In 2007, the nation will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the English landing at Jamestown, Va. As we commemorate that arrival, it is important to note that our nation would not exist today were it not for the courage and willingness of early Americans to stand on principle.
      Americans' foundation of individual liberty rests on the Virginia Declaration of Rights and its successor, the federal Bill of Rights. That tradition remains the standard of individual liberties guiding the world today.
      Dec. 15, 2005, was Bill of Rights Day. To mark the occasion, the Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg, Va., examined in depth this assurance of individual rights in a multi-part series that the Record-Eagle is reprinted in December and is now posting here on-line.
      Articles will be posted every day and will remain here on-line for your reference.

Introduction:
      We owe a debt to Patrick Henry and George Mason

The First Amendment:
      Religion clauses
      Free speech, press clauses
      Assembly and petition clauses
      Message to schools: Educate the young for citizenship

The Second Amendment:
      The right to bear arms

The Third Amendment:
      Clause on quartering soldiers

The Fourth Amendment:
      Unreasonable search and seizure

The Fifth Amendment:
      Double jeopardy
      Property rights

The Sixth Amendment:
      The rights of a defendant in a criminal proceeding

The Seventh Amendment:
      The right to a jury trial

The Eighth Amendment:
      Matching the punishment with the crime

The Ninth Amendment:
      A leash on the powers of the federal government

The Tenth Amendment:
      Establishing a federalism that few respect

Other:
      Amending the Constitution: Genius of the Founders