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Civil
Rights are the rights and privileges to which we are entitled
under the laws that govern our nation. After the American Constitution
was adopted, some states were concerned that it didn't spell out
specific rights to which the new nation's citizens would be entitled.
James Madison didn't think a Bill of Rights was necessary, but
to keep the states from demanding another Constitutional Convention,
he suggested including a bill of rights to amend the Constitution.
He helped draft ten Amendments that would come to be known as
the Bill of Rights. On December 15, 1791 these Amendments were
ratified by three quarters of the states.
In
1941, to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the ratification
of the Bill of Rights, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed
December 15 should be observed as Bill of Rights Day, with appropriate
ceremonies to celebrate the civil rights guaranteed to all citizens
by the Bill of Rights.
The
Bill of Rights addresses: 1) Freedom of assembly, press, religion
and speech, 2) Right to keep and bear arms 3) Rights regarding
the housing of soldiers 4) Regulation against unreasonable search
and seizure 5) The right to due process and protection against
self incrimination 6) Right of trial by jury with public defense
if needed 7) right of jury trial in common law 8) Protection against
excessive bail, and unusual punishment 9) Nothing in the Constitution
can deny the rights of others 10) Granting power to states or
to the people for issues not covered in the Constitution.
Bill
of Rights Day is an opportunity to honor those who worked to help
create an America where all Americans' civil rights are protected
and to stand up for the continuing protection of our civil rights
guaranteed in the Constitution.
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HEROPIX
for a Better World
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A.
Philip Randolph
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Wendell Wilkie |
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