The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which the Anti-Federalists required in order for the states not in favor of the Constitution to ratify the document. All of these amendments are important, as they insure that we have rights, and those rights are clearly spelled out. The sixth amendment establishes the right of the people to a trial by jury, which is extremely important. The sixth amendment is the most important of the first ten amendments since it enforces the rest of the amendments, as well as other laws.
The sixth amendment gives a person accused of a crime the right to a trial by an impartial jury made up of the person’s peers. Also, the trial must be speedy and alleged criminals can’t be left in jail indefinitely. This amendment states that trials can’t be held in secret in a way that might violate personal rights. According to this amendment, the person accused of a crime must be made aware of the charges against him. In addition, this amendment gives the people who are accused of a crime the right to face the person in open court and have the witnesses of the crime be cross examined by an attorney. Last, the sixth amendment gives the accused the right to effective legal counsel. These are a lot of extremely important rights provided by this amendment.
All through history, many societies have thought a jury system was an important right. Dr. Karen Carr , Associate Professor of History at Portland State University explains on the web site Kidepe, that the system of trial by jury was even around in ancient Athens. In this instance, the accused would make a speech in front of a large crowd of people, as well as the person making the accusation. Afterwards, the jury would vote on whether or not they believed the accused was guilty or innocent. In fact, if the accused was found to be guilty, another set of speeches would be made regarding what the punishment would be and the jury would vote again. This system of trial by jury is ancient and important, and it has worked pretty well throughout the centuries.
If this ancient system weren’t in the Constitution, things may have gone very differently. Justice may not exist in the way that it does now. If people aren’t tried by a fair jury, they may be let go for crimes that they should be convicted for, and people might be wrongfully convicted. This is the main provision of the Bill of Rights to ensure that the Constitution is followed. If people break laws, only trial by jury makes sure that they face consequences. The sixth amendment guarantees that Americans are tried fairly, and that they won’t be able to get away with breaking other laws set out in the Constitution. Without fair juries the Constitution and the Bill of Rights might be useless. It is the best way Americans have to hold citizens accountable for their actions.
When something goes wrong with the trial by jury system, people know where to go to get things right again. This is an important part of the American government for keeping the government in existence. For example, in the case of Emmett Till, a court case which some say sparked the civil rights movement, there was a bad jury and people knew where to start to make it right. Emmett Till was a black boy in 1955 who whistled at a white women and was murdered brutally. When the case went to trial, the friends of the killers were chosen as the jurors. Unfortunately, they were acquitted for the murder. Making the system is just again is the best way to fix this problem. Without the sixth amendment, trials such as this might take place every day. This amendment establishes a way for Americans to fight for their rights in a concrete way.
All throughout history, people have understood the need to fight for what is important to them. A man named Carl Schurz took part in the German revolution, and was a political radical. After this involvement in the war, he had no choice but to flee the country. This man was strongly against slavery, and served the Union army during the Civil War. Carl Schurz once said, “Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right, when wrong, to be set right.” The sixth amendment keeps this statement true throughout the time that America has existed. There is no better way in this country to fight for what is right than through the court system. The sixth amendment keeps the court system just in the way that it treats every citizen of this country.
Of course, the other amendments are important. Even though the first amendment may seem as though it is the most important, it doesn’t mean much without the sixth amendment. The trial by jury system is the way that Americans make sure that they keep the rest of the rights listed in the Bill of Rights. If a right is violated, the legal system is the only assurance anybody has that they’ll be able to do anything about it. The most important of the Bill of Rights is the one that makes sure that we have a Bill of Rights.
Even just in the framing of the Constitution, the founders knew the importance of this provision to the Constitution. The group called the Anti-Federalists didn’t want to sign the Constitution initially. In order for the states who weren’t in favor of the Constitution to sign it at all, they required a Bill of Rights to be added soon afterward. They knew how important it was that Americans have a set of rights, as well as a way to protect those rights. Specifically, a trial by jury was necessary to protect these rights.
In fact, trial by jury, due process, and rights of the accused are so important that several of the amendments of the Constitution concern this. It is so important that it needed to be absolutely clear what the founders intended, as well as others throughout American history. The sixth amendment contains much of the amendment about trial by jury specifically. So important is the legal system that protects people that an entire supreme court was created, as well a judicial branch of government. The sixth amendment declares that American rights are important and are to be protected.
The sixth amendment attempts to keep people from being wrongfully convicted. Although there is no perfect system, it seems to work well. Of course nothing always works one hundred percent of the time. There are mistakes and inconstancies in any system. There is still no better way now to protect people. The other amendments in the Bill of Rights are important but mean little on their own.
Some countries in the world don’t have the fair legal system that America does. In 2003, Darfur convicted twenty-six people and sentenced them to death based on an unfair trial. These people were found guilty of killing 35 people and ravaging a village, despite evidence that it might very well have been a different group of people. The trial was messy and inconsistent, yet they were still found guilty and sentenced to death. During this trial, lawyers were only allowed to ask the witnesses four questions, and the judge was biased. The lawyers weren’t even allowed to view the details of the case until five days before the trial was to begin. Even a fifteen year old boy was sentenced to death. Under international law is it illegal to execute a person under the age of eighteen.
When rights of citizens are being violated, such as in the civil rights era, some people weren’t given the rights provided by the sixth amendment. Eventually, it worked its way through the entire court system all the way through the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is where things were finally set right legally. At that point, people had used the court system to fix a problem in America, to set something right. Without the sixth amendment, there might not be a way to set things right when they go wrong.
In a lot of ways, the sixth amendment also protects our lives. Without the trial by jury system, things might be a lot different. Many more innocent people could be in jail, or worse even than that. The sixth amendment protects us from punishment that we don’t deserve a lot of the time. This amendment gives us a way to fight for our rights, as well as for our lives. This amendment is extremely important to everybody.
All of the amendments are important, but the sixth amendment is the most important. The sixth amendment protects all of the other rights given to citizens in the Bill of Right. The trial by jury system has been used throughout the centuries and has been successful. The court systems provide a way for Americans to protest injustice and to set problems in the country right. The system may not be perfect, but it is extremely important. It is the important right of the Bill of Rights because it not only protects our rights, but also our lives.
Works Cited
Carr, Karen. “Greek Law Courts.” Kidepe. Portland State University, 15 Jan 2010. Web. 13 April 2010.
Linder, Douglas. “The Salem Witchcraft Trials.” Famous American Trials. Sep 2009. Web. 13 April 2010.
“The Lynching of Emmett Till.” Heroism.org. Web. 13 April 2010.
“U.S. Constitution: Sixth Amendment.” Findlaw. 2010. Web. 13 April 2010.
Simkin, John. “Carl Schurz.” Spartacus Educational. Web. 13 April 2010.
“Death Penalty, Unfair Trial.” 1 May 2003. Web. 13 April 2010.
