I promised you that I would enlighten you (or refresh you) on Amendments VI-X of the U.S. Constitution again this week. I like to keep my promises, so here I am and here it goes.
Amendment VI:
"In all criminal investigations, 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."
Do you think that rings true for all Americans today? I think there are some people who would beg to differ. Sometimes, that right is trampled on. Due to the nature of man, some unjust law enforcement people should get their big feet off of it.
Amendment VII:
"In suits of common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States than according to the rules of the common law."
Wow! Twenty dollars isn't what it used to be. This amendment now applies to every case there is.
Amendment VIII:
"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."
I guess this amendment is supposed to keep judges and juries from getting a little crazy in wielding their power against a defendant. In other words, the punishment should fit the crime.
Amendment IX:
"The enumeration in the constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."
People have rights that are not listed in the Bill of Rights. They're important, too. Maybe, that goes back to the phrase in the Declaration of Independence, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
Amendment X:
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."
It looks to me like the framers of the Constitution wanted to keep the federal government smaller and the state government more powerful. It seems as though it's kinda backwards now, don't you think?
There are 17 more amendments that were made as our nation grew out of the infant stage. I'll try to summarize them:
Amendment 11 limits the judicial power of the United States. The 12th Amendment concerns the method of electing the President and Vice-President of the United States and numbers 14 and 17 explain how to vote for representation in Congress. (That will take a whole column by itself. I'll get to that next week.)
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery or servitude, except as punishment for crime and gave those who were emancipated the right to vote in Amendment 15. Women, however, weren't given that right until the 19th Amendment in 1919.
The dreaded 16th Amendment gave Congress the power to tax our income. Amendment 18 abolished the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States in 1919. However, the 21st Amendment abolished the abolishment in 1933. Amendments 20 and 22 explain the length of terms of members of Congress. (More on that next time.)
Residents of Washington, D.C., were allowed to vote once Amendmentt 23 was passed. Citizens who are at least 18 years old became eligible to vote according to Amendment 26 beginning in 1971. Our English class had debates when I was in ninth grade. The subject was “American citizens who are eighteen years old should be allowed to vote .” I was for it. I must have been convincing, because it became law shortly thereafter.
Amendment 27 forbids members of Congress from voting themselves a pay raise before the next session of Congress. It makes you wonder how they are keeping up with inflation, doesn't it? They seem to be doing well, though.
See you next week.
Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com