Bill Of Rights Dbq

895 Words4 Pages
When 55 state representatives met in Philadelphia on 1787, they all had the intention of transforming the entire system of government. The Philadelphia convention soon created the Constitution, a document designed to create a government more effective than the weak Articles of Confederation. However many citizens, especially the anti-federalists, soon demanded the Bill of Rights in order to ratify the constitution. The Bill of Rights is an American document that describes and protects peoples’ liberties. Freedoms such as facing trial by jury, freedom of speech, and the right to bear arms were individual rights highly valued by the Americans, stemming back from the colonial period when the British chose to oppress such rights. However it is…show more content…
The Bill of Rights was written to protect such freedoms, and it included such as the freedom of speech and the press by Amendment I, freedom to bear arms by Amendment II, and the freedom to trial by jury by Amendment IV. James Madison also added a ninth amendment that guaranteed protection of all human liberties, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” (Bill). This Amendment reassures the public that the rights of individuals are not just limited by the Bill of Rights. These basic human rights were long denied to the American citizens during the colonial days, when the British rulers exploited their individual liberties for economic benefit and dominance. Such oppressive regimes such as the British have put the Americans on high alert on matters of governing their nation. When transitioning from an old government to a radically new one, precautions must be taken to ensure that American freedom will maintain its position, resulting in the creation of the Bill of…show more content…
The Bill of Rights however granted the states power that the Federal government did not possess: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” (Bill). Amendment X states that powers neither supported nor forbidden belong to the States. This amendment gives the U.S. states a type of sovereignty that stands unique from the U.S. government, as the federal government is bound by the Constitution, no matter how loosely or strictly one can interpret it. Fear ran through American citizens as they considered the possibility of the federal government exercising its powers to strip state powers, but the Bill of Rights prevented such ordeals from
Open Document