The 1st and 3rd Amendments
Personal Freedoms and No Quartering Soldiers
The 1st Amendment
The 1st Amendment to the Constitution gives citizens the freedom of speech, religion, and press.
"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."
- It was ratified on December 15, 1791, along with 9 other amendments that we know of as the Bill of Rights.
- It was written because citizens wanted a guarantee of their basic freedoms.
The 3rd Amendment
The 3rd Amendment to the Constitution says that no soldier may be quartered in someone's house at time of peace without the house owner's consent, and the process must be prescribed by law during war.
"No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."
- It was also ratified on December 15, 1971 as part of the Bill of Rights.
- It's intended to protect citizens' rights to the ownership and use of their property without intrusion by the government, since that is what Britain did before the Revolutionary War.
Signing of Bill of Rights
Illustration of Different Ways to Express Freedom of Speech
1774 - Quartering Act Caused 3rd Amendment
Britain Shaping the Bill of RIghts
Britain's choices and decisions over the colonists ultimately outlined what amendments were put in the Bill of Rights. Britain did not allow colonists to freely express their thoughts, religion, or news, so the Founding Fathers put them in our Bill of Rights. Britain also forced soldiers into colonists home and made colonists provide them with all their necessities, which is why we have the 3rd Amendment. All in all, the things Britain did to colonists demarcated the new American government.