The Most Important One
April 2000

Which Constitutional amendment do you believe is the most important? Which American freedom or "right" do you think is the most celebrated?

The freedom of speech seems to be the one that is on most people's minds today. The freedom of religion is also an important one. How about state's rights? Could it be that state's rights are of the most ignored in today's society?

The freedom of the press has been a major factor ever since the beginning of our nation's history. Even though many people are not happy with the mainstream press, this is still a very important freedom.

One's right to keep and bear arms is definitely an important one too. One's right to protect them self with a firearm is probably under attack more so than most of the rest of our rights at the present time. Yet, is this one the most important of them all?

Maybe many of you believe that the tenth amendment is the most important one of them all. This one reserves all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution for the states and people. Many would argue that this one has been long forgotten. And along with the tenth amendment many would add the ninth. The ninth amendment says that the Constitution cannot be construed to say that just because certain rights were not mentioned in the Constitution then they are denied to the people.

Obviously, most people believe that the thirteenth amendment is a very important one. The thirteenth amendment made involuntary servitude unconstitutional.

Yet, have we even mentioned the most important one? Maybe the most important one is not really a single individual amendment, but several together that make an important point.

Have you come up with your choice yet? Shall we add a few more thoughts to the discussion? What about one's right to private property? In which amendment is one's right to private property mentioned?

The fifth and fourth amendments talk about one's private property, but do either one of them say that the government cannot tell you what to do with your property?

The Fourth Amendment says that one's property cannot be searched without a reasonable warrant. The fifth amendment says that one's private property cannot be taken for public use, unless justly compensated. If you mix in the ninth amendment with the fourth and fifth amendments, then you should definitely know that we do have a right to private property, but what is private property? Does private property only include dirt and soil or does it include everything we own?

Should the government be allowed to tell us what we can and cannot do with our property? Can they tell us not to hunt, farm, or lumber our own property? They are already doing so. Can they tell us that certain items we have owned for years are now banned or outlawed? They are continuing to do this too.

Without one's right to private property, how can we have freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to keep and bear arms, or any of the other freedoms and rights mentioned in the Constitution?