Since so many of my peers don’t understand what the Constitution actually says, I decided to provide a quick primer.
The Constitution states the powers that the federal government has, and lists (or enumerates) certain rights that the people have. The federal government has the obligation to defend or otherwise guarantee those rights. These are listed in the Bill or Rights. Lets review them:
The First Amendment protects speech, association and religion. In other words, one may worship any god, join any organization, and write or say anything they please. This includes the right to criticize politicians, businesses, or other organizations.
The Second Amendment protects the right of the people to defend themselves by owning firearms at par with those owned by the government.
The Third Amendment bars the government from forcing the people to provide free room and board to the military in their own homes. This was common practice leading up to the Revolution.
The Fourth Amendment prevents unreasonable search and seizure of private property, except when a warrant requiring “probable cause” is issued.
The Fifth Amendment establishes due process rights and prevents the government from trying an accused multiple times for the same crime.
The Sixth Amendment requires a speedy and public trial and establishes the right to have a jury of peers hear the case. It also requires that witnesses testify and guarantees that the accused has the right to question those witnesses, as well as be represented by a lawyer.
The Seventh Amendment preserves the right to a jury trial in matters of civil law, such as lawsuits between two parties.
The Eighth Amendment prevents the government from requiring excessive fines or bail (relative to the crime) and prevents cruel and unusual punishment. The Supreme Court recently applied the Eighth Amendment to prevent civil asset forfeiture.
The Ninth Amendment guarantees that the people have rights not explicitly enumerated in the constitution.
The Tenth Amendment reserves all powers not delegated to the federal government to the states. This means that education, health care, social programming, university funding, parks and the like are reserved for the states, not the feds.
The Constitution exists to protect the rights of the people by restricting the powers of the government. That was a very radical thing to do – at the time of the revolution, people were viewed as subjects to be ruled by kings and queens and subject to their whims. The United States created a system where individual rights were placed first and guaranteed.
That’s why it matters.