Revolution and Constitution

Introduction

The Bill of Rights (United States Bill of Rights) denotes the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. It limits the powers of the federal government gives rights such as freedom of the press, of speech, of religion, assembly, and bear arms. They were adopted by Congress September 26, 1789. They entered into force on 15 December 1791, after ratification by three fourths of the states. The Bill of Rights was drafted by James Madison and a special commission. Madison was probably influenced by the debates of the Assembly of Virginia and a booklet comprising the amendments proposed by the Federated States. It aimed to limit the powers of central government, but also to grant individual rights of U.S. citizens. It concerned only the federal government and not the Federated States (Willoughby & Westel, Pp.201-210).

The absence in the text of the Constitution of the United States of articles that guarantee civil rights, even in the early years of the American state has become a major topic of political differences, associated with a group and party interests. From the president, government and congress were expecting the promised another Constitutional Convention of the legal document that would guarantee citizens their rights and freedoms (Hall & Kermit, Pp.1032).

The draft Bill of Rights included 12 amendments, but Amendment, which establishes the formula for calculating the number of MPs in the House of Representatives on the results of the census, which would pass every ten years, was never ratified (though de facto the same principle applies today). The Second Amendment, which prohibits the entry into force the laws, change the size of salaries of Senators and Representatives before their re-election, entered into force only in 1992 and became the twenty-seventh amendment (Kelly & Alfred, Pp.105-121).

Discussion

At the end of the French and Indian war in 1763 contributed a new trouble to the colonies. The fiscal cost to England of fighting her settlements was enormous, and although the war was over, there remained a constant threat that the colonies could be attacked again (Kelly & Alfred, Pp.105-121). To defend the colonies and recover from her loses, the king of England, King George III, began imposing many forms of taxes and duties; he believed the colonies should bear the financial burden to defend them. The colonists did not believe the troops were doing them any service, and these troops only suppress the colonies, and collected the taxes that were repressive (Countryman & Edward, Pp. 169).

The Third Amendment prohibits the quartering of troops, while the Second Amendment preserves the right to bear arms. Elbridge Gerry, a Massachusetts delegate, was the leading advocate for these two amendments. He believed the right to defend himself, and that a militia would be the only thing that could keep the authorities from making a standing army (Burger 26). He believed that a standing army was used to persecute the individuals. Gerry had settled in his impressions we might be housing troops in our families and not having the right to protect ourselves ...