants to search through a suspect’s house and only if the reason for doing this is logical. Amendments five and six serve for those that are convicted of crimes. People cannot be convicted for the same crime twice and must be treated to an equal trial.
When in the course of life events, it becomes necessary for optimistic people, to terminate relations with the wrong people such as pessimists, and become independent from them, they must clarify why they shall be independent of the pessimistic world. This requires us, optimistic people, to compose our very own individual Declaration of Independence for the gloomy people to realize and figure out why we shall be and will be independent and more spirited without them. I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all confident, cheerful, basically the optimistic people are created equal, and by the will of the Creator we received our rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In order to reach these rights such as our good spirit (happiness), these negative people need to stop or fade from our lives. However, when these pessimistic people continue with their negative comments it brings us, humans, down, it just demonstrates how they wish to get everyone else to believe the worst will happen, which just ruins the lives.
Most people may not know what America’s five founding ideals are. For those who don’t know they are, Liberty, Opportunity, Democracy, Rights, and Equality. The original colonists worked hard to give us these ideals. A lot of the time the people who live in the USA take it for granted. They don’t think about how the colonists worked to get us these rights.
The Importance of the 1st Amendment In 1787 our founding fathers assembled the constitution of the United States of America. Of this which contains the most important document to the American citizen, the Bill of rights. The first Amendment states: “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” These freedoms granted by the Bill of Rights are often known as freedom of expression. These rights are most important to a truly free society. The first amendment provides us with new ideas and dismisses the fear of punishment
For the rest of the colonists, they believed they had natural rights: rights they were born with. The three main natural rights thought to have were life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness; these were included in the Declaration of Independence. Personal rights were very important to the colonists and they were determined to display how they felt to the government. Overall, this period of time brought dramatic changes to the way of living. All of these changes were necessary for our country to function in the needs of both the government and the
The Declaration of Independence encompasses several major philosophical arguments that serve as the foundation for the American Revolution and the establishment of the United States. These arguments include the idea of natural rights, social contract theory, the right to revolution, and the role of government. One of the central philosophical arguments in the Declaration is the concept of natural rights. It asserts that all individuals possess inherent and unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The document argues that these rights are not granted by any government or authority but are derived from nature or a higher power.