Summary Of James Madison's Report On The Virginia Resolutions

James Madison and Henry Lee’s respective reports on the Virginia Resolutions embody two distinctive interpretations of the First Amendment. Lee defines the First Amendment as an extension of the Common Law inherited from Great Britain, while Madison argues that the First Amendment is designed to protect the right of the American people to check and balance the government of the United States. Madison’s Report on the Virginia Resolutions upholds the notion of popular sovereignty and the idea that Congress can not, in any shape or form, infringe upon the freedom of speech and the press. James Madison’s report emphasizes the fact that the United States, unlike Great Britain, is a self-governing democracy, and that this form of government entails the freedom of speech and the press, an idea that is also illustrated by the preamble of the Constitution. Madison proclaims that “The people, not …show more content…
This is, according to Madison, the basis of political power in the United States. Madison also stresses the fact that citizens of the United States have the right to check both the legislative and executive branches of government, unlike Great Britain, where the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights only checked the King. The freedom of speech and press is essential to the American democratic process, as it is the only way Americans can freely and fully fulfill their duty as citizens. The preamble of the Constitution, “We the people,” represents this interpretation of democracy in the United States. This statement declares the people the ultimate framers of government, as the preamble continues to grant the right to “…establish Justice, insure domestic tranquility…and secure the blessings of liberty to