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On June 8, 1789, Representative James Madison introduced a series of proposed amendments to the newly ratified U.S. Constitution. That summer the House of Representatives debated Madison’s proposal, and on August 24 the House passed 17 amendments to be added to the Constitution.Aug 13, 2020
Thomas Jefferson was the principal drafter of the Declaration and James Madison of the Bill of Rights; Madison, along with Gouverneur Morris and James Wilson, was also one of the principal architects of the Constitution. … (The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights.)
James Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution because of his pivotal role in the document’s drafting as well as its ratification. Madison also drafted the first 10 amendments — the Bill of Rights.
James Madison (1751–1836), the chief author of the Bill of Rights and thus of the First Amendment, was the foremost champion of religious liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press in the Founding Era.
George Washington, for example, presided over the Convention. James Madison, also present, wrote the document that formed the model for the Constitution. Other U.S. Founding Fathers were not there, but made significant contributions in other ways.
Hamilton didn’t support the addition of a Bill of Rights because he believed that the Constitution wasn’t written to limit the people. It listed the powers of the government and left all that remained to the states and the people.
84, Alexander Hamilton warned that a bill of rights could even be dangerous, because defining certain rights vaguely would leave them subject to misinterpretation or violation, where previously no such power had existed. Moreover, some important rights would be left out and therefore endangered.
The Constitution (Article V) provides that amendments can be proposed either by Congress, with a two-thirds vote of both houses, or by a national convention requested by two-thirds of the state legislatures.
Many of the major Founding Fathers owned numerous slaves, such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Others owned only a few slaves, such as Benjamin Franklin. And still others married into large slave-owning families, such as Alexander Hamilton.
Constitution of India | |
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Author(s) | B. N. Rau Constitutional Advisor to the Constituent Assembly B. R. Ambedkar Chairman of the Drafting Committee Surendra Nath Mukherjee Chief Draftsman of the Constituent Assembly and other members of Constituent Assembly |
Signatories | 284 members of the Constituent Assembly |
Commonwealth of Australia Constitution | |
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Author(s) | Constitutional Conventions, 1891 and 1897-98 |
Signatories | Queen Victoria |
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 | |
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Author(s) | Constitutional Assembly |
Signatories | President Nelson Mandela |
Supersedes | Interim Constitution |
James Madison and other supporters of the Constitution argued that a bill of rights wasn’t necessary because – “the government can only exert the powers specified by the Constitution.” But they agreed to consider adding amendments when ratification was in danger in the key state of Massachusetts.
“Alexander joins forces with James Madison and John Jay to write a series of essays defending the new United States Constitution, entitled The Federalist Papers… In the end, they wrote eighty-five essays, in the span of six months. John Jay got sick after writing five.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal. . . .” “it is the great parent of science & of virtue: and that a nation will be great in both, always in proportion as it is free.” “our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”
John Quincy Adams > Quotes. “Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.” “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone.” “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of …
By December 15, 1791, when Virginia ratified the Bill of Rights and made it an official part of the Constitution, Jefferson had finally bested Hamilton in this particular rap battle.
Federalists argued that the Constitution did not need a bill of rights, because the people and the states kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty.
James Madison | |
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Political party | Democratic-Republican |
Spouse(s) | Dolley Todd ( m. 1794) |
Children | John Payne Todd (adopted) |
Parents | James Madison Sr. Nelly Madison |
Summary—Debts of Congress
The United States takes full financial responsibility for all the debts accrued and money borrowed under the authority of the Second Continental Congress during the American Revolution. The United States solemnly pledges to repay all these debts.