Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
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The Constitution.
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Preamble · Seven Articles
Twenty-seven Amendments
Constitutional text
Amendment VIII
3 selectable clauses · PDF page 13
Source: the uploaded National Constitution Center edition. Historical wording and its bracket markers remain visible; later amendments and the reading notes explain changes.
The connected architecture
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Reading notes
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Its meaning, historical setting, structural effect, and interpretive debates will appear here.