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Quote by: Isherwood  I believe to the founding fathers, "the people" generally meant adult white male property owners. |
True. But is there a context in the Constitution in which "the people" means each person individually, or does it carry the meaning of all persons collectively? For example, "We the people of the United States...", "The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States...", "...the right of the people peaceably
to assemble...", "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures...", "The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people", and "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." It seems to me that the "right of the people to be secure" could be taken to be applicable to each individual. I'm not so sure about the others.