Hallowed Heritage: The Life of VirginiaTorpey, Dorothy Margaret
History
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia
Torpey, Dorothy Margaret
Virginia -- Civilization
(6) "That all elections ought to be free; and that all men
having sufficient evidence of permanent common interest with,
and attachment to, the community, have the right of suffrage,
and cannot be taxed, or deprived of, or damaged in, their
property for public uses, without their own consent, or that
of their representatives duly elected, or bound by any law to
which they have not, in like manner, assented for the public
good"--Thus, all elections should be free and open, and all
men who have become regular residents of a community should
be allowed to vote. Property cannot be taxed, disposed of
or damaged for public use without the consent of the people
involved or that of their representatives. Neither can the
people be forced to abide by any law unless it has been voted
upon by them or by their elected representatives.
(7) "That all power of suspending laws, or the execution of
laws, by any authority, without consent of the representatives
of the people, is injurious to their rights and ought not to be
exercised"--Thus, no office-holder should have the authority to
suspend a law or to carry out a law, independent of the legal
representatives of the citizenry.
(8) "That in criminal prosecutions a man hath a right to demand
the cause and nature of his accusation, to be confronted with
the accusers and witnesses, to call for evidence in his favor,
and to a speedy trial by an impartial jury of his vicinage,
without whose unanimous consent he cannot be found guilty. He
shall not be deprived of life or liberty, except by the law of
the land or the judgment of his peers; nor be compelled in any
criminal proceeding to give evidence against himself, nor be
put twice in jeopardy for the same offense...."--Thus, any man
accused of a crime is entitled to certain rights: to be informed
of the charges placed against him, to meet face to face with the
witnesses and accusers, to defend himself in a fair and speedy
trial with an impartial or unprejudiced jury. He cannot be
deprived of life or liberty except by legal judicial action; he
cannot be made to testify against himself; and he is ineligible
to be tried twice for the same crime.
(9) "That excessive bail ought not to be required, nor
excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments
inflicted"--Thus, bails, fines and punishments must be
reasonable.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account