What do the first 10 amendments protect?
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution. It spells out Americans’ rights in relation to their government. It guarantees civil rights and liberties to the individual—like freedom of speech, press, and religion.
What are the 10 amendments and what do they protect?
John Smith is found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death. As his attorney, you decide to challenge the constitutionality of the death penalty based on the guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment found in the…
How has the 10th amendment been used?
From the death of Marshall until the 1930s and particularly since the mid-1980s, however, the Supreme Court has often used the Tenth Amendment to limit the authority of the federal government, particularly with regard to regulating commerce and with regard to taxation, but has generally stood firm on the supremacy of …
What are the rights mentioned in the First Amendment?
They include free speech, press, religion, petition, and assembly. These rights are fiercely protected but also not without limitation. The First Amendment says that people have the right to speak freely without government interference.
What are some of the rights protected in the Bill of Rights?
A Brief Summary of the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment protects freedom of religion and freedom of speech and of the press. It also protects the right of peaceful assembly and to petition the government.
How is the Tenth Amendment related to the Bill of Rights?
The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not given to the federal government, or prohibited to the states by the Constitution, to the states or to the people. 2. The rights contained in the Bill of Rights were originally construed to apply only against the federal government and not against state or local governments.
Why was there no protection for individual rights in the Constitution?
The original text of the Constitution contained very few provisions protecting individual rights. This probably occurred for two reasons. First, some of the framers believed that they had created a central government with limited powers that would not have the authority to violate individual rights.