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Before we begin, it is necessary to review the state of the country. There were two types of people in America: 1 who hated the English king and felt picked on by him, or 2 – the Loyalist, who had a desire to remain an English citizen. Add to this, you need to think about the 13 colonies. Each colony was independent with its own laws and even its own money. There was no unity among the states. Our founding fathers had to work to unite the colonies…that was the only way America could have enough power against the English armyAmendments to the American ConstitutionIntroductionConstitutional amendments are laws - big laws that make big changes. Amendments are laws that were added to the Constitution of the United States after the Constitution was ratified. The writers of the Constitution did not want to make adding an amendment impossible, just very tough. They understood that things change over time, and they wanted the Constitution to be able to carefully change as well, if enough people agreed a change was needed. To do this, they wrote how to add an amendment to the Constitution right into the Constitution, so there would be no confusion about what it would take to add or to take away any right or rights of the states or people of the United States of America. Each amendment in the Bill of Rights took 2 years and 81 days to pass. Adding an amendment to the Constitution is a very big deal.Over 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress since the Constitution was first drafted. Out of the 11,000+ proposals, only 27 amendments have been approved, and the first 10 of those are called the Bill of Rights. The states demanded these ten amendments be added to the Constitution or they would refuse ratifying the document.How are Amendments PassedSo, what does it take to add an amendment? The answer is a great deal of time and discussion, and a whole lot of people agreeing that this is something which simply must be done. In brief, 2/3 of the Senate and Congress must approve the amendment; then it is sent to the states to ratify, and 3/4 of the states must agree to approve it before it can be added to the Constitution. So far, not counting the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments), only 17 additional amendments have made it successfully through this process.Why are the First Ten Called the Bill of Rights?The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution are more commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights. They were introduced to Congress in 1789. The Bill of Rights was not part of the Constitution when it was drafted at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Almost all the delegates believed having a Bill or Rights would be superfluous. The federal government possessed only limited powers delegated to it by the states; no power had been granted to the federal government on the subjects mentioned in the Bill of rights. (Interpretation: the states have more power than the federal government; therefore, no one’s rights would ever be denied on the federal level.)But while the proposed constitution was being considered for ratification by states, a strong anti-Federalist element grew. (Think, anti means against, so this means against the federal government. The federal government was seen to maybe have the same power as the English king.) This group opposed the Constitution believing that a centralized government would crush the rights of states and individuals. The only way many of the states would ratify the constitution was to include a Bill of Rights.So, the Bill of Rights was introduced to the American Congress in 1789. Its purpose was to protect the individuals of the United States. In 1791, each state voted and ratified each bill of right one by one using a three-fourths majority vote of all the states. This was important because it illustrated the way in which the founders had structured the Constitution, making them amendable while allowing sufficient time to be given to the process in order to make the right choices. The amendments took about 2 years and 81 days to pass.The First Ten Amendments: The Bill of Rights.Amendment 1. The right to free speech, religion, press, and assembly. Citizens have the right to voice their opinion and concerns, can participate in any chosen religion, write anything in the press, and assembly together – AS LONG AS THE CHOICES DO NOT BRING HARM TO OTHERS. You cannot knowingly lie; in fact, journalists must double check the facts to be sure what is printed is true.Amendment 2. The right to keep and bear arms. By following laws, any citizen (who meet a certain criteria) may own a gun.Amendment 3. The right to refuse the quartering of soldiers. When America was a territory of England, English soldiers were allowed to commandeer a home – for sleeping and eating – without payment for the use. This amendment says no soldier can demand quarters (not 25 cents, but as in sleeping quarters).But more importantly, if Americans wanted to break away from England, it would mean the enemy could live in your home. Talk about awkward.Amendment 4. The rights of the individual over unreasonable search and seizure. This bill also sets out the requirements of search warrants and probable cause. This amendment, in other words, requires the police to have reasonable cause to search. Sometimes, it is necessary to get a warrant. This is an order signed by a judge who feels the police have good cause to enter the