Which of the following is an accurate discussion of why a bill of rights for the national government might not be necessary?
A. The national government has only delegated powers.
B. The national government has only reserved powers.
C. A lengthy list of rights were already protected by each state.
D. A lengthy list of rights were already protected by the Constitution.
c. the national government only delegated powers
what is the answer?
To determine the accurate discussion of why a bill of rights for the national government might not be necessary, let's examine each option:
A. The national government has only delegated powers.
To determine if this option is accurate, refer to the U.S. Constitution. The Constitution outlines the powers that are specifically delegated to the national government, primarily in Article I, Section 8. However, the fact that the national government has delegated powers does not necessarily mean that a bill of rights is not necessary. The powers delegated to the national government do not address the protection of individual rights.
B. The national government has only reserved powers.
Similar to option A, the fact that the national government has reserved powers does not automatically exclude the need for a bill of rights. Reserved powers refer to powers not specifically granted to the national government and instead reserved for the states or the people. Again, the issue of protecting individual rights is not addressed by this statement.
C. A lengthy list of rights were already protected by each state.
This option suggests that individual rights were already protected by each state, which could be a reason arguing against the necessity of a national bill of rights. To verify if this is accurate, you would need to examine the state constitutions and determine if they already contain robust protections for individual rights. It is important to note that the U.S. Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and if there are conflicts between state and federal laws, the federal law prevails.
D. A lengthy list of rights were already protected by the Constitution.
This option claims that the existing Constitution already provides protection for a wide range of rights, potentially negating the need for an additional bill of rights. To confirm this, review the U.S. Constitution itself, specifically the amendments known as the Bill of Rights (Amendments 1-10). These amendments explicitly establish and protect numerous individual rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to bear arms.
Based on this analysis, option D is the most accurate discussion. A lengthy list of rights was indeed protected by the Constitution through the addition of the Bill of Rights, which addresses the need for constitutional protection of individual rights.