1791 was the year everything changed in the American government. The Bill of Rights was an important addition to the Constitution and was the very reason for its ratification. It clearly states the rights that American citizens have and it is the duty of the government to enforce these rights. However, even with the Bill of Rights, more amendments have been needed over the course of our history. The Constitution has changed with the times.
Before this, the colonists were never really trusted this much and just about everyone did not have a problem with the Bill of Rights. It benefited the safety and the colonist’s livelihood in general like they had never felt before. Some historians believe that the Bill of Rights was one of the most important factors in being able to legitimately call America the “land of the free”. The Bill of Rights also played a large role in establishing governmental policies and laws which outline our way of life even today. The Bill of Rights is still in effect today and will hopefully always be, just as our founding fathers meant for them
The feds wanted to ratify it because they liked it, but they wanted to make it better. . The Anti feds wanted a Bill of Rights because they wanted it to protect people’s rights, the feds thought they didn’t need one. When they ratified they thought that it would be better and create a better government for them and the people.. I know this because in doc 7 it says, “To reach an agreement which allowed all states to ratify. James madison added bill of rights to constitution.”
Hence Federalists came up with the Bill of Rights as a way to get the Constitution ratified and for people to really see a needed change. The Bill Of Rights which lists specific prohibitions on governmental power, lead the Anti-Federalists to be less fearful of the new Constitution . This guaranteed that the people would still remain to have rights, but the strong central government that the country needed would have to be approved. The 1804 Map of the nation shows that even after the ratification of the United States Constitution there still continued to be “commotion” and dispute in the country.(Document 8) George Washington stated that the people should have a say in the nation and government and everything should not be left to the government to decide.(Document 3) Although George Washington was a Federalist many believed he showed a point of view that seemed to be Anti-Federalists. Many believed that The Bill of Rights needed to be changed and modified and a new document’s time to come into place.
Constitution was created to lay the foundation of laws in the newly formed United States of America in 1787. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Thomas Paine, and John Adams all wrote the Constitution with one common goal of all men receiving right to the natural freedoms of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These were all rights that could not be infringed upon; they were the core principles of a nation that arose above previous colonial oppressions. The framers, when creating the Constitution, had to make sure that every individual voice was being heard and that laws were made in a fair, orderly manner. Today, the Constitution continues to be the overarching law of the United States, and even its framers might not necessarily agree with some of its modern-day interpretations.
The initial lack of a Bill of Rights was the chief objection of the antifederalist[footnoteRef:8] The antifederalist were concerned over local control of civil liberties. However, Federalist insisted the because the Constitution gave the federal government only certain delegated powers, a Bill of Rights was not needed.[footnoteRef:9] Additionally, federalist argued that enumerating individual rights could be dangerous because it may be interpreted as a comprehensive list, thus forfeiting unmentioned rights.[footnoteRef:10] Eventually, the Bill of Rights was adopted and ratified. However, the Bill of Rights was not as comprehensive as Thomas Jefferson had proposed.[footnoteRef:11]
On September 17, 1787 the Constitution was written. This event is also known as the Constitutional Convention. The Anti-Federalists and the Federalists, had different views on the Constitution, the Federalists had wanted the Constitution to be ratified with limited power of the government. Where as the Anti-Federalists had not wanted the Constitution to be ratified and wanted a compromise for this problem. For this conflict to have a compromise this is where the Bill of Rights came in.
There was a division among the people as to whether or not individual rights should be included in the Constitution. The Anti-Federalist did not want a strong centralized government. Others wanted the guarantee of a written document that protected the freedoms they had fought so hard to earn. The Bill of Rights was designed to protect the right citizens believed belonged to them.
In Document I they are taking out the Bill of Rights and putting that information elsewhere and enter information that doesn’t need to be in the Constitution. One of Thomas Jefferson's group leaders has sent a copy of his work and he noticed that he took out one part of information that needs to be in The Constitution. Without the Bill of Right the people will turn against their government. Thomas Jefferson said a complaint to his friend and wanted to know why he took out the Bill of Rights. With the Bill of Rights the people are under control because they accept what is written and why they look up to the Bill of Rights.
Civil liberties are defined as “the personal guarantees and freedoms that the government cannot abridge by law, constitution, or judicial interpretation.” Civil liberties incorporate specific rights such as the right to free speech, press, assembly, and petition contained in the First Amendment. The United States Constitution or more specifically the Bill of Rights is the foundation for the impartment and preservation of civil liberties in America. The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten Amendments of the United States Constitution, these Amendments guarantee an individual with basic rights and liberties that will not be infringed upon by the government.
The Anti-Federalist were correct that the Bill of Rights was necessary to guard citizens from tyranny. Anti-Federalist wanted to have a limited government to protect against tyranny because to much power in one hand could limit the right to the people. To prevent this a constitution was created to divide power and keep the government in check. The constitution was a document that states and the government acknowledge and with hold. Although this happened the Anti-Federalist argue that the Bill of Rights were need to safeguard the liberty of the people, but Federalist argued that the constitution did not need a Bill of Rights because the people and the stares kept any power not given to the federal government.
Thomas Jefferson once wrote to James Madison: "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth" seeing that some Federalist was skeptical of the idea of listing rights. James Madison called it "parchment barrier" but regardless of his skepticism the declaration of rights was added to the US Constitution13. Initially, some amendments proposed by Madison were rejected including his "proposal to extend free speech protections to the States. " What followed were debates over spelling out what constituted the Bill of Rights, especially the "due process of law" preserved under the 14th Amendment. However, it was not until in 1925, in Gitlow vs. New York, 268 U.S. 652, did the US Supreme Court found
The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. It was created to protect certain rights that were not obviously granted and protected in the Constitution. It does this extremely well. Philosopher John Locke spoke about how the people feared a government that was too powerful, they did not want a tyranny. They had just escaped the rule of King George and the English monarchy and they wanted a system of government with limited power.
The Bill of Rights represents the first ten amendments of the U.S Constitution. The First and Fourth amendment does protect the citizen privacy, however it does not regulate the choice of medical care. The Supreme Court has overruled the Obama care in which has made a decision of making every citizen must have health care or will be subject to a penalty on their annual tax and by 2016 the fine is $695 per adult or 2.5 percent of annual income whichever is greater. The Bill of Rights does not regulate the citizen of free exercise of health care nor the decision to suicidal.
The constitution and the Bill of Rights have made drastic changes in how this country has developed over these short years. The people on both sides of the arguments have their own opinions. The antifederalists are not use to equal rights. They want one ruler and no equality. The federalists want the
