Was the Bill of Rights Necessary
In 1787, a group of men got together in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation under which the United States had been operating. When the Constitutional Convention decided to propose a federal government instead, they faced the enormous challenge of persuading the American people to accept the central government they had learned to distrust and fear. Many were hesitant to give up the Confederation that helped bring them through the American Revolution that brought them freedom from a great tyrant. Because of this, a great debate arouse between the federalists and the anti-federalists. The great question became, Is a bill of rights necessary? Without it, the United States constitution would have never lasted. Contrary to popular opinion, the United States Constitution does not give any rights to the people. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, a man's rights are given to him by his creator. The constitution merely exists to limit and restrain government powers. Publius states in Federalist 84, "Here, in strictness, the people surrender nothing; and as they retain every thing they have no need of particular reservations." (Publius, 1787, 8). Federalists believed that the bill of rights was not needed to pr
People have been given certain fundamental rights. No one, not even government has the right to take those rights away. Furthermore, no one has the right to make the people feel insecure in their liberties. The American people in 1787 had every reason to demand a bill of rights in their constitution. They had been stepped on so many times before; it was necessary to get them to trust a strong central government again. The bill of rights did so much to help unite the country, which is what it needed. In 1787, it is obvious the American people were in need of a bill of rights. What about today though? Do the American people still need that list of fundamental rights? Would our constitution adequately protect our liberty without it? What about freedom of the press, speech, and expression? Americans are free to read, write, or say anything they want. As free people, they can express themselves without oppression. The reason is not that government officials are devoted to the exercise of these rights. Many would probably love to shut some people up. It is because our founding fathers knew that because of the nature of man, they would not have such devotion. Through the bill of rights, they protected us from restriction. otect the people's rights and that the constitution was a bill of rights in itself (Publius, 1787, 12). Why forbid someone to do something, if they have no power to do it in the first place? It is also important to remember that the Bill of Rights limits one of the great problems of majority rule found in democracy. Suppose that the majority of Americans thought everyone should be required to attend church. Thanks to the bill of rights, they would be kept from passing such a law. Americans have right to practice religion freely. In this
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Approximate Word count = 1192
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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