Amendments 1-3

The 1st Amendment
The 1st Amendment gives people freedom of religion, speech, press, petition and assembly. This religious freedom allows for one religion to not get to dominant. It says nothing about putting up a barrier between the government and religious institutions though. “If, taken literally, the clause creates no wall of separation, neither does it refer to a national religion or to the concept of preference; it does not permit government preference for religion over irreligion, let alone one of one religion or church over others” (Levy 80)

The 2nd Amendment
Everyone has the right to have guns in their possession for hunting and protective purposes. When they made this amendment, many times the guns were used for hunting purposes. Now-a-days this right has been abused and people have them and use them all to frequently. They don’t bear arms to protect themselves, but to hurt other people. This amendment is an amazing privilege that the government has entitled us and it applies to every U.S. citizen. “Though originally the first ten Amendments were adopted as limitations on Federal power, yet in so far as they secure and recognize fundamental rights -- common law rights -- of the man, they make them privileges and immunities of the man as citizen of the United States” (Second Amendment to the United States Constitution)

The 3rd Amendment
The militia cannot stay at someone’s home without the consent of the homeowner. Before the American Revolution, the British militia would do this to the colonists. This amendment is for the most part irrelevant in modern times because the wars are usually not in America and we have our own bases to home our soldiers.


Findlay, Bruce Allyn. Your Rugged Constitution. Standford University Press: Standford. 1950.

Levy, Leonard. Origins of the Bill of Rights. Yale University Press: Yale University. 1999.