home.Amendment 5. The right to due process. This bill sets out the rules for indictment by a grand jury, as well as eminent domain, the right to due process, and prohibition of self-incrimination and double jeopardy.What does this amendment mean? Let’s break it down. Due process means fair treatment through the judicial system. Citizens are entitled to certain items. A grand jury is a group of people who examine accusations against persons charged with a crime. If the evidence warrants, or is “good enough”, a formal charge or charges are made against the person or persons and they will be arrested and charged. The grand jury – a group of citizens – do NOT determine if the person is guilty or innocent. They just say if the prosecutor has enough evidence. Eminent domain where the state or federal governments have the power to take away private property from one person and give it to another person for public use. So, the government can take your house so a highway can be built where the house is. But the government cannot take it without a valid purpose for the general good. So, the government cannot take your home and give it to president. Self-incrimination means a person cannot be forced to give testimony against someone if the testimony incriminates the person who is giving testimony.Last of all, double jeopardy. If you are tried for a crime and found innocent you are freed. But if the next day the prosecutor finds more evidence to prove you are guilty, you cannot be arrest again. This prevents someone from being tried over and over again. So, if you put it all together, it should make sense how it protects your rights during the court process.Put these all together and you have Amendment 5.Amendment 6. The right to a speedy trial. A speedy means quick; so, if someone is arrested of a crime, then there should be a trial fairly soon. The prosecutor cannot wait for years to try a person. The amendment also means an accused person is told who the accuser is, can confront the accuser, know who the witnesses are and retain counsel.This makes our country very unique. In many countries a person can be arrested and wait for years in prison before having a trial. Imagine waiting years in prison for your trial, only to be found innocent. You are freed but have lost all those years.Amendment 7. The right to trial by jury. The accused has two choices; being judged by a judge or having a jury decide guilt or innocence. It is the choice of the accused.Amendment 8. The prohibition of cruel punishment. Everyone knows that punishment cannot be cruel, but it also applies to excessive fines and bail. The punishment must match the crime.Amendment 9. An individual’s right isn’t limited to only what is stated in the Constitution. In other words, just because certain rights are not mentioned in the Constitution doesn’t mean a person isn’t entitled to that right. Amendment 10 States have rights too. This is an important one. It means that a state’s laws can supersede federal laws. The easiest example here is reflected in the issue of marijuana. States allow the sales of this product, but it is still illegal on the federal level. Lots of conflict here!So…take a look at power point 1 and then come back to read some more. See you soon!Welcome Back!! I hope you enjoyed the earlier presentation. Did you have any questions? Please jot them down and we will discuss them. Let’s move on to the rest of the Amendments. These amendments are NOT part of the Bill of Rights. However, they had to go through the same lengthy process. Amendment 11. This amendment states that a person in one state cannot sue the government of another state. You have to go through federal court. Oh, yes, and a foreigner who does not live within the state borders cannot sue either.Amendment 12. This amendment actually changed the presidential election process. Once upon a time the person who won the presidential election would be the President. What you might not know is that the second place runner became the vice-president. Hmmm, can you imagine Trump as president and Hillary Clinton as the vice-president? Amendment 13. This amendment is also known as the Civil War Amendment. During the Civil War, President Lincoln issued a proclamation in 1863 – the Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation stated that all slaves NOT under Union control were freed! This sounds nice, but in fact, the Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave. It did not free slaves in the border states. It did not free slaves in any Union controlled areas in the South. Nor did any states in the South recognize this proclamation as a law that pertained to them. The Confederate States of America had seceded from the Union and had elected their own president, Jefferson Davis. They ignored the Emancipation Proclamation, as Lincoln knew they would.The Proclamation was not written to free slaves but rather to create unrest among slaves in the South. Once slavery was made an issue in the war, England and France would no longer pump monies into the South to help their cause, as Lincoln predicted. Other countries might wish to see the United States weakened and divided, but Lincoln did not. That proclamation was written to help the North win the Civil War, and it did.Two years later, in Jan of 1865, when it became apparent that the North would win the Civil War, Lincoln put a new proclamation in front of the Senate. This proclamation freed all slaves. After many arguments and debates over States Rights, it was put into law, and added to the U.S. Constitution as the 13th Amendment. That Amendment ended? 