The United states severely needed to replace the Articles of Confederation because of its’ complete disregard for federal government. The Articles of Confederation solely focused on military control to protect Americans from British control and to separate land from the Native Americans. Under the Articles of Confederation, there was no separation of powers and Congress did not have the right to tax or regulate the American economy. The Bill of Rights is made up of the ten commandments that changed American government and has lasted through modern day America. The first amendment separated the church and state and allows every man and woman to choose their religion. The second amendment, which is very controversial in modern day America, is the right to every American to own a gun and protect their livelihood. The third amendment states that soldiers cannot stay in a civilian’s home during war time without the owner’s permission.

The fourth amendment prohibits law enforcers from invading civilian homes without probable cause and a warrant. The next few amendments all deal with judicial trials… the fifth amendment protects defendants from self incrimination, double jeopardy, and enforces due process. In a similar vain, the sixth amendment is how the American people are guaranteed a right to a fair trial. The seventh amendment prohibits excessive punishment and excessive bail, and the eighth prohibits “cruel and unusual” punishment (the seventh amendment strictly deals with monetary issues such as bail). The ninth and tenth constitution both deal with the constitution itself—the ninth amendment protects the constitution by saying that one part of the constitution cannot be used against another part of the constitution.

The tenth amendment is the ‘biggie,’ as modern youth would say, in terms of establishing a stronger federal government. The tenth amendment stated that any governmental power that these amendments did not give to the federal government would be given to the states themselves.