Amendment III
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.Text (in plain English)
Soldiers cannot lodge in any house without the Owner's permission. This includes wartime, unless the Soldier has an order explicitly stated by the law.
Historical Background
During the rein of King George III, many people in the colonies were unhappy with the king as he forced them to house armed troops. The Framers of the Constitution hoped that this Amendment would contribute to better privacy of the American people. The goal with the Third Amendment was to prevent the government from invading the personal lives and homes of citizens, as this unreasonable intrusion could lead to tyranny. Seeing that having to house soldiers affected and angered many colonial Americans, during the Delegates convention there were more states that proposed the idea of making the quartering soldiers unacceptable than states that proposed freedom of speech. The Third Amendment was submitted to the state on September 25, 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791.
Effect of Amendment III on the United States
After the ratification of the Third Amendment the privacy of the American people became much more secure. Today, as the government pushes more and more to gain as much domestic surveillance through the Patriot Act, this Amendment works to protect the people's private homes from the government using military as a spying tool. Many people do not see as much controversy involving the Third Amendment as they do with other Amendments like the Second or the First; therefore, it could be arguable that the Third Amendment is the most effective amendment of the Bill of Rights, although, many people may strongly disagree. Some see the police and S.W.A.T abruptly invading homes and believe this is the federal government pushing this Amendment to its boundaries. Because the Amendment only addresses "Soldiers," in the case of the Mitchell family in Henderson Nevada in July of 2011, the police, who battered down their door in order to gain better surveillance of a domestic violence report next door to the Mitchell home, cannot be held accountable for violation of the Third Amendment. Many borderline violations of this Amendment are indeed over looked because of the key word "Soldiers." Many citizens are beginning to wonder if this Amendment should extend to more local and federal patrol officers as well.
For more information on the Mitchell family case: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/08/family-booted-from-home-for-police-detail-suing-with-rare-use-third-amendment/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/07/07/third-amendment-henderson-nevada-police-column/2496689/
Effect of Amendment III on Me
Compared to other Amendments like the 14th and the 26th that affect me directly as an 18 year old woman who just received her first voters registration card, the 3rd Amendment does not seem to change my life day to day. But, I am not saying that the 3rd Amendment is irrelevant in my life. I would certainly be upset if the government forced me to share the couch and remote with a soldier. As the controversy of international and domestic surveillance and the Patriot Act become more prevalent each day, I do think that the 3rd Amendment will receive a bigger spotlight in the near future.
Historical Background
During the rein of King George III, many people in the colonies were unhappy with the king as he forced them to house armed troops. The Framers of the Constitution hoped that this Amendment would contribute to better privacy of the American people. The goal with the Third Amendment was to prevent the government from invading the personal lives and homes of citizens, as this unreasonable intrusion could lead to tyranny. Seeing that having to house soldiers affected and angered many colonial Americans, during the Delegates convention there were more states that proposed the idea of making the quartering soldiers unacceptable than states that proposed freedom of speech. The Third Amendment was submitted to the state on September 25, 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791.
Effect of Amendment III on the United States
After the ratification of the Third Amendment the privacy of the American people became much more secure. Today, as the government pushes more and more to gain as much domestic surveillance through the Patriot Act, this Amendment works to protect the people's private homes from the government using military as a spying tool. Many people do not see as much controversy involving the Third Amendment as they do with other Amendments like the Second or the First; therefore, it could be arguable that the Third Amendment is the most effective amendment of the Bill of Rights, although, many people may strongly disagree. Some see the police and S.W.A.T abruptly invading homes and believe this is the federal government pushing this Amendment to its boundaries. Because the Amendment only addresses "Soldiers," in the case of the Mitchell family in Henderson Nevada in July of 2011, the police, who battered down their door in order to gain better surveillance of a domestic violence report next door to the Mitchell home, cannot be held accountable for violation of the Third Amendment. Many borderline violations of this Amendment are indeed over looked because of the key word "Soldiers." Many citizens are beginning to wonder if this Amendment should extend to more local and federal patrol officers as well.
For more information on the Mitchell family case: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/08/family-booted-from-home-for-police-detail-suing-with-rare-use-third-amendment/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2013/07/07/third-amendment-henderson-nevada-police-column/2496689/
Compared to other Amendments like the 14th and the 26th that affect me directly as an 18 year old woman who just received her first voters registration card, the 3rd Amendment does not seem to change my life day to day. But, I am not saying that the 3rd Amendment is irrelevant in my life. I would certainly be upset if the government forced me to share the couch and remote with a soldier. As the controversy of international and domestic surveillance and the Patriot Act become more prevalent each day, I do think that the 3rd Amendment will receive a bigger spotlight in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please leave us a comment! Keep it factual, keep it constitutional, keep it friendly!