Happy Bill of Rights Day!

Celebrate Bill of Rights Day on December 15th and help guarantee our freedoms endure!

The amendments in the Bill of Rights do not “give” anyone anything. However, the Bill of Rights protections do stop the government from doing certain things. This kind of limited government is the essence of liberty: the freedom to act without unauthorized restraint.

The addition of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution was celebrated as a victory for the champions of individual liberty. But for the Bill of Rights to remain more than what Madison referred to as a “parchment barrier,” citizens must understand the content and meaning.

On Bill of Rights Day, please join us and commit to reading through the first ten Amendments with your family, friends, and co-workers as a reminder of the rights we have as American citizens.
http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/teach/freeresources/foundingdocuments/Docs/TheBillofRightsInstitute_BillofRights.pdf

The Bill of Rights: Introduction

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During the 1787 Constitutional Convention, George Mason and Elbridge Gerry called for a bill of rights to be included in the document. They pointed out that since the Constitution was supreme over state law, state bills of rights were no security. These appeals were rejected, however. The Constitution was sent to the states for ratification, and the stage was set for a national debate about the need for a bill of rights. Those in favor of the Constitution as written became known as Federalists, while those demanding a bill of rights were called the Anti-Federalists.

Who Were The Federalists?

Federalists, such as Alexander Hamilton from New York and James Madison from Virginia, did not believe a bill of rights was needed. They strongly supported the Constitution as written, because the Constitution carefully limited the government’s powers. If a specific power was not listed, it meant the government did not have it. Hamilton and Madison also worried that a list of rights might make the people too aggressive in asserting those rights, causing people to abandon the moderation that self-government requires. Federalists also knew it would be impossible to list every right. They believed that what would be at best a partial list of rights might lead people to think that the rights that were not listed were less important.

Who Were The Anti-Federalists?


Anti-Federalists, including Mason and fellow Virginian Patrick Henry, were not convinced. They feared a strong central government would threaten the freedoms they had fought a revolution to preserve. They believed that the “necessary and proper” clause gave Congress too much power, and pointed to the national government’s power to tax and its supremacy over state law as other signs of danger. Thomas Jefferson, who was serving in Paris as ambassador to France during the Constitutional Convention, received a copy of the Constitution and was anxious to share his thoughts with Madison. Jefferson immediately objected to “the omission of a Bill of Rights providing clearly…for freedom of religion, freedom of the press, protection against standing armies,” and other rights. Jefferson challenged Madison’s concerns about listing rights, arguing that when it came to securing liberty, “Half a loaf is better than no bread. If we cannot secure all our rights, let us secure what we can.”

What Was Madison’s Role In Securing The Bill of Rights?

As states proceeded to debate ratification of the Constitution, there were repeated calls for the addition of a bill of rights. Madison realized that the addition of a bill of rights was in the new nation’s best interest. In 1789, he began convincing his fellow congressmen, who were mostly Federalists, to support a bill of rights that would highlight some of America’s most important freedoms without undermining the recently ratified Constitution. After a summer-long debate, the House sent a list of seventeen amendments to the Senate. The Senate approved twelve amendments, which Congress sent to the states for ratification in the fall. After Virginia ratified the amendments on December 15, 1791, ten of the twelve amendments had become the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution—the Bill of Rights.

Celebrate Bill of Rights Day:  We hope you join us in celebrating Bill of Rights Day. Here are a few ideas of how to incorporate this into your day.
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