Many instructors use the term supporting details or concrete details instead of evidence. 1) Facts: The most frequent type of evidence in an essay is facts. Facts include names, dates, or specific events. When writing about literature, evidence takes the form of plot summaries or specific quotations. 2) Authoritative Opinions: Experts in the field about which you are writing provide supporting details and evidence for your thesis statement.
Lysander Spooner (1808-1887) points out the importance of the 9th Amendment to the American Constitution in protecting the natural rights of the people not enumerated in the first 8 amendments. He laments the fact that this amendment has been ignored by the courts almost since it was enacted:
Ninth Amendment Protects Rights Not Named in the Constitution. The Ninth Amendment provides the basis for recognizing other, âunenumeratedâ rights, generally considered to arise from both natural law and the countryâs common law traditions. The import of the Ninth Amendment is that such rights exist and no constitutional grant of government power extinguished those rights.