The Founding Fathers on rights: Comparing the Federalists’ and Anti-Federalists’ views on rights, and what ended up in the Bill of Rights.
In the year 1776, America was at the threshold of nationhood. There was debate and discussion about every aspect of this project because this new nation was a chance to change the things that the Founders disliked about the British rule. One of the divisive issues, was the necessity of the Bill of Rights. America was founded despite the fact that the colonies were made up of groups with very different views. Saul Cornell states, “Fear of centralized authority is deeply rooted in American History. The struggles over the U.S Constitution in 1788 pitted the Federalists, supporters of a stronger central government, …show more content…
While there was a consensus to become what Britain never allowed, free, whether a right was God-given or otherwise bestowed is not always agreed to. Leonard Levy states, “not only were liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness deeply linked in the thought of the Framers, but they also believed in the principle that all people had a right to equal justice and to equality of rights.” The Framers came from various backgrounds and education levels, but they were united in seeking freedom from the British rule. Also, they were united in their search for “liberty, property, and happiness.” They sought to build a country in which “all men are created equal,” actually rang true. By comparing how the groups differed, a deeper understanding of how the Bill of Rights came to be and why it says what it says can be …show more content…
He said, “The rights in question are reserved by the manner in which the federal powers are granted.” So, because of the way the federal powers were granted within the Constitution, it inherently reserved certain rights of the public. Madison believed “a positive declaration of some of the most essential rights could not be obtained.” That is to say, that some essential rights could not be properly enumerated and could not be expressed in terms that would protect the rights of the people. He believed that the diversity which existed in the colonies would be enough to protect the liberties of its inhabitants. Despite maintaining a Federalist view for most of his political career, Madison is one of the reasons the Bill of Rights exists today. He is even sometimes referred to as the “Father of the Bill of
In the year 1776, America was at the threshold of nationhood. There was debate and discussion about every aspect of this project because this new nation was a chance to change the things that the Founders disliked about the British rule. One of the divisive issues, was the necessity of the Bill of Rights. America was founded despite the fact that the colonies were made up of groups with very different views. Saul Cornell states, “Fear of centralized authority is deeply rooted in American History. The struggles over the U.S Constitution in 1788 pitted the Federalists, supporters of a stronger central government, …show more content…
While there was a consensus to become what Britain never allowed, free, whether a right was God-given or otherwise bestowed is not always agreed to. Leonard Levy states, “not only were liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness deeply linked in the thought of the Framers, but they also believed in the principle that all people had a right to equal justice and to equality of rights.” The Framers came from various backgrounds and education levels, but they were united in seeking freedom from the British rule. Also, they were united in their search for “liberty, property, and happiness.” They sought to build a country in which “all men are created equal,” actually rang true. By comparing how the groups differed, a deeper understanding of how the Bill of Rights came to be and why it says what it says can be …show more content…
He said, “The rights in question are reserved by the manner in which the federal powers are granted.” So, because of the way the federal powers were granted within the Constitution, it inherently reserved certain rights of the public. Madison believed “a positive declaration of some of the most essential rights could not be obtained.” That is to say, that some essential rights could not be properly enumerated and could not be expressed in terms that would protect the rights of the people. He believed that the diversity which existed in the colonies would be enough to protect the liberties of its inhabitants. Despite maintaining a Federalist view for most of his political career, Madison is one of the reasons the Bill of Rights exists today. He is even sometimes referred to as the “Father of the Bill of