The Bill Of Rights: Enshrined In Law

The Bill of Rights, comprising the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, became law on December 15, 1791, when they were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. The amendments were designed to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists during the often bitter 1787–88 debate over the ratification of the Constitution. James Madison, who had initially opposed the inclusion of a bill of rights, introduced a series of amendments in the House of Representatives, which were approved and forwarded to the Senate on August 24, 1789. The Senate made further changes, and on September 25, 1789, Congress approved 12 articles of amendment, which were then submitted to the states for ratification.

The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791

The Bill of Rights, comprising the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, was ratified on December 15, 1791. It was the culmination of a long and often bitter debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over the nature of the new government and the extent of its powers.

The Federalists, who supported a strong national government, initially opposed the inclusion of a bill of rights, arguing that it was unnecessary and that state governments were sufficient guarantors of personal liberty. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists, fearful of a strong centralised government, refused to support the Constitution without a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty.

The absence of a bill of rights became an obstacle to the Constitution's ratification by the states. The Federalists, including James Madison, eventually came to appreciate the importance of a bill of rights in winning popular support and preventing more drastic changes to the Constitution. Madison, who had previously been the most vocal opponent of the Bill of Rights, introduced a list of amendments to the Constitution on June 8, 1789.

The House passed a joint resolution containing 17 amendments based on Madison's proposal. The Senate amended the resolution to consist of 12 amendments. On October 2, 1789, President Washington sent copies of the 12 amendments to the states for ratification. By December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had ratified 10 of these amendments, which became known as the "Bill of Rights".

The Bill of Rights added specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on the government's power, and explicit declarations that all powers not granted to the federal government were reserved for the states or the people. It was strongly influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, as well as the English Bill of Rights, the Magna Carta, and other earlier documents.

The Bill of Rights was a significant development in the story of liberty, establishing soaring principles that guaranteed the most fundamental rights. It transformed the new government, ensuring that its primary purpose was the protection of individual rights rather than a mere exercise of power.

James Madison proposed the Bill of Rights

James Madison, a Virginia Congressman, was a dominant force at the Constitutional Convention and was also known as the "Father of the Constitution". He was an opponent of the Bill of Rights and believed that a bill of rights was unnecessary because the government could only exert the powers specified by the Constitution. However, he began to change his mind.

Madison was deeply concerned about the continuing strength of the Anti-Federalists after ratification. He also sought greater consensus and harmony around constitutional principles by reaching out to the opponents of the new government. He ran in a hard-fought campaign against James Monroe for a seat in the House of Representatives and made a campaign promise to support a bill of rights, particularly an amendment protecting the liberty of conscience. Finally, Madison wrote President George Washington’s Inaugural Address, which indicated support for a bill of rights to be acted upon in the First Congress.

On June 8, 1789, Madison rose on the floor of the House to deliver a speech in favor of a bill of rights. His arguments were founded on the goal of a harmonious political order and the ideals of justice. A bill of rights would extinguish the apprehensions of Anti-Federalists and convince them of the “principles of amity and moderation” held by the other side, now prepared to fulfil a sacred promise made during the ratification debate. Madison then skillfully guided the amendments through Congress. He and his committee reconciled all the amendments proposed by the state ratifying conventions and discarded any that would alter the structure of the Constitution or the new government.

Madison wanted the amendments to be woven into the text of the Constitution, not simply affixed to the end of the document as amendments, and he sought a key amendment to protect from violation by state governments religious freedom, a free press, and trial by jury. He lost both these provisions but prudentially and moderately continued to support the Bill of Rights he had proposed.

The Bill of Rights was introduced in the First Congress on June 8, 1789

The Bill of Rights, comprising the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, was introduced in the First Congress on June 8, 1789. It was proposed by James Madison, who had previously been one of the most vocal opponents of the Bill of Rights. Madison's proposal included a series of amendments to the Constitution, which he had drafted by studying the deficiencies of the Constitution pointed out by Anti-Federalists and then crafting a series of corrective proposals. Madison's amendments were designed to win support in both houses of Congress and the states. He focused on rights-related amendments, ignoring suggestions that would have structurally changed the government.

Madison's proposal included nineteen amendments, which he submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 8, 1789. The House approved seventeen of them and sent them to the U.S. Senate, which approved twelve on September 25. The Senate made twenty-six changes to the amendments, including eliminating Madison's proposal to apply parts of the Bill of Rights to the states as well as the federal government. On September 21, 1789, a House-Senate Conference Committee was formed to resolve the differences between the two proposals. The final version of the Bill of Rights was approved by joint resolution of Congress on September 25, 1789, and sent to the states for ratification.

The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution because the Constitution lacked limits on government power. Anti-Federalists wanted power to remain with state and local governments and favoured a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty. The absence of a "bill of rights" turned out to be an obstacle to the Constitution's ratification by the states. It would take four more years of intense debate before the new government's form was resolved.

The Bill of Rights was inspired by Thomas Jefferson, who argued:

> "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference."

The Bill of Rights was the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution

The Bill of Rights, comprising the first ten amendments to the US Constitution, was added to the Constitution because the latter lacked limits on government power. Federalists advocated for a strong national government, believing that the people and states automatically kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, wanted power to remain with state and local governments and favoured a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty.

The Bill of Rights was strongly influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, as well as English documents such as the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Petition of Right, and the Massachusetts Body of Liberties.

James Madison, then a member of the US House of Representatives, proposed a list of amendments to the Constitution on June 8, 1789, and worked relentlessly to secure its passage. Madison had come to appreciate the importance voters attached to these protections, the role that enshrining them in the Constitution could have in educating people about their rights, and the chance that adding them might prevent its opponents from making more drastic changes.

Congress approved 12 articles of amendment on September 25, 1789, and submitted them to the states for ratification. Ten amendments were ratified and became law on December 15, 1791.

The Bill of Rights was inspired by Thomas Jefferson

The Bill of Rights, inspired by Thomas Jefferson and drafted by James Madison, was ratified and adopted into law in 1791. It comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.

Thomas Jefferson, the principal drafter of the Declaration of Independence, was a strong advocate for a bill of rights. In a letter to James Madison, he wrote:

> "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference."

Jefferson's support for a bill of rights was instrumental in Madison's plans to propose amendments to the new federal Congress. In another letter to Madison, Jefferson identified the absence of a bill of rights as a primary problem in the new federal Constitution. He believed that a bill of rights would give an independent judiciary the means to curb any "tyranny" of the executive or legislative branches.

Madison, initially an opponent of a bill of rights, eventually came to appreciate the importance of adding one to the Constitution. He realised that doing so would help secure the support of voters, educate people about their rights, and prevent opponents of the Constitution from making more drastic changes to it.

Madison drew on the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, and Virginia's Declaration of Rights, mainly written by George Mason, in drafting 19 amendments, which he submitted to the U.S. House of Representatives on June 8, 1789. The House approved 17 of them and sent them to the U.S. Senate, which approved 12 on September 25. Ten were ratified by the states and became law on December 15, 1791.

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