The Bill Of Rights: The First Ten Amendments

The United States Constitution was created by our Founding Fathers many years ago. In response to states requesting more constitutional protection for individuals, James Madison created the Bill of Rights. The Bills Of Rights make up the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights puts prohibitions on the power of the government. As a guideline, Madison was influenced by George Mason who was the writer of The Virginia Declaration of Rights. Federalists did not support the need for The Bill of Rights to be added to the Constitution. Anti-Federalist supported Madison in the fact that The Bill of Rights “was necessary to safeguard individual liberty.” Madison made changes that he thought was appropriate. However, Roger …show more content…
Of these ten amendments we will primarily focus on the 6th Amendment. Our Founding Fathers felt that it was important for the United States to have a system for criminal court procedures. The history of people being accused of things and who were punished unfairly during English history left our founding fathers wanting a better system of government for America citizens. The sixth amendment was introduced by James Madison. The amendment was introduced on September 5, 1789, and out of the 12 states, 9 approved on December 15, 1791. The 6th amendment states, "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." The basics to the Sixth Amendment are in regards to criminal prosecutions. If someone is accused of a crime, the amendment protects their right to have a fair and just trial. American citizens all are innocent until proven guilty, and this amendment helps protect our rights. The 6th Amendment provides provisions for a speedy trial, public trial, and …show more content…
There has to be limits placed on how long a person can be contained in jail. There is no set time that a person can be retained, however, is a trail is delayed over a year, it is a violation of the Sixth Amendment, and the accused is acquitted. Defendants have the right to a public trial. However, sometimes the judge can rule for a closed trial if he/she feels that a public trial could affect the defendant having a fair trial. An impartial jury is also an important aspect regarding a fair trial. When a jury is selected, the members must screen by attorneys on both sides to ensure the selection of member is free of bias. The attorneys have to be sure that the jury is a fair representation of a cross section of the community. All defendants’ charged of a crime must be informed of the charges and accusations. The defendants also has the right to confrontation which basically means that the defense has the right to cross examine any witnesses to aid their case. All defendants has the right to an attorney, even though they cannot afford one, the court has to appoint an attorney on their behalf. The attorney appointed by the court is known as a public defender. The defendant also has the right to refuse a public defender and represent themselves. The only way the court can stop the defendant from representing themselves is if the defendant is no mentally

Show More