5 of the 27 amendments

I'd keep the 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, and 10th (If there still were a federal government.) Basically, which of the five amendments are the most important to you? Why?[/QUOTE]

Why did you make these choices?

I would pick the 1st, 4th, 6th, 15th, 17th

If you can only keep five, and the others are all out the door, you are screwed. For example, both people who have posted before me (which includes you) failed to pick the 13th amendment. You are now both slaves. And you both failed to pick the 8th, so when you accidentally commit some minor offense, there will be cruel and unusual punishment, like having all of your skin peeled off slowly for jaywalking. And without the 5th, you can be "deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law". Have a nice day!

If I had to pick only 5, from a quick look, I would select the 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 13th. But it would be bad to give up some of the others. I would really like to keep the 4th as well.

I assume that since the aliens are only letting us keep 5 that their rule is not so "American" so I think I'd retain the 2nd, the second, #2, the amendment after the first, and the one before the third.

If things were such that aliens were dictating how many amendments we could keep, your gun would only be good for one thing: Committing suicide. Aliens powerful enough to come here and take over so thoroughly would not be stopped by any gun you can get.

I guess I would keep the 1st, 2nd, 6th(as long as trials are fair), 15th(this covers slavery), 19th

I should probably really lose the 2nd and add the 8th or 7th but I wont.

didn't say we couldn't bare the arm that the aliens used to conquer us

15th Amendment:

[INDENT][INDENT]Amendment XV

(Ratified February 3, 1870)
Section 1
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
[/INDENT][/INDENT]

There is nothing in that to prohibit slavery. It just lets you vote.

oh, well then drop the 15th and add the 13th....in which case I probably ought to drop the 2nd for the 15th but alas I will not

I'm short on time, so i'll be brief.
I choose 1, 8, 10, 13, and 22.
1. Who would want to lose any of those rights?
8. In case these 'aliens' are malevolent.
10. If they had too much power, the constitution would be no good.
13. If we are being oppressed, it would at least be more decent if we were not slaves.
22. So an immortal alien dictator can't rule forever. Be it someone better or worse the next time around, there is at least some hope that the next leader will improve things.

Three dog,

I kept the 4th in case we were to ever start a revolution against the aliens. We could hide guns, bombs, tanks, (etc..). Also so we could have privacy, and continue our culture and beliefs on our own prperty, with no interuption from the aliens.

The 1st we all know why. Without this, we've no say at all.

With the 7th, it goes to say that humans would run most of the jury. Since we are the largest of population, assumably, over the aliens, we could keep some justice for ourselves.

Without the 10th, the other 4 that we pick won't matter.

The 6th to keep justice amongst humans and aliens.

I would choose the 1st, 4th, 5th, 9th, and 14th amendments.

1st amendment - I think this is a pretty standard element of the bill of rights (first ten amendments)that needs to be explicitly stated. You are entitled to religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. It is also one of the most developed and widely interpreted of the bill of rights, so that being the case, the necessity dictates the incorporation.

4th amendment - The provision against unlawful search and seizures. If anything, this is an affirmation of the rights to possession and even ownership. It also presupposes our legal framework following in the 5th amendment.

5th amendment - Right to trial by grand jury (of peers), double jeopardy, self incrimination, and due process. I think most everyone would agree the importance of a legal framework and the presumption of due process. You could not have the seventh amendment (oddly popular on this thread) without the 5th amendment in place to stabilize and further legitimize it.

9th amendment - Basically, this amendment asserts, or more specifically limits congress to a set state of enumerated powers (those laid down in the constitution and not implied in the result of a given absence). In the actual constitution, there is a "necessary and proper clause" which in some respects could give congress the right to basically trample on the rights of the people. So think of this is some respects as an amendment to affirm the fact that amendments are amendments. Incidentally, this amendment is also a two-for-one (a twofur?), because it necessarily implies the tenth amendment wherein powers are reserved to the states or the people not otherwise attributed to the federal government.

14th amendment - This amendment pertain to citizen ship, privileges and immunities, due process, and equal protection under the law. This is honestly one of the biggest and most historically developed laws in the history of the United States of America? reaching far back into colonial jurisprudence. Who is qualified to be a citizen (slavery), what rights should those citizens have (state action), who has more equal rights than others (separate but equal issues), etc.? Huge issues in American history surrounding this amendment? which was carefully left optional at the forming of the constitution and widely interpreted even today. This is also arguably a twofur, since its section two on appointment was superseded by the 26th amendment.

We really only need the First Amendment. The Supreme Court can then give it such an expansive interpretation that it secures all of the rights guaranteed by the other amendments.