Question

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Why was the above passage included in the Bill of Rights?

A. To explain why rights were being reserved for citizens rather than the government
B. to divide political powers between state and federal government
C. Toe emphasize the importance of a strong national military
D. To protect the rights of citizens against the abuses the British had committed

Answer 1

The right answer is: D. To protect the rights of citizens against the abuses the British had committed. The right against self-incrimination comes from the puritan´s refusal to collaborate with interrogators in seventeenth-century England. They were usually coerced or tortured to confess their religion affiliation and were considered guilty if they were silent. English law granted its citizens the right against self-incrimination in the mid-seventeenth century, when a revolution established greater parliamentary  power.