5 Rights Every Citizen Should Know They Have.

Written & Edited by: Vanessa Banos

The United States has been around for over 200 years, by the people, for the people. Despite this, not a lot of citizens know exactly what they get by being a citizen. Because of this, most of us are in the dark. Hundreds of resources of local politics and bills and amendments, but none of it is legible to the normal reader. Our country prides itself in what citizens deserve and receive, so why can't we have regular vocabulary tell us what we DO have? Here are a couple rights that we should all know about:

1. The Right to Remain Silent

   1. This one stems from the 5th amendment, straight from the constitution. To put it blankly, this means that no matter the circumstance, you do not need to say anything. This prevents you from self incriminating yourself, so this is most helpful in a situation with police officers AND in a court of law. As said in movies "Anything you say can and will be used against you." This includes any and all police questioning, and your vow of silence cannot incriminate you either.

2. The Right to.... Your Rights!

   1. This one sounds a bit silly but its a crucial specification, the 9th amendment. This basically distinctly states that the rights not mentioned in the Bill of Rights cannot be construed to say that citizens do not have that right. Therefore, it cannot be claimed that since a right is not specifically stated in the Bill of Rights, it is not yours. For example, it is not stated that the people have the right to travel, but it is because the Bill of Rights is not a list of the ONLY things a citizen has a right to.

3. The Right to Trial by Jury

   1. The 7th amendment ensures all those under trial that they may be judged by a jury. Many people feel discriminated against by an individual judge, and may feel a jury of their peers would vote in their favor. This also means a judge cannot overrule your request for a jury. This right also applies to civil cases that exceed a certain amount of money value.

4. The Right to a Speedy Trial

   1. Based in the 6th amendment, which does not only highlight this. A great deal of citizens experience extremely delayed courts, trials, anything that has to do with the law. With this right, after a certain amount of time, you or your lawyer can invoke or "remind" the court of this right, and get your dates to be aligned as soon as possible.

5. The Right to Not Receive a Cruel or Unusual Punishment

   1. If you feel your sentence or fine was excessive, you can easily speak to your lawyer about getting it repealed to a higher court under basis that your rights were violated. Although this is rare to happen, as crimes of any sort have a range of how many years/how much you're fined, it is good to know that if you feel you are being poorly treated, you can do something about it.