Individual Rights
Dream Team
Excerpt From the Constitution
Our individual Rights are listed by the bill of rights. When the constitution was created anti-federalists were scared because they thought it had too much power. They didn't want an absolute monarchy. So the federalists and anti-federalists decided to compromise and create the bill of rights. They list our rights like the right to bear arms or speak freely. This way the people were free and also the government had some part of the power.
We have rights and they are:
1- Freedom of speech religion etc...
2- Right to bear arms
3- No soldier can be quartered in a persons home
4- Police need a warrant to proceed with a search
5- You cant be charged for a crime just because someone wants you in trouble
6- You get a speedy and public trial
7- You have the right to have a jury trial
8- Excessive bail is not allowed
9- They cant take away our rights
10- Powers not listed are reserved to the people or states
Tie of Influence
Thomas Jefferson was also a strong believer in individual rights. He went off of John Locke’s idea of “life, liberty, and property” but changed it to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
On September 12, 1787, shortly after the finishing touches had been put on the new United States Constitution, George Mason, a delegate from Virginia, pointed out a serious omission, the absence of a bill of rights. He felt a bill of rights would appease the people who feared a too-powerful central government, and that one could be drafted in a few hours based on various state constitutions, the most notable being his own Virginia Declaration of Rights. His motion was not seconded and the Constitution went forth without a bill of rights. It didn't take long for delegates to realize they had made a political blunder by not including a Bill of Rights.
These men wanted the people to have their individual rights. And later it became the bill of rights.The bill of right are a list of our individual rights that the government cant take away.
http://fee.org/the_freeman/detail/john-locke-natural-rights-to-life-liberty-and-property
Some of the Men/Things That Are Influential
Purpose of the Priciple
Rights are powers and privileges to which one has a just claim. The individual is the basic unit of society, and since the time of ancient republics individuals have been understood to have certain rights.
Philosophers like John Locke theorized that natural rights come from nature or from God, and are not “granted” by government. Individual rights include life, liberty, and property. The Founders believed that individual natural rights include freedom of speech, religion, and press, as well as freedom from unreasonable searches Individual rights also encompass political, economic and civil rights. These include the right to assemble freely, to petition government, to own and use property, and to vote. All compact theories are based on the idea that individuals willingly trade some of their natural freedom, including the absolute exercise of individual rights, in exchange for the protections provided by society and government.
The United states constitution, the Bill of Rights, and all subsequent amendments pertain to or protect individual rights.
Historical Example
Facts of the Case
Several suits were filed against Chicago and Oak Park in Illinois challenging their gun bans after the Supreme Court issued its opinion in District of Columbia v. Heller. In that case, the Supreme Court held that a District of Columbia handgun ban violated the Second Amendment. There, the Court reasoned that the law in question was enacted under the authority of the federal government and, thus, the Second Amendment was applicable. Here, plaintiffs argued that the Second Amendment should also apply to the states. The district court dismissed the suits. On appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed.
Current Example
A more recent example of when someone’s individual rights were violated is the Trayvon Martin incident. George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch person, shot and killed a 17 year old boy named Trayvon Martin. Martin reportedly attacked Zimmerman and Zimmerman shot and killed Martin with his legal concealed carry weapon. He was hated and is still hated by many people for this, even though everything he did was legal. Because of this, many bans have been placed on multiple different types of firearms. This is an invasion of the second amendment.
http://www.cbsnews.com/feature/george-zimmerman-trial-trayvon-martin-case/