THE BILL OF RIGHTS IN 4 TWEETS

If he were alive today, James Madison would have had to send ten tweets to publish the Bill of Rights. Here’s how he could have done it in just four tweets.

Amendment I. The Federal government may not obstruct a person’s ability to:

• Express and publish opinions
• Protest in a group
• Ask the government to fix problems
• Practice any religion.

Amendments II and III. The Federal government may not interfere with any State militia’s weaponry or provisioning.

Amendments IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII. The Federal government may not hamper the fair treatment of accused criminals by:

• Banning unreasonable searches of an individual or their property, or seizures without just compensation.
• Requiring that a grand jury initiate serious criminal charges, and that accused persons be informed of charges, be allowed to avoid self-incrimination, face accusers, present witnesses in defense, be represented by a lawyer, and not be tried twice for the same offense
• Requiring trials that are fair, timely, open to the public, and decided by an impartial jury of peers
• Forbidding excessive bail, fines, or inappropriate punishments.

Amendments IX and X. These are not the only rights of individuals and States that the Federal government may not interfere with.