In honor of National Bill of Rights Day (December 15), a guest post by historian and author Tony Williams.
James Madison and Bill of Rights Day
On June 8, 1789, during the First Congress, Representative James Madison arose on the floor of the House and made a speech introducing amendments that would come to be known as the Bill of Rights.
Madison had previously thought the Bill of Rights was unnecessary.
And yet, during an exchange with Thomas Jefferson, Madison started to change his mind and admitted that a bill of rights could help the liberties become ingrained in the American character.
Madison began his June 8 speech by appealing to the spirit of compromise: “We ought not to disregard their inclination, but, on principles of amity and moderation, conform to their wishes, and expressly declare the great rights of mankind secured under this constitution.”
Madison teaches us a lesson about moderation.
“If we can make the constitution better in the opinion of those who are opposed to it, without weakening its frame, or abridging its usefulness, in the judgment of those who are attached to it, we act the part of wise and liberal men.”
Madison became the “Father of the Bill of Rights” as he skillfully guided the amendments through the Congress during the summer of 1789. Virginia became the last state to ratify on December 15, 1791.
This Bill of Rights Day affords Americans an opportunity to reflect on the basis of their rights and their form of government as well as the compromise and spirit of moderation that enabled them to protect their inalienable rights.
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Tony Williams is Senior Teaching Fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute, and author of Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America and Hamilton: An American Biography. You can also follow him on Facebook.
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