The Constitution Day, September 17, is the anniversary of the day in 1787 when the United States Constitution was signed. Though the Bill of Rights was not ratified until 1791, Sidelines will be breaking down one of the first ten amendments each day between now and September 17.
The Amendment:
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
The Meaning:
The third amendment disallows the government from being able to house soldiers in citizens’ homes.
The Effect:
Way back when, governments would make citizens house soldiers, whether they wanted to or not. These governmentally mandated quarterings made citizens provide shelter to strangers for indefinite periods of time, despite how much room or money they had. This is clearly not a pervasive issue in modern America, and that is largely attributed to the third amendment.
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To contact news editor Sarah Grace Taylor, email newseditor@mtsusidelines.com.
