stic theory of rights deals with
             the hypothesis that a man's natural rights only amounted to the
             quantity of power he can exercise over any other man. A more general
             and logical definition of a right is a claim upheld by the law, in
             which case the Bill of Rights becomes important (Benn 195).
             Although the Constitution originally did not contain the Bill
             of Rights, the states threatened to delay ratification until the
             amendments were made. The main purpose of implementing the first ten
             amendments to the United States Constitution, was to safeguard
             fundamental individual rights against seizure by the federal
             government and prohibit interference with existing rights. The
             Revolutionary War with Britain was still quite clear in the American
             mind during the writing of the Constitution, so the Bill of Rights had
             full support of the public because it protected citizens against
             everything which had angered the colonists about the British (Holder
             The Constitution is extremely ambiguous concerning individual
             rights and personal freedoms of man. It does, however, prohibit the
             passage of ex post facto laws, which punish people for an act they
             committed before such an act was illegal, disallow bills of attainder,
             which punish offenders without a trial, and prevent suspension of the
             writ of habeas corpus, which requires a detained man to be notified of
             the offense he committed (Gilbert 331). The Constitution also
             prohibits religious qualifications for seeking and holding a
             governmental office, and it secures the right of a trial by jury of
             peers in a criminal case (Gilbert 336).
             Articles One, Two, and Three of the United States Constitution
             define the three structures of the national government, and include
             each branch's composition and function.
             Article One deals with the Congress, the legislative structu...