The Three Most Important Amendments of Our Time

The US Constitution was written as a system of checks and balances, designed to protects us from each other and our own government. Critics attacked the proposed Constitution of the United States because it did not protect the rights of the people. The Anti-Federalists felt that the delegates to the Constitutional Convention did not provide adequate safeguards to protect the citizens from government interference in their everyday lives. The Federalists, in order to get the Constitution ratified, agreed to add a Bill of Rights to the Constitution when the new congress met. The First Congress proposed 12 amendments for the Constitution. Ten were accepted by the states and became known as the Bill of Rights. In today’s society, three of the most important amendments are the Second, Fourth and Eight Amendments. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America asserts, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” These words continue to generate controversy as part of the broader debate over gun control. With the growing number of gun related deaths in this country, many feel the need for stricter gun control policies. In the earlier part of this year, due to the alarming number of police officers being killed in the line of duty by illegal handguns, the governor of Pennsylvania, Edward Rendell, in conjunction with the mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, felt it necessary to ban assault weapons and other guns in the state. It was argued by National Rifle Association that a ban of this nature would be a violation of the Second Amendment, which in turn stopped the state from instituting the ban. While stricter laws regarding gun control is necessary, it is important for the citizens of our country to be able to protect their person and property. The Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution was added to protect the citizens from the government performing