US Bill of Rights

US Bill of Rights

US Bill of Rights (summarized), first 10 amendments to the US Constitution (ratified 1789)

-1st Protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press, as well as the right to
assemble and petition the government 

-2nd Protects a militia's and an individual's right to bear arms

-3rd Prohibits the forced quartering of soldiers during peacetime

-4th Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based

on probable cause

-5th Sets out rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process,

and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy
 
-6th Protects the right to a fair and speedy public trial by jury, including the rights to be notified of the accusations, to confront the accuser, to obtain witnesses and to retain counsel

-7th Provides for the right to trial by jury in certain civil cases, according to common law

-8th Prohibits excessive fines and excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment

-9th Protects rights not enumerated in the constitution

-10th Limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution

Additional Amendments:

-13th Amendment: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof

the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to

their jurisdiction. (1865)

-14th Amendment: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." (1868)