The Bill of Rights

In a previous post, I directed readers to the official site of the US Constitution. While I think it would be great for people to read the whole constitution, much of the original constitution is very dry in that it describes in detail the structure of the US government and focuses less explicitly on American ideals. However, The Bill of Rights (the 1st 10 amendments to our Constitution) talks much more explicitly about our values as a country. I also found the historical reason behind the creation of The Bill of Rights interesting and reflective of our founding fathers' motivations:

(from the site):

"During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They demanded a 'bill of rights' that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions in their formal ratification of the Constitution asked for such amendments; others ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered.

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights."

I encourage you to consider The Bill of Rights during this election as you decide which candidate is more likely to lead us in the right direction.