The Bill of Rights: An Overview Argumentative Essay by Champ

The Bill of Rights: An Overview
This paper discusses The Bill of Rights as an absolute guarantee of civil liberties for US citizens- with some important exceptions.
# 99119 | 952 words | 4 sources | MLA | 2007 | US
Published on Oct 30, 2007 in Law (Civil) , Political Science (Political Theory) , Sociology (Theory) , English (Argument)


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Description:

In this article, the writer points out that most Americans know of the Bill of Rights, but they do not know what the individual amendments provide and how they affect them personally. The writer notes that perhaps a majority of Americans today know about the First, Second and Fifth Amendments because of the well publicized basic protections afforded for free speech by the First Amendment, and the constant headlines concerning gun control issues and the Second Amendment. The writer discusses the importance these fundamental liberties hold for citizens and looks at how they came about in the first place. The writer concludes that it is important for everyone to know what protections are afforded them by the Bill of Rights to ensure that their rights are not being stepped on by overly zealous and officious school authorities who seek to sacrifice individual liberty for collective security.

From the Paper:

"Prior to the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment in 1868 (which contains the due process and equal protection clauses, among others), though, the Bill of Rights did not outweigh individual state laws, but the civil liberty guarantees of the Bill of Rights now supposed to apply across the board for all American citizens. While the First Amendment is therefore supposed to apply equally to minors, the fact remains that under the status quo, students are "less equal" than their adult counterparts. For example, the freedom of speech protections that are provided by the First Amendment apply to schools and a number of recent censorship cases have involved school newspapers or school libraries. As Kaminer points out, though, students occupy a unique niche in American society when it comes to the First Amendment .. "

Sample of Sources Used:

  • Kaminer, W. (1999, December 20). The War on high schools. The American Prospect, 11(3), 11.
  • Morgan, R. J. (1988). James Madison on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. New York: Greenwood Press.
  • Paulsen, L. (2002). A guide to America's Bill of Rights. Constitutional Commentary, 19(2), 291.
  • Smolla, R. A. (1999). The constitutionality of mandatory public school community service programs. Law and Contemporary Problems, 62(4), 113.

Cite this Argumentative Essay:

APA Format

The Bill of Rights: An Overview (2007, October 30) Retrieved May 28, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/argumentative-essay/the-bill-of-rights-an-overview-99119/

MLA Format

"The Bill of Rights: An Overview" 30 October 2007. Web. 28 May. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/argumentative-essay/the-bill-of-rights-an-overview-99119/>

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