Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Monday, March 27
    Trending
    • This Day in History on March 27th
    • This Day in History on March 26th
    • This Day in History on March 25th
    • This Day in History on March 24th
    • History Short: Has Any US President Ever Been Arrested?
    • This Day in History on March 23rd
    • R.I.P. Lance Reddick (1962-2023)
    • This Day in History on March 22nd
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»October»October 2»October 2, 1789: What Really is The Bill of Rights?
    October 2

    October 2, 1789: What Really is The Bill of Rights?

    Major DanBy Major DanOctober 2, 2016Updated:June 1, 202023 Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On October 2, 1789, President George Washington sent to the States for ratification a list of Amendments to the Constitution, a list we now refer to as “The Bill of Rights.”

    Digging Deeper

    These first 10 Amendments to the US Constitution would eventually be followed by 27 more Amendments that have been ratified by the States, giving us a total of 37 such Amendments. There are an additional 6 proposed Amendments that have not been ratified by the States, of which 4 are still “open.”

    United States Bill of Rights

    Amendments to the Constitution are authorized by Article 5 of the Constitution, requiring 2/3 of each house of congress (Senate and House of Representatives) to pass the Amendment and 2/3 of the States (currently 34) to enact the change.

    How often have you heard someone sputter, “I know my rights!” Well, do you? There is more to this than merely making demands when you are arrested. Below is a brief synopsis of the Bill of Rights, without all the legalese and convoluted interpretation you find when these are discussed in court or in the media. Consider this list the “For Regular Guys” version.

    1. Freedom of Religion, Speech, the Press, and Assembly, and the right to petition the Government for grievances.
    2. Right to Keep and Bear Arms. (The Founding Fathers in the Federalist Papers and elsewhere explained that this meant individuals having military type arms, not only the “militia” and not guns just for hunting and target shooting.)
    3. No quartering soldiers in private homes in time of peace, and in time of war only by law.
    4. Warrant-less searches without Probable Cause.
    5. Guaranteed Due Process before one can be jailed, including indictment, prohibiting double jeopardy, and you cannot be compelled to testify against yourself (in criminal cases), including due process and compensation for the seizure of property and is the basis for “Miranda Warnings.”
    6. Right to a Speedy Trial by an Impartial Jury of one’s peers, and the right to confront witnesses. Also, the right to have an attorney.
    7. Guarantees a jury trial in lawsuits of a value over $20, jury minimum of 6 members.
    8. No excessive bail, no Cruel or Unusual Punishments.
    9. These various rights enumerated will not supersede other rights retained by the people. (This right is the basis for not denying the right to contraception or abortion.)
    10. Powers not delegated to the Federal Government by the Constitution or those not prohibited to the States shall be reserved by the States or people. (Basically it means unless the constitution says otherwise, the States and local governments will pick up control of various subjects.)

    Now if you think you know your rights, I would suggest reading the actual wording of each of these and various legal rulings concerning the various topics, as such rulings can be highly contentious and convoluted. Hopefully our article will help your understanding, but please do not rely on it as “gospel.”  Question for students (and subscribers): What amendments would you like to see to our Constitution?  Please let us know in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Baxter, Roberta.  The Bill of Rights (Documenting U.S. History).  Heinemann, 2014.

    Hallaq, Mark and U.S. Government.  U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, Amendments, Federalist Papers and More: Annotated Version – English Edition.  2014.

    Ostler, Duane L.  The Ninth Amendment: Key to Understanding the Bill of Rights.  CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleOctober 1, 1957: The US Did Not Always “Trust in God”
    Next Article October 3, 1993: Battle of Mogadishu, the Real Black Hawk Down
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    History Short: Has Any US President Ever Been Arrested?

    March 24, 2023

    History Short: Is Nuclear Power Safe?

    March 12, 2023

    History Short: Fairytale Marriages that did Not Last

    March 9, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on March 27th

    March 27, 2023

    This Day in History on March 26th

    March 26, 2023

    This Day in History on March 25th

    March 25, 2023

    This Day in History on March 24th

    March 24, 2023

    History Short: Has Any US President Ever Been Arrested?

    March 24, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2023 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.