The United States of America has one Federal Constitution as well as one constitution for each state. The Bill of Rights of the Federal Constitution contains vague language and lacks much detail in presenting the rights of the citizens. The Washington State Declaration of Rights is much more specific and spreads the freedoms of the citizens out over 35 sections. Section 11 of the Declaration of Rights defines the religious freedoms of Washingtonians in greater detail than does the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. This First Amendment states only that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. This statement lacks much detail of what defines a religion or religious practices. While the Declaration of Rights does not spell out specific religious practices, it does expand on the First Amendment. Section 11 guarantees total freedom of conscience in all matters of religious sentiment so long as the peace and safety of the state are maintained. The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights states that citizens are free to keep and bear Arms. This statement, much like the First Amendment is relatively vague and fails to include any details of what constitutes arms. Section 24 of the Declaration of Rights expands on this briefly. This Section states that citizens may keep arms in order to defend himself or the state but are not authorized to maintain or employ an armed body of men. The last line of Amendment V briefly touches on the right of Eminent Domain, stating that if private property is taken for public use, the private owner shall be compensated a just amount. The Declaration of Rights turns this brief statement into a more descriptive paragraph in Section 16. This Section illustrates reasons for the seizure of private property for public use, including roadways and drains. This Section also indicates that the private owner will be compensated a fair a...
