The Sixth Amendment was ratified on December 15, 1791. It guarantees rights to criminal prosecutions in federal courts. The Sixth Amendment gives the accused the right to speedy and public trial by the impartial jury. The accused also has the right to be informed of the reason of their accusation and also be confronted with the witness against him as well as obtaining a witness in his favor. In this paper I will provide you with a thorough analysis of these above rights and give some history of the 6th Amendment. .
George Mason, who was a mentor of George Washington, wrote the Sixth Amendment. George Washington was the president at the time the amendment was ratified. It was written just a month before the Declaration of Independence. The Sixth Amendment was number 8 in Mason's writings and it followed: "In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed; which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.".
America needed the sixth amendment during this period of time, which were the late 1,700's. During this time, Federalists and Anti-Federalists argued over the need for the Bill of Rights. According to the dictionary, The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, ratified in 1791 and guaranteeing such rights as the freedoms of speech, assembly, and worship. While federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the people and the states kept any powers not given to the federal government, the Anti-Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty.
