Did the bill of rights come from a desire to protect the liberties won in the american revolution or from fear of the powers of the new federal government?
2007-09-23 10:12:30 · 4 answers · asked by janice 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Other - Politics & Government
If you read about our founding fathers, as much as we want to credit them with looking out for the little guy, it really isn't the case.
These were the "landed gentry" of their time. Pretty well-to-do. However, the document they came up with is incredible.
Many of them (the founding fathers) didn't have a lot of faith in the common man and did what they could to keep them where they were. The bill of rights was one way to get people to back the revolution. Otherwise, it would have been, as the Who put it so many years ago - "Meet the new boss, same as old boss." So, while its origins may have been questionable, the outcome has been something else.
The bill of rights has carried us through some turbulent times in this country - and I am afraid that they are under attack to this day. We, as Americans, must not sit idly by and allow the Government to subvert the hard earned rights. Government is a participatory sport - get involved.
The founding fathers were smart enough to divide powers between the three seats of government - hence the checks and balances. However, that was thrown out of whack with this administration. So, we have a well deserved fear of the government. Imagine if the bill of rights were not in the Constitution!
A little off the original question, but had to add the two-cents in.
2007-09-23 10:37:33 · answer #1 · answered by nickap2000 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The Bill of Rights is a desire to protect the Liberties won in the Revolutionary War!!
2007-09-23 10:37:26 · answer #2 · answered by Vagabond5879 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both, really. At the time most states had similar protections in their stateconstitutions. that is why the protections of the Bill of Rights was not in the text of th eConstitution in the first place.
However, the Framers realized that, although the state constitutions protected the citizens of the state from possible abuses by the STATE govrnment, once the new federal government was in place, it would not be bound by the state laws--which it could supersed or ignore. So, in order to insure that would not happen, they drafted the Bill of Rights.
I suppose if you had to pick one, then,it would be fear of the powers of the new federal government.
2007-09-23 11:33:03 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both -- it's the same thing.
The liberties fought and won were to be protected -- and the single biggest foreseeable threat were from the newly formed federal govt -- hence, both.
That is why most of the Bill of Rights are phrased as limitations on what the govt can do -- and many start with "Congress shall pass no law...."
2007-09-23 10:34:51 · answer #4 · answered by coragryph 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