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Bill of rights and its importance
Study notes, bill of rights
The bill of rights
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The United States Constitution was created to define the powers and limitations of the government. It replaced the Articles of the Confederation, and was ratified by all 13 states in 1787 (American Government, n.d.). The ratification of the Constitution was not without opposition, and the government was split into two groups: federalists, and anti-federalists. The federalist group believed that a national governing body, ruled by the elite class was necessary. Antifederalists, on the other hand, believed that state governments should have more say, and that the government should be run by ordinary people (American Government, n.d.).
When talk of the Constitution arises it is understandable that colonists were weary of a government that would have that much power after they worked so hard to break away from Great Britain. The Federalists firmly believed that the Constitution would strengthen the Federal union and not give too much power to the central
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.
The Bill of Rights was another topic the Federalists discussed. In a political system where government authority is derived from the people, adding the Bill of Rights “might afford the pretext for the government to claim power if it doesn’t have on the ground. ” It would provide protection against powers that have not been granted. In addition, Federalists argued the liberties listed in the Bill of Rights were included in the guarantee of habeas corpus, and prohibition of ex post facto laws. To adopt these provisions, states ratified the
It took the convincing of the Anti-Federalists to explain how the Constitution gave too much power to the central government and did not state the rights and freedoms of the people, therefore lacking a Bill of Rights. The Federalists agreed to a Bill of Rights, and later the Constitution was ratified with nine out of thirteen votes on June 21 of 1788. Soon after the Constitution was ratified, the separation of powers was understood in the United States government. The separation of powers separated each branch of government.
The Federalists wanted a strong central government. The Anti- Federalists claims Constitution gives the central government too much power and, and they worried about the new constitution will not give them any rights. That the new system threatened freedom; Also, threatened the sovereignty of the states and personal liberties; failed to protect individual rights. Besides, some of famous peoples such as " Patrick Henry" and artists have came out against the Constitution. Although the anti-Federalists were unsuccessful in stopping the passage of the Constitution, their efforts have been responsible for the creation and implementation of the Bill of
In the process of forming the Bill of Rights, nine out of thirteen states formed the Federalist document that supported ratification of the Bill of Rights. The Federalist document had clauses 10 and 51, which supported a better relationship between the government and the society. President Madison spearheaded the ratification and encouraged the citizens that the large size of America was a blessing for peaceful co-existence, not the rivalry. However, Anti-Federalists still emerged to oppose the unity and the central government. Despite, the opposition, all the parties supported the Bill of Rights and saw it as the only way to achieve liberty.
The Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791 written by James Madison. The Bill of Rights was written and added into the Constitution in order to protect the rights of the citizens. The Bill of Rights was added into the Constitution by a compromise between the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists. Federalists were citizens who supported the new Constitution. While Anti-Federalists were another group of citizens who were scared to have another king or a abusive government, basically did not support the Constitution.
In 1787 a Constitutional Convention was held to revise the Articles of Confederation (AOC). Instead of revising the AOC, they created a brand new constitution. During the convention, several new plans of government were proposed. At the convention, there were two plans. The Virginia plan was the big state plan and called for a bicameral legislature based on population.
Washington was inaugurated in 1789, making him the first president of the United States. In 1790, there were approximately 4 million Americans, twenty five percent from New England. Most farmers agreed that slaves were impractical, since there was barely any farming to be done. The termination of slavery in New England, commenced in the 1780’s because of the fact that most New Englanders believed it was conflicting with their natural rights philosophy. The most religiously diverse sector of the U.S. is in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The Federalists believe that there is no need for a Bill of Rights to be written in the Constitution. Unalienable rights, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, and all rights and responsibilities were already spelled out in detail in the Constitution. By creating a Bill of Rights, it would put too much power in the hands of the states; which would just create another confederacy type of government with little power to act. If each state had its own government, they would be very weak and they would probably be eliminated within a year.
51, 1787, p 4). This indicates how much passion existed in the sentiment of the people at the time and how important it was in the big picture of things, that all parts of government were accounted for their actions. The constitution was created with the use of the federalists papers. The same constitution is used by our government today.
The Anti- Federalists claimed the Constitution gave the central government an excessive amount of power, and while not a Bill of Rights the folks would be in danger of oppression. Both Hamilton and Madison argued that the Constitution did not want a Bill of Rights, that it might produce a "parchment barrier" that restricted the rights of the folks, as critical protective
In May of 1787, Congress agreed that a Constitutional Convention was urgent for the sole purpose of creating a superior and further united nation. Though there were many disagreements among the thirteen delegates, together they made sure rights were given to the citizens of our nation and agreed that the foundation of the United States should be based on freedom. Throughout the years, our country has also fought to give others, such as women and African Americans, equal rights. Freedom is something that everyone wishes to have, but only some are fortunate to possess.
As citizens of the United States of America, I believe that we have the right to think for ourselves. For example, in the communist country China, the country regulates the media by claiming that the media will expose state secrets and endanger the country. By doing this, it prevents the citizens of that country to think for themselves by restricting what they can read, watch and hear. As Americans, we also have the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the US constitution and guaranteeing rights for the citizens of the country. Specifically, the First Amendment that guarantees the freedoms of religion, assembly, press, peace and speech.