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The U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights

 
 
Reply Sun 18 Dec, 2005 11:30 am
Since there are many on this site whom have obviously never read the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, I have provided links and copies here. The US Constitution overrides the Bible where the law and Citizenship is concerned. So read up, and then go back and argue your points after you've learned something new.

The US Constitution:
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Click here for the complete document


THE BILL OF RIGHTS
Amendments 1-10 of the Constitution

The Conventions of a number of the States having, at the time of adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added, and as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution;

Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two-thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States; all or any of which articles, when ratified by three-fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the said Constitution, namely:


Amendment I
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.


Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.


Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.


Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.


Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.


Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.


Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.


Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.


Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.


Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
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Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Sun 18 Dec, 2005 11:33 am
Good work, RR . . . you might bump it from time to time so that it will stay on people's list of threads . . .
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Asherman
 
  1  
Reply Sun 18 Dec, 2005 01:45 pm
I bought my copy of the Constitution while an undergraduate and used it a lot. During Law School it really got a workout. It sat on my desktop throughout my government service. The thin little book got so much use over the years that today it has fallen apart. The covers have separated and the back is broken from being propt open while researching one thing or another. The books basic weakness, other than its inability to withstand constant use, was that it didn't include the Fderalist Papers, some of the key Supreme Court decisions, and an adequate gloss of Constitutional history.

A couple years ago my wife bought me a new copy of the Constitution, but I still use my worn old copy. Ah, sentiment.
0 Replies
 
Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Sun 18 Dec, 2005 07:46 pm
Ash, i had a similar situation to yours, and had reached the point at which i relied upon a copy of the constitution which i had photocopied from the textbook of a highschool kid who used to work for me.

However, i now rely upon the Library of Congress' online resource, "Thomas." (Yes, its a perpetuation of the digusting hagiography of Jefferson, but i manage to ignore it.)

http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdoxmainpg.html

From that link, you can access a text of the constitution with commentary and links to thumbnails bios of the framers, and the same for the declaration of independence and the bill of rights. It has made my life considerably simpler.

Edit: Click on that link, then in the address bar at the top of the page, copy the link and put it in a "Notepad" document (if you use the Windows OS), and you can keep that on your desktop to go to that link whenever you like.
0 Replies
 
roverroad
 
  1  
Reply Sun 18 Dec, 2005 07:56 pm
Ironically, the constitution can now be delivered instantly to any Citizen or non-citizen that has access to the internet. So why are there more people than ever before that are ignorant of it's contents? I don't know who to blame!
0 Replies
 
Letty
 
  1  
Reply Sun 18 Dec, 2005 08:03 pm
hagiography--that's a book mark.
0 Replies
 
fishin
 
  1  
Reply Sun 18 Dec, 2005 08:10 pm
roverroad wrote:
Ironically, the constitution can now be delivered instantly to any Citizen or non-citizen that has access to the internet. So why are there more people than ever before that are ignorant of it's contents? I don't know who to blame!


Probably for a few reasons. I don't think as much time is spent teaching it's content in the school systems as there used to be and to many people are lazy and rely on snippets in the news that refer to "Constitutional rights". Instead of reading the document and the major court decisions based on it, they get the highly editorialized news blurbs which are almost always incomplete or, in a few cases, flat-out wrong.

btw, I usually use The Founder's Constitution which has a lot of footnotes and historical background info. It only covers the basic document and the Bill of Rights though.
0 Replies
 
Letty
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Dec, 2005 04:57 am
I am also interested in the amendments to the U.S. Constitution beyond the Bill of Rights.

Very few Americans knew nor understood about the last one:

AMENDMENT XXVII
Originally proposed Sept. 25, 1789. Ratified May 7, 1992.

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.

Exactly what does this mean to the average citizen?
0 Replies
 
Joe Nation
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Dec, 2005 05:22 am
Letty wrote:
I am also interested in the amendments to the U.S. Constitution beyond the Bill of Rights.

Very few Americans knew nor understood about the last one:

AMENDMENT XXVII
Originally proposed Sept. 25, 1789. Ratified May 7, 1992.

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.

Exactly what does this mean to the average citizen?


Senator Pompous responds:
It means, my little darling, that we don't get our pay raises until we get ourselves re-elected, which, with the help of folks like Tom Delay, is a done-deal.

Joe(gerrymander all them Dems out)Nation
0 Replies
 
Letty
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Dec, 2005 05:28 am
It does, Joe Gerry? Well, that's another evaluation. Thanks, oh, pompous one. Razz
0 Replies
 
roverroad
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Dec, 2005 05:36 am
Why didn't they word it that way? I read it several times and I still couldn't figure it out.

Do these more recent additions to the constitution still require a 2/3rd majority vote in order to be changed? Or does it depend on the amendment?
0 Replies
 
Letty
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Dec, 2005 05:42 am
roverroad, that's the point that I was trying to make about our Constitution. It does have to do with COLA'S for congress. (damn, that sounds like an official soft drink. <smile>) but who among us, would understand what it meant?
0 Replies
 
Setanta
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Dec, 2005 08:22 am
Congress has been dancing and singing vigorously since that amendment was ratified. In the past, they had avoided COLAs (cost of living adjustment, for the acronymically challenged) because it limited the amount by which they could increase their salaries. Now, however, the COLA is one of an array of legislative tricks they use to get around this requirement. They will likely get away with it, too, unless and until some one sues in the public interest.
0 Replies
 
fishin
 
  1  
Reply Mon 19 Dec, 2005 08:26 am
roverroad wrote:
Do these more recent additions to the constitution still require a 2/3rd majority vote in order to be changed? Or does it depend on the amendment?


The procedure is the same for each and every Amendment and it's outlined in Article 5 of the basic document:

"The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of it's equal Suffrage in the Senate."
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