Who Wrote The Bill Of Rights ?
James Madison is the person who gets the credit for writing the Bill of Rights in the year 1789. He put forward twelve amendment proposals in the House of the First US Congress in the year 1789. Ten out of these twelve proposals were finally ratified by the states and made a part of the U.S. Constitution as the Bill of Rights in December, 1791. |
Thus, James Madison was undoubtedly the sole author of the Bill of Rights. However, as the writer of the proposals, there is some controversy and debate.
Although James Madison was the person who wrote the amendment proposals that now constitute the Bill of Rights, the idea of incorporating the fundamental rights of citizens in the Constitution was not his. It was his mentor, Thomas Jefferson, who convinced him to support the constitutional amendment and encouraged him to put forward the clauses listed in the First Amendment.
Jefferson’s ideas, in turn, were highly influenced by the philosophical works of John Locke and Cesare Beccaria, the two well-known philosophers from Europe. The Virginia Declaration of Rights by George Mason also had a significant influence on the concept of the Bill of Rights. George Mason is also therefore known as the Father of the Bill of Rights. Besides, the content and wordings of the Bill are thought to have originated from Magna Carta of 1215 CE. Thus, Madison was the one who wrote the Bill of Rights, but there were several ideologies and people involved behind the basic idea and the content of the amendment proposal.
Thus, while Madison was undoubtedly the one who wrote the First Amendment, it would be an overstatement to say that it was his original idea. He had presented the First Amendment proposal only to honor his mentor’s ideas and humor opponents in the House of Congress. What was more original was that a powerful and high-ranking person like Madison made an effort to stand by these provisions to get them permanently incorporated into the constitution.
More Articles :
|
