"I support the Fifth." This famous expression is used by an individual who refuses to answer a question that might incriminate him. This phrase refers to the Fifth Amendment to the Bill of Rights (Brezina 15). The Bill of Rights protects the fundamental rights of Americans, including the rights of free speech, free press, and freedom of religion (Teitelbaum 8). The Fifth Amendment of the Bill of Rights guarantees the rights of a person accused of committing a crime (Teitelbaum 15). Since the American government took responsibility for creating the Bill of Rights, the Fifth Amendment has protected the rights of accused suspects and property owners. It was the duty of the founding fathers to establish a government and protect its citizens (Burger 5). The Articles of Confederation was a document created before the Bill of Right united the thirteen colonies (Teitelbaum 7). The Articles of Confederation protected the independence of the states but did not give the federal government the necessary powers. The federal government could not enter into trade agreements with other nations, collect taxes directly from the population, or enforce laws and rules. Furthermore, there were almost no individual rights for citizens (Armentrout 13). America needed a stronger document to base the new country on (Teitelbaum 7). In May 1787, fifty-five delegates met in Philadelphia to establish the Articles of Confederation. Many delegates thought that the Articles of Confederation could not be corrected; therefore, they decided to write a constitution which was completed in the next four months (Armentrout 14). In September 1787, the Constitution was signed by thirty-nine of the fifty-five delegates. Delegates agreed to have the... middle of paper... 13. Forbes Media LLC. October 7, 2013.Armentrout, David. The Bill of Rights. Vero Beach, Florida. Rourke Publishing LLC. 2005. Blohm, Craig E. “The Road to Rights.” Cobblestone Sep. 1991: 6 - 12.Brezina, Corona. The Fifth Amendment: Double Jeopardy, Self-Incrimination, and Due Process. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc., 2011.Burger, Warren E. “Our Bill of Rights.” Cobblestone September 1991: 4 - 5. Gold, Susan D. Miranda v. Arizona (1966): Rights of Suspects. New York. Twenty-first century books. 1995.Holland, Jessie. “Supreme Court Rules Pre-Miranda Silence Can Be Used in Court.” Huffington Post. June 17, 2013.Smith, Rich. Fifth Amendment: the right to fairness. Edina, Minnesota. ABDO Publishing House, 2008.Teitelbaum, Michael. The Bill of Rights. Chanhassen, Minnesota. The world of the child, 2005.