The Bill of Rights by Carol Berkin offers a concise and carefully thought out explanation of how the famous document of amendments came to exist. In a time when America was vulnerable to its own government and structure due to the recent fight for Independence, the political figures quickly needed to find a solution to the weakness and confusion. James Madison stood out as the most influential statesman during this process. He was a Federalist, meaning that he believed in a national government, whereas the Anti Federalists preferred strong state governments. The Constitutional Convention’s outcome was rapidly met with backlash from a number of politicians. Thus, after long debates and quite a few arguments, a new solution was proposed: a Bill …show more content…
Each sentence holds a certain importance because each decision and argument that Berkin describes is essential to understanding how one of the most important political documents in America came to be. Additionally, Berkin does not ignore the Anti Federalist presence in these arguments; however, there is no hesitation in making her negative opinion of their thoughts obvious. Due to the fact that the goal of this book is to make citizens aware of such an overlooked but important document in American history, Carol Berkin succeeded flawlessly. Her effectiveness allowed for full persuasion and attention while reading. Although the final outcome is already known, there is still a sense of urgency to see what happened in those meeting rooms. Carol Berkin uses her knowledge and access to resources to retell a tale significant to the success of American politics after a period of vulnerability. Any American citizen who is interested in politics should read this book. The clashing of ideas in the past is strikingly similar to those of the present day, and it is documents like the Bill of Rights that provide a focus and backbone for discussion. Thanks to Carol Berkin, this brilliant piece of writing introduces the ten amendments from which we base our civil liberties. The incisive nature of the writing in this book furthers the understanding and appreciation of American
The bill of rights is a popular document that was not originally in the US constitution, but anti federalists wanted a bill of rights really bad because supposedly they were afraid of a strong central government. They did not want another king so some states refused the constitution until there was a bill of rights. Along with being afraid of a central government they wanted a limited government so that government could not control them. The anti federalists also thought the government would not protect their individual rights enough so they wanted a bill of rights.
The Constitution of the United States was made through compromises that not everyone agreed on but they came to an agreement on what they thought it should be. Before all of the fifty states were founded there was not a Bill of Rights, it was not until the new government was up and running before the Bill of Rights was added. The reason for this was that the framers of the constitution did not realize that the Bill of Rights was necessary to have at the time. A certainly important choice that was made was how our government was to be
James Madison presents the Bill of Rights to the First Federal Congress on June 8, 1789 (Primary Documents 1). The First Federal Congress then suggests the twelve amendments to the constitution to their state legislatures (Constitutional Politics in Ohio 1). The very first two articles weren't authorizing. Articles three through twelve were amended on December 15, 1791 (Constitutional Politics in Ohio 1). This was called The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights became the very first ten amendments to the United States Constitution (Primary Documents 1). Which means the powers delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited because of it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or even to the
A quote from Thomas Jefferson said that "a bill of rights is what a people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse or rest on inference (Schweikart)." One would think that Jefferson was a wise man for saying this. His words were powerful. Many people felt this way and the American people did not want a corrupt government that was only for the rich. During the writing of the bill of right there were the Federalist and the anti-federalist the two were in disagreement of whether the ten amendments should be added. The Federalist felt as if the constitution was already completed and nothing should be added, although the anti federalist felt that the people’s rights should be set in stone, and some things needed to be added to the constitution to reassure the people. The anti Federalist wanted to change the wording of the United States Constitution. The Federalist disagreed and said that no one had the right to change the United States constitution and that the bills should be reviewed and added on to the constitution. “The House voted to accept the Bill of Rights on September 24, 1789, with the Senate concurring the following day. (Bingham)" The bill of rights was there to ensure that the people followed the rules and that the government could not invade their rights. “Apparently, the first 10 amendments officially became part of the Constitution with their ratification by Virginia in late
Back in the year of 1791, when our grand country was at the tender age of fifteen, two gentlemen gathered together to form a written document that would protect their newly attained freedom. These written principles, later know as the Bill of Rights, were penned primarily by George Mason and James Madison. The Founding Fathers of the American public’s home country. It is interesting to note that not only were these two men the authors of Bill of Rights but were also successful in their own careers too. George Mason, a prospering planter in the state of Virginia and James Madison a graduate of the College of New Jersey, known as present day Princeton. Madison was a lawyer by trade, but was driven with a profound interest in ministry. They came together to compose one of the greatest treasures in the nation’s history: the Bill of Rights. In this written expository, this author will be discussing the first of the ten of these amendments: the amendment that guarantees Americans the freedom of Speech. The necessity of free speech and the important values it contains is a main foundation for this country, therefore, Rosenblatt 's argument for the freedom of “expression” is valid because it certifies our right to speak freely, form an opinion, and exercise the correct function of democracy while on American soil.
