The Eighth Amendment helps make our criminal justice system more just for those accused or convicted of criminal behavior. It is comprised of three rights, each of which plays a part in protecting Americans from a harsh and overly ambitious government.

The Seventh Amendment formally established the rules governing civil trials, as opposed to criminal cases. Its main purpose was to distinguish between the responsibilities of the courts which decided the meaning of laws and those of juries which decided matters of facts as presented in a case.

The Sixth Amendment to our Constitution effectively established the procedures governing criminal courts. At its core, the Amendment ensures that those accused of crimes will get a fair trial and have every opportunity to clear their name.

The Fourth Amendment is the fundamental basis for every American’s right to privacy. These freedoms are some of the most important granted to us by the Constitution, giving credence to the idea that “a man’s home is his castle”. As basic as these rights appears to us today, it was a relatively new concept prior to our Revolution.

This little-known amendment centered on a very important matter to our Founding Fathers, that of the people being forced against their will to house and feed soldiers and bear the costs. While this matter may seem trivial to us today, it was viewed quite differently in 1776.

The Second Amendment is corollary to one of the most basic natural rights we have, that of self-defense. However, it has recently been the subject of great controversy. Becoming familiar with the history of this doctrine is critical to understanding it.

Beyond the freedoms of religion and speech we previously discussed, there are two other equally important rights granted to the people in the First Amendment that receive less fanfare. These are the rights to peaceably assemble and to petition the government to correct a wrong.