Bill of Rights (United States)

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The United States Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution . In the context of a free and democratic society - based on the values ​​of the Enlightenment - these guarantee the inhabitants certain inalienable fundamental rights . The Bill of Rights was passed by the American Congress on September 25, 1789 and ratified by 11 states. This process was completed on December 15, 1791.

The special meaning of the Bill of Rights arises from the connection with the principle of constitutional jurisdiction , that is, the rights are enforceable by any person in any federal or state court, in the last instance before the Supreme Court , including the state Legislator who did not act in accordance with the constitution.

In Anglo-Saxon law, the term bill actually means a proposal that is dealt with in the legislative process. Since the famous English Bill of Rights , an effective “law of rights” has been called this. The original copy of the Bill of Rights is on display in the US National Archives .

Copies of the Bill of Rights

George Washington had 14 handwritten copies of the Bill of Rights made, one for Congress and one for each of the original 13 founding states .

  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Georgia
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • new York
  • North Carolina
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South carolina
  • Virginia

Some copies of the Bill of Rights, namely those for the states of Georgia, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania, were temporarily or have been lost. Two of the four missing copies, likely those from Georgia and Maryland, were recovered. One is in the United States National Archives in Washington, DC , and the other is on display in the New York Public Library . The New York copy of the Bill of Rights was probably destroyed in a fire in 1911, the whereabouts of the copy for Pennsylvania is uncertain as it disappeared in the late 18th century.

The North Carolina copy was stolen by an unknown Union soldier from Ohio during the Civil War in April 1865 and resold for five dollars. In 2003 the document was undercover until it was brought back to North Carolina by FBI Special Agent Robert King Wittman in 2005 after 140 years .

Because of the lack of knowledge of the Constitution, which was found in several polls among many US citizens, it was decided in 1989 that the Bill of Rights should be transported to an exhibition across the United States. Also, since 1991 celebrated the bicentenary of the Bill of Rights, the Virginia State Library made its copy of the Bill of Rights available for this so-called Bill of Rights Tour .

List of amendments to the Bill of Rights

No. year Summary
1. 1791 Separation of church and state , freedom of religion , freedom of expression , freedom of the press , freedom of assembly and the right to petition
2. State right to own local militias and the right of the people to own and carry weapons
3. No billeting of soldiers in private buildings in peacetime without the consent of the owner, or in wartime only in accordance with the law
4th Protection of person, home, papers and property from arbitrary search, arrest and seizure; Search, seizure and arrest requirements
5. in criminal proceedings, indictments by major juries with the exception of members of the armed forces and the National Guard; no re-trial after acquittal or lawful conviction in relation to the same offense and prohibition of repeated punishment for the same crime; Right to refuse to testify ; no deprivation of life, liberty, or property without first due due process under the laws of the United States; no expropriation without compensation
6th Right to a speedy and public trial before a jury in criminal proceedings; Right to information about the nature and reasons of the complaint; Right of the accused to be confronted with incriminating witnesses; Right to consult witnesses for the defense; Right to a lawyer
7th Right to jury in civil proceedings; Prohibition for federal and US state courts from re-examining facts found by jury courts at a later date
8th. Prohibition of excessive deposits and fines as well as cruel and unusual penalties
9. no denial or restriction of rights of the people not listed in the constitution
10. all power that is constitutionally not given to the federal government or not withdrawn from the states rests either with the states or with the citizens.

literature

  • Richard Labunski: James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights. Oxford University Press, New York 2006, ISBN 978-0-1951-8105-0 .

Web links

Commons : Bill of Rights (United States)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/25388 , accessed July 31, 2013
  2. ↑ a b c The US Marshals Service Takes Possession of North Carolina's Copy of the Bill of Rights . United States Marshals Service. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Frieden, Terry: FBI recovers original copy of Bill of Rights , CNN. March 19, 2003. Retrieved April 25, 2008. 
  4. ^ Bill of Rights . The State of Delaware. Archived from the original on October 2, 2008. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 25, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / archives.delaware.gov
  5. ^ The Bill of Rights signed by Thomas Jefferson (1791) . Maryland State Archives. December 9, 2004. Retrieved April 25, 2008. {Note: this is a printed copy-see note 43}
  6. ^ Documentary treasures: Bill of Rights . State of New Jersey. 2003-2004. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  7. ^ The New York Ratification of the Bill of Rights . US National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 25, 2008.
  8. ^ A b Background on the Bill of Rights and the New York Ratification of the Bill of Rights . US National Archives and Records Administration. 2007. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
  9. ^ A b c Bill of Rights Returns Home . North Carolina Office of Archives and History. 2005. Archived from the original on August 15, 2008. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 25, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us
  10. ^ Bill of Rights . The Library of Virginia. Archived from the original on September 19, 2008. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved August 7, 2008. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.lva.lib.va.us
  11. ^ Primary Documents in American History: The Bill of Rights . The Library of Congress. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  12. ^ "History of the Bill of Rights" However The Maryland Archives report that Unknown National Archives copy {pictured above in Wikipedia article is the Maryland Copy}
  13. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated December 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www2.unca.edu
  14. ↑ http://www.allbusiness.com/professional-scientific/scientific-research-development/269189-1.html  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.allbusiness.com  
  15. ^ Revolutionary War and Beyond: The First Ten Amendments or The Bill of Rights. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  16. ^ Revolutionary War and Beyond: The 7th Amendment. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  17. ^ Ian Ayres: Pregnant with Embarrassments: An Incomplete Theory of the Seventh Amendment. 1991. p. 387. Retrieved July 29, 2011.