According to the calendar, today is Bill of Rights Day. When it comes down to it, though, every day is Bill of Rights Day. For more than two centuries (216 years, to be exact) this document has protected Americans.
In truth, the Bill of Rights does more than protect us; it defines us. Freedom of speech, of religion, of assembly, and the other principles laid out in the amendments are known the world over as the fundamental building blocks of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson declared: “A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference.” His argument eventually convinced a skeptical James Madison that such a written guarantee of the people’s rights was a necessary addition to the Constitution.
The 10 amendments were ratified on Dec. 15, 1791. They have come under attack many times over the past two centuries, but at no point in our nation’s history have our rights been more at risk than they are right now.
I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but these are dramatic times.
The administration’s gutting of our most basic rights has done more than simply tarnish our nation’s international reputation; it has damaged the government’s credibility among its own citizens. From eavesdropping on telephone calls without a warrant to incarcerating people without trial, the list of violated amendments is almost as long as the Bill of Rights itself: Warrantless wiretapping? Fourth Amendment. Indefinite detention of prisoners at Guantanamo? Fifth Amendment.
Waterboarding those same prisoners? Eighth Amendment. Throwing peaceful people out of government public meetings? First Amendment.
Restoring these rights is a responsibility shared by all Americans, and it is a task that can only be accomplished by raising awareness. The easiest way to help is to remind yourself of your rights.
If, like most of us, you haven’t studied the Constitution since high school, you probably need a little help. Download a copy of the Bill of Rights at www.aclu-co.org. Print some out for your friends or quiz your co-workers over lunch. The key is to remind each other that there is actually a document behind the concepts that define America.
Take a few moments this weekend to consider the Bill of Rights, and you’ll be taking the first steps toward restoring its full power.
Cathryn L. Hazouri (chazouri@aclu-co.org) is executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.
