What does the Fourth Amendment primarily protect against?

The Fourth Amendment primarily protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures. This protection is integral to the concept of privacy and personal security, ensuring that law enforcement officials cannot conduct searches of a person or their property without a warrant or probable cause. The amendment is a safeguard against arbitrary governmental intrusion, reinforcing the principle that individuals have a right to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects.

While other amendments cover issues like forced testimony, excessive bail, fines, and double jeopardy, these are not the focus of the Fourth Amendment. For instance, protection against forced testimony is specifically addressed in the Fifth Amendment, excessive bail and fines fall under the Eighth Amendment, and double jeopardy is covered by the Fifth Amendment as well. Thus, the focus of the Fourth Amendment is clearly on limiting the government's power to intrude upon an individual's reasonable expectation of privacy.