246 years of human misery, from the first slave’s arrival in the American colonies in 1619 until the 13th Amendment in 1865. The fight for African-American equality was not over, but this was a huge step!Please remember this: the Civil War was not about slavery. It was that the South was mad that Lincoln won the presidency.Amendment 14. This amendment makes it clear who a citizen of the US is, that a state cannot make a law that denies a citizen his/her rights, and all citizens, whether born here or naturalized, is protected under United States Laws. The 14th Amendment imposed federal control over basic civil rights. Those rights included (1) citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. (2) Any states refusing the vote to any portion of their adult male population would lose seats in Congress. (3) Former Confederate officials were barred from national office.Here’s the background on this Amendment:After the Civil War, and after the 13th Amendment was ratified, which ended slavery forever by law, many Northerners believed that was the end of the problem of civil rights for African-American males. But it wasn't. Throughout the South, states began to pass various Black Codes. These codes did allow African-Americans some rights but limited many others. The Black Codes were laws that said things like African Americans could not hold public office, serve on a jury, testify against a white man in court, bear arms, or assemble except in church. African American children were not allowed to attend white schools, creating segregation. The Codes required special passes for travel. In some southern states, African Americans were limited to jobs only as a domestic or a field hand. Any African American who was unemployed could be arrested and hired out by whomever captured him or her.?By 1868, Lincoln was no longer president. He had been assassinated in his second term of office, a few days after the end of the Civil War. Andrew Johnson took over as president. Andrew Johnson was a Democrat and a Southern supporter. But the Republicans controlled 2/3 of both the House and the Senate. During Andrew Johnson's term, the 14th Amendment was presented to Congress. It imposed federal control over basic civil rights, removing control from the states. Its purpose was to remove the Black Codes. President Andrew Johnson worked against the amendment, which outraged people in the North. Northern newspapers released article after article, calling President Andrew Johnson all kinds of names, and encouraging people to contact their representatives and add their voice to the outcry. President Andrew Johnson lost his the 14th Amendment was finally ratified. But it was only ratified after two things occurred: a requirement for Union to be readmitted to; and the war debt belonging to the South was dissolved.Amendment 15. The right of all 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.?(This does NOT apply to females! You have to wait another 50 years!) Amendment 16. This is an income tax law that can be levied on states.Amendment 17. This amendment changed how we elect Senators. The Constitution states that Senators were to be elected by legislators. Now we elect US Senators through popular vote.Amendment 18. This amendment is known as Prohibition – the sale or manufacture of alcohol is prohibited. In reality, this created a black market for alcohol with bootlegging by various ethnic Mafia groups.Amendment 19. Finally, women can vote.Amendment 20. This amendment defined the date the presidential and vice presential terms begins and ends. It also defines who takes over if the president-elect position becomes vacant and so on.Amendment 21. This made alcohol legal again. It repealed the 8th amendment. But not all places within the United States allow the sale of alcohol. Some counties in Kentucky prohibit the sale of alcohol. These places are called “dry counties”.Amendment 22. Once upon a time, the American Constitution allowed a person to run for president for as long as he or she was voted in office. Yes, we could have a president be president for 3 or 4 terms, as long as he was elected. President Franklin D. Roosevelt defied this Amendment and was president for three terms due to World War II. Now, a person cannot be elected president more than twice. It also states if a person becomes president for only two years of a term (think vice president moving up because the president quits), that person can only run one more time.Amendment 23. This is for the District of Columbia (think Washington “D.C.” and the number of electors the District can have in the Electoral College. That number is a number that is not more than the number in the least populous stateAmendment 24. There used to be a poll tax….pay to vote, if you will. Not everyone had to pay, but groups who were discriminated against certainly had to. This Amendment prohibits the prevention of a person voting because of non-payment of a poll tax…or any other tax for that matter.Amendment 25. Briefly, this Amendment addresses the succession of the presidency and establishes procedures for filling a vacancy in the office of the vice president and responding to presidential disabilities.Amendment 26. This amendment changed the voting age to 18.Amendment 27. If Congress changes their salary, it cannot go into effect until after the next election of representatives. ................
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