When the original Articles of Confederation was drafted in 1777, a bill of rights was considered unnecessary. The U.S government was not considered a single national government, but an alliance of independent states. Since the national government has no power to restrict people’s rights, there was no need for laws to prevent it from doing so. During the Constitutional Convention of 1787 the Constitution was passed without a bill of rights. When the constitution was sent to the states for ratification, a debate broke out between the Federalists, who supported a strong national government, and the Anti-Federalists, who supported retaining the spirit of the Articles of Confederation . Although the constitution was passed without a bill of rights, some Anti-Federalists felt that that it would be worthwhile to specifically protect through constitutional amendments such individual rights as free speech, religious exercise, and jury trials. Thomas Jefferson who sided with Anti-Federalists on this matter, sent a letter in 1789 to James Madison to pass the bill of rights . Madison submitted a draft of his proposed bill of rights several months later, and Congress passed it modified version by the end of the year. After ratification by the states, the Final Bill of Rights consisted of ten amendments that covered a wide range of topics, guaranteeing citizens individual rights such as freedom of speech and religious liberty and protecting them from excessive bail, unwarranted searches,
The first ten amendments to the constitution make up the Bill of Rights. These amendments were written by James Madison in response to the call for individual liberties. Madison was a member of the United States House of Representatives. He went through the Constitution line by line making changes that he thought they were most needed. Several Representatives, led by Roger Sherman, said that Congress had no authority to make the change to the Constitution. Madison’s changes were added as lists of amendments that would follow Article VII. The Bill of Rights lists the specific liberties that can’t be prohibited by the United States government. This document starts out with the Virginia Declaration of Right, written by George Mason, this document
The U.S Constitution, famously known for establishing America’s national government and providing fundamental laws assuring citizens certain basic fundamental rights was a milestone in our countries beginning. In today’s society, especially with all the turmoil happening between people and governing bodies the rights which the Constitution provides is saving many Americans from being treated poorly or as most would say “unconstitutionally.” The Constitution is simply one of the most distinct and brilliant documents to ever see the light of day. Although some may have little to no knowledge of the Constitution, it
In 1791, a vital document for the United States of America was written. The Bill of Rights. James Madison fulfilled the Anti-Federalists wishes by adding a list of rights to the constitution in order for the document to be ratified. The Bill of Rights addresses rights and freedoms which were violated under British rule. Although all 10 amendments are important, I have analyzed each one and ranked their importance. In 1791, some amendments would seem more important than others due to the recent events from the Revolution. Each amendment is relevant in its own way but some are exercised more than others by individuals in the United States. The first amendment of the Bill of Rights is the most important amendment.
To summarize the amendments were made to protect the people’s rights and were added to the constitution in 1791. James Madison helped write the first draft, but it was Thomas Jefferson’s idea to have a Bill of Rights. Many more people agreed to have the Constitution when the Bill of Rights was added. There are still more amendments being added to the Constitution from this day, but the ten first amendments will always be the basic rights of the people and be known as the Bill of Rights.They will always be applied to our form of government.
The United States Constitution was constructed from a set of rules, also known as amendments. These were written with the intention of securing the basic rights of all United States citizens. It usually serves as an outline for the laws of the land by dictating the powers of the people and what is acceptable under the watch of the United States government. The history behind these amendments began in 1789 when it was proposed and drafted by James Madison. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as part of the first ten amendments contained in the Bill of Rights. (History.com Staff 2009)
Constitution was not an easy one, especially since the Anti-Federalist opposed it. The Anti-Federalists believed that the Constitution would lead to tyranny because it was written by people in the highest social class, commonly known as aristocrats. They knew the Constitution included nothing about certain freedoms of the people and they wanted that sense of security. According to American Government and Politics Today, “They [Anti-Federalists] wanted to include a list of guaranteed liberties, or a bill of rights” (Bardes, Shelley, and Schmidt, 1985, p. 47). In effect, James Madison began to draft what is known today as the Bill of
Despite two years of heated debate between federalists and anti-federalists, the Constitution was adopted in 1789 without the bill of rights; however, the terms of ratification issued by several states, including Virginia, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, required an unwritten understanding that the ratified Constitution would quickly be amended to include such a bill. James Madison, once a champion of the federalist cause, was the first to propose a bill of rights to the Congress. Of the twelve amendments he proposed, the Congress accepted and incorporated ten into the Constitution. Since admission into the Constitution, the role of those amendments has changed drastically.
The Bill of Rights it’s made up from the first 10 amendments. Out of a total of 27 amendments, which the house approved 17 amendments and out of these, the senate approved 12 amendments and these amendments were send out to the states for approval at the end 10 amendments out of these 12 amendments were approved and they are now known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights indicates all the exact preventions on governmental power. The main point of a bill of rights was to prevent the contention between federalists and anti-federalists, which give out specific limits on government power. The main difference between federalists and
The Bill of Rights, written by James Madison, was created after the constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788. Originally 12 amendments were approved for the Bill of Rights by congress but the first two were not ratified. Those 10 amendments finally became ratified on December 15, 1791 and placed into effective on the same day. The Bill of Rights are the first 10 amendments in the United States Constitution that are set in place to protect citizens and their natural born rights. It was drafted in New York City before the first proposal to congress on June 8, 1789. The Bill of Rights is essentially the first step that was taken by the people to amend the constitution. The first two amendments that’s didn’t become ratified were amendments that