The American Civil Liberties Union

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.

A key contentious issue was that the constitution had outlined the rights and the functions of the government but did not outline the rights of the people. The Federalists argued that by outlining the bill of rights, they could be interpreted as the only rights an individual should have according to the constitution. On the other hand, the Antifederalists position was that lack of a bill of rights in the constitution could lead to tyranny since the government had not established the boundaries it could not violate among the people. Print publication in newspapers was

The Anti-federalists opposed the Constitution because they believed it did not secure their rights and gave the government too much power. (2) Patrick Henry, an Anti-federalist from Virginia said that the constitution took away the states rights to be individual and to make separate decisions as well. (4) The Federalists saw the Anti-federalists complaint and realized that in order for the Constitution to be passed, they would need a Bill of Rights. (6) This Bill of Rights would give rights to the people and the states. 12 amendments were submitted for ratification by congress, but the states only ratified 10 of them. They became know as the Bill of Rights which made most

Federalism is a fervently debated idea in which two parties, the Federalists, and the Anti-Federalists, argue whether or not the Constitution should be ratified. The main writers of the Federalists Papers include three Founding Fathers by the names of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. The Federalists wrote of the need for a strong central government and a constitution, however, the Anti-Federalists sought for a guarantee of freedom with a Bill of Rights. The Constitution required a Bill of Rights in order to limit the large authoritative power of central government and to protect the voice of the common man from oppression. Federalist Paper Number 84, written, by Alexander Hamilton, focused on the concept of a Constitution and the containment of a Bill

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

When the first ten amendments were added to the Constitution, they were planned to shield the public from the national government and not the states. States had their individual constitutions, and their laws only had to comply with their constitution. The founders of our country were very concerned about creating too powerful of a centralized government that might overstep on the given civil liberties of the public. As a protection of individual liberties, the Bill of Rights was formed. The Bill of Rights contains the first ten amendments of the Constitution and protect and preserve inalienable rights against abuse by the federal government.

In debate of the ratification of the Constitution, the Federalists and the Anti- Federalists agreed on several things: the necessity of some form of national government, the preservation of the right to vote, and the need to secure our liberties. The Federalists wanted a strong central government, whereas the Anti- Federalists wanted more power reserved to the state government. The right to vote is important for both sides, but they hold conflicting views on the amount of involvement through the power of the vote. Finally, individual rights is something that they both strongly agree upon, but where it should be officially held in our documents presents a huge conflict. Between Federalists and Anti- Federalists, there is an understanding in the importance of these matters, however each side has different interpretations in mind.

"Throughout the years the constitution and the laws have made a tremendous impact in society. White men were privileged with all their rights since they were born. Women and men of color however were not, and they had to fight for their rights throughout the years. The Articles of confederation showed how the states had more power than the government did. In document two it states, “ urging to reject conservative attempts to repeal a law that set in motion an end to slavery.” (E,126) This shows how African American’s had to wait many years for laws to pass and give them freedom. They had the same rights as the White men after the 13th,14th, and 15th amendments were passed. Women had to wait longer and finally got their right to vote when

The Anti-Federalists believed that a strong central government would decrease the rights of the common people, and would not protect the rights of citizens. In Document 1, a Massachusetts farmer explains that the new constitution would decrease involvement of the common people in government, leaving it to be run by wealthy and highly educated men. The Anti-Federalists wanted all people to be involved in government, rather than a selected elite few. The Anti-Federalists also rallied against the establishment of a standing military. As said in Document 2, a military could easily exercise force to quiet those with concerns involving the government, and that the ideas of being free and peaceful do not involve a standing army. Perhaps one of the biggest concerns of the Anti-Federalists, was that there was nothing in the constitution that protected the rights of the people. Thomas Jefferson supported parts of the new constitution, but disliked that there was no Bill of Rights in the document. Jefferson wrote in a letter to James Madison saying “...Let me add that a bill of rights is what the people are entitled to….” (Doc 6). Jefferson believe that the people should have this Bill of Rights in the constitution to protect their personal freedoms and beliefs. With that he fully supported the ratification of the new

5. Federalists argued against a bill of rights since the Constitution guaranteed freedoms such as habeas corpus, no bill of attainder, no ex post facto law, trial by jury, privileges and immunities, no religious tests, and obligation to contracts

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

The Bill of Rights and the 14th amendment are very important aspects of our government and the way it functions. The Bill of Rights, or the first ten amendments, was ratified in 1791. The 14th amendment was ratified 77 years later, in 1868. Thesel 11 amendments were created to protect the rights of the people. Before the Constitution was ratified, the anti-federalists demanded a Bill of Rights be attached. Afraid of the government gaining too much power like Britain had before, the anti-federalists would not support the Constitution until a Bill of Rights was guaranteed. Eventually, the Founding Fathers ensured the people that a Bill of Rights would be added directly after the Constitution was ratified. James Madison wrote the list of ten amendments

They had been in love with the thought of liberty and believed foreseen rights for man would be good for man’s nature. Knowingly experiencing tyranny from the grand countries, the Fathers constructed the Constitution very carefully in order to avoid tyranny and a government for the people, by the people, and of the people would be developed. The First Amendment was created to ensure that the government would not and could not interfere with American citizens basic civil rights. Being that this Amendment was so important, many states refused to approve such documents as the Constitution until there were amendments that would protect people’s rights in the future. The Founding Fathers made the constitution to where eventually even in today’s days it would protect the rights of American citizens. There is always leeway with in the amendments to where not only does it protect the people of the past, but it protects the

The people are the basis for any power that the federal government preserves and must always protect those who empower them. The written Constitution they created was not to define the rights of the people, but to limit the powers the national government would hold over the people. The Constitution would create a National government that would create a strong federal government, while safeguarding the rights of the people, and conserving checks on power it holds. The framers did not believe in cataloging individual rights in the constitution. They believed it would be threatening to define the rights that the people hold. Alexander Hamilton specifically believed that the Constitution had no power to infringe on the natural rights that all people have. However, the Bill of Rights was created from a compromise and thus, created the first ten amendments to the Constitution. These rights listed protections from the National government. These rights have proven to be security against the federal governments use of an enumerated power that they might hold. It is important for this very reason to have a written Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution. It does not define what rights the people hold, it defines what the government is entrusted to protect: the people. It is for this reason that I agree that the Bill of Rights was necessary to be written in the

The First Amendment, (the entire Bill of Rights) was not included in the Constitution when it was written 1787. Those supporting the Constitution argued that many state constitutions already protected individual rights and that the failure to list the rights did not mean that they did not exist as natural rights, beyond government authority. Viewing the consequences that could happen and conflict it may stir many officials decided that it was fair to truly go over the matter and sort out all of main focuses of the First