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Explore the historical foundations of the U.S. Bill of Rights, from Magna Carta to John Locke's natural rights philosophy and its influence on the American Constitution.
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The Origin of the U.S. Bill of RightsPart I Dr. donna Bair-Mundy
Magna Carta 1215 King John (c.1167 - 1216) Magna Carta Seal of Baron Robert Fitzwalter
Magna Carta 1215 - BBC Magna Carta xhttp://www.bl.uk/magna-carta/videos/what-is-magna-carta
Magna Carta 1215 King John (c.1167 - 1216) Magna Carta
Magna Carta 1215 cap. 39 Nullus liber homo capiatur vel imprisonetur, aut disseisiatur, aut utlagetur, aut exuletur, aut aliquo modo destruatur, nec super eum ibimus, nec super eum mittemus, nisi per legale judicium parium suorum vel per legem terrae. Magna Carta
Magna Carta 1215 cap. 39 No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. Magna Carta
Reinterpreting the Magna Carta Magna Carta 1215 No free man . . . 25 Edward III, c. 4 1351/1352 None . . . 28 Edward III 1354 No man of what estate or condicion that he be …
Reinterpreting the Magna Carta Sir Edward Coke 1642 “…for Justices of Peace to make warrants upon surmises, for breaking the houses of any subjects to search for felons, or stoln [sic] goods, is against Magna Carta.” Coke, Edward. 1642. The fourth part of the institutes of the laws of England. London: M. Flesher.
English Bill of Rights - 1689 “That election of members of Parliament ought to be free; That the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament; That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted; That jurors ought to be duly impanelled and returned, and jurors which pass upon men in trials for high treason ought to be freeholders; That all grants and promises of fines and forfeitures of particular persons before conviction are illegal and void; And that for redress of all grievances, and for the amending, strengthening and preserving of the laws, Parliaments ought to be held frequently..”
English Bill of Rights - 1689 All rights still inhere to the monarch. These rights granted are exceptions. “That election of members of Parliament ought to be free; That the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament; That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted; That jurors ought to be duly impanelled and returned, and jurors which pass upon men in trials for high treason ought to be freeholders; That all grants and promises of fines and forfeitures of particular persons before conviction are illegal and void; And that for redress of all grievances, and for the amending, strengthening and preserving of the laws, Parliaments ought to be held frequently..”
Reinterpreting the Magna Carta William Pitt 1763 “The poorest man may, in his cottage, bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail; its roof may shake; the wind may blow through it; the storm may enter; the rain may enter; but the King of England may not enter; all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement.”
American Constitution Heavily influenced by natural rights philosophy (esp. John Locke)
Natural Law & Natural Rights John Locke’s Second treatise on civil government The state of Nature has a law of Nature to govern it, which obliges everyone, and reason, which is that law, teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions... . 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 unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. (Declaration of Independence, 1776)
Natural Law & Natural Rights John Locke’s Second treatise on civil government …[in a natural state all men exist in] “a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit, within the bounds of the law of Nature, without asking leave or depending upon the will of any other man” …however, free, is full of fears and continual dangers; and it is not without reason that he seeks out and is willing to join in a society with others who are already united, or have a mind to unite for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates, which I call by the general name—property.
Natural Law & Natural Rights John Locke’s Second treatise on civil government [In an ideal society] “the power of the society or legislative [sic] constituted by them can never be supposed to extend farther than the common good....”
American Constitution An anti-majoritarian document
American Constitution We’re constituting a government. Should we include a Bill of Rights?
Bill of Rights debate: Mason, Jefferson, et al. When assigning powers to the government must also limit those powers General warrants and writs of assistance
Objections to Bill of Rights Bill of Rights is stipulation a king gives to his subjects, granting a few exceptions to rights of the monarch Bill of Rights dangerous—implies government has powers not Could later be misconstrued as all-inclusive not granted (Alexander Hamilton, Federalist paper no. 84, etc.)
The compromise Amendment IX The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Penumbra 1928 Olmstead et al. v U.S. 277 U.S. 438 Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes (dissenting) “I am not prepared to say that the penumbra of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments covers the defendant…”
Penumbra 1965 Griswold v. Connecticut 381 U.S. 479 Justice William O. Douglas (majority opinion) “The foregoing cases suggest that specific guarantees in the Bill of Rights have penumbras, formed by emanations from those guarantees that help give them life and substance.” … “In other words, the First Amendment has a penumbra where privacy is protected from governmental intrusion.”
Penumbra Merriam-Webster: 1 a : a space of partial illumination (as in an eclipse) between the perfect shadow on all sides and the full light b : a shaded region surrounding the dark central portion of a sunspot 2 : surrounding or adjoining region in which something exists in a lesser degree : fringe
Penumbra First Amendment Specific guarantees Implied rights
First Amendment Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Freedom of 1st Amendment gives right to associate without surveillance (Lieber 1859)