Posted on 12/15/2005 4:28:46 AM PST by mainepatsfan
This Day In History | General Interest
BILL OF RIGHTS BECOMES LAW: December 15, 1791
Following ratification by the state of Virginia, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, become the law of the land.
In September 1789, the first Congress of the United States approved 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. The amendments were designed to protect the basic rights of U.S. citizens, guaranteeing the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and exercise of religion; the right to fair legal procedure and to bear arms; and that powers not delegated to the federal government would be reserved for the states and the people.
Influenced by the English Bill of Rights of 1689, the Bill of Rights was also drawn from Virginia's Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason in 1776. Mason, a native Virginian, was a lifelong champion of individual liberties, and in 1787 he attended the Constitutional Convention and criticized the final document for lacking constitutional protection of basic political rights. In the ratification struggle that followed, Mason and other critics agreed to support the Constitution in exchange for the assurance that amendments would be passed immediately.
On December 15, 1791, Virginia became the 10th of 14 states to approve 10 of the 12 amendments, thus giving the Bill of Rights the two-thirds majority of state ratification necessary to make it legal. Of the two amendments not ratified, the first concerned the population system of representation, while the second prohibited laws varying the payment of congressional members from taking effect until an election intervened. The first of these two amendments was never ratified, while the second was finally ratified more than 200 years later, in 1992.
still valid....if you do business with a stamp dealer they often cover a package with these old stamps
Too bad they didn't survive. Not to mention the ninnies who think that the BoR actually lists the only rights we have.
Not to mention the ninnies who think that the BoR only applies to the US government, and that State & local governments are free to infringe on any rights we have.
Amen to both of those. Amazing how many people are ignorant of what the Bill of Rights actually says....
I guess maybe we should still be thankful they aren't quartering troops in our homes.
I'd celebrate if there were any left.
New Jersey was the first state to ratify the Bill of Rights on November 20, 1789.
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Georgia were the last of the original 13 states to ratify, not doing so until 1939.
The worst part is many of them can be found right here, and they call themselves "conservatives".
The Annual Bill of Rights Day Celebration in Colorado will be different this year.
It will be at
Johnson's Corner in the conference Room
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Dinner will begin at 6:00 p.m.
Followed by Speakers
Dinner will be from the Johnson's Corner wonderful menu on separate checks.
Join Freedom Loving Patriots for an evening of Fellowship.
For more information and a recap of years past go here
http://www.lovelandnet.com/bord/
If you would like to give a short talk or set up a table contact Tom Buchanan
970-667-6269 or email me at minuteman05@msn.com
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