(Originally Published Saturday, December 31, 2011 – Blogger: One Daughter’s Point of View)
Before we leave this year behind and celebrate the new year with all the promises of new beginnings, I’d like to take a moment to remember a past promise made to us by the some of our founding fathers.
The Bill of Rights celebrated 220 years in existence this month. It was a birthday most hardly noticed, but represented the anniversary of the ratification of the the first amendments passed to our U.S. Constitution. Today – 220 years after ratification – these rights are quoted or exhibited on a daily basis in our deeds and actions in a modern society.
When the U.S. Constitution was presented to the colonies for ratification, one of the major criticisms of the anti-Federalists was that the document lacked the guarantee of certain rights loosely referred to as a Bill of Rights. Some argued that since related powers hadn’t expressly been granted to the government, then those rights existed under the new constitution. But leaders of the day such as Jefferson and Madison, agreed that it was important to specify these rights. Such actions would both specifically guarantee such rights and help facilitate the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Considered the primary author of the U.S. Constitution, it was important that Madison agree to the first set of amendments. The original proposal included 17 amendments; Congress passed 12; the states ratified 10 which are today known as the Bill of Rights with final ratification on December 15, 1791.
Today, we see these rights quoted on an almost daily basis – freedom of the press; rights related to unreasonable search and seizure; right to a trial by jury. We also see those rights those rights challenged with respect to how they are interpreted in the modern age with new global and domestic challenges. Yet, we continue to embrace these 220 year old rights.
What a legacy we have. Happy Birthday to the Bill of Rights!
For more information about the Bill of Rights, visit the U.S. Archives online at http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html.
A Robynn’s Chirps 