Essay Sample on Autonomy of Citizens of China and US

Introduction

The United States has twenty-seven amendments in its bill of rights. All these amendments touch directly on the lives of Americans and dictate the courses of action that different stakeholders, states and institutions have to take. It also takes care of the rights of individuals to own property, get justice and personal privacy and choices. It is, therefore, crucial to look at these bills of rights, decide which ones are more important and which ones are less, and after that compare them to that of China.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The first fourteen amendments of the United States rotate around the wellbeing of the American citizens, their rights, responsibilities, and privileges. The amendments on the justice owed to the citizens stand out among others as the most important. This can be seen through its representation by five amendments, from the fourth to the eighth amendments (Bill of Rights Institute, 2012). The fourth amendment grants Americans the right to privacy and against unwarranted searches, the fifth advocates for the due process of law in a criminal trial, as well as the right to remain silent. The sixth amendment provides the right to a speedy trial, and the right to a lawyer. The seventh dictates for the presence of a jury in cases exceeding $20 and the eighth ensure reasonable bails and punishment to offenders. These are the most crucial amendments. The least important is the second amendment that grants citizens the right to bear firearms. This has elevated crime. For instance, in 2014 67.9% of homicides, 22.5% of aggravated assaults and 40.3% of robberies known to the police were committed with guns (Kleck, Kovandzic, & Bellows, 2016). This amendment, therefore, inflicts on other rights.

The People's Republic of China similarly has a bill of rights intended to protect its citizens. Article 36 of the Chinese constitution protects the religious freedom of people similar to the US first amendment while article 37 protects them from unapproved arrests. Article 39 corresponds to the fourth amendment which protects the privacy of the citizens(U.S Constitution, n.d). While both the US and China hold similar rights and privileges owed to their citizens, the differences come in through implementation. In China, for instance, the freedom of religion is restricted to the religious permitted by the state. Therefore, the communist regime is the one that should be reconstructed. Otherwise, all these bills are fundamentally equal.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both the US and China respect the autonomy of their citizens and advocate for justice in the criminal justice systems. Through different amendments and articles, these rights are spelled out clearly. However, certain constraints exist, regarding their implementation for instance state restrictions on religion in China.

References

Bill of rights institute (2012). Constitution of the United States: educating young people about the constitution. Pp.124. Retrieved from https://billofrightsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Constitution.pdf

Constitution of the People's Republic of China. U.S Constitution. Retrieved from https://www.usconstitution.net/china.html#Chapter2

Kleck G., Kovandzic T., & Bellows J. (2016). Does Gun Control Reduce Violent Crime? Criminal Justice Review. 41(4). Pp. 488-513. DOI: 10.1177/0734016816670457