You...you mean....some Founding Fathers DID NOT WANT the BILL OF RIGHTS????

Did you know...that the FEDERALIST Founding Fathers in our early history actually feared the Bill of Rights?

Whoa....wait a minute. Who in their right mind would be opposed to such a fundamental, protecting document?

Oh, just a bunch of nobodies....like James Madison....Alexander Hamilton...James Wilson....to mention a few.

Why?

Many felt the CONSTITUTION was sufficient and any document listing fundamental human rights was unnecessary and redundant. Alexander Hamilton suggested that "Bills of Rights are in their origins stipulations between KINGS and their SUBJECTS....abridgments of prerogatives in favor of privilege, reservation of rights not surrendered to the Prince, such as the Magna Carte" (Federalist Paper #84) -- and since we do not have such royal relations between our government ("WE the people...") and our citizens, we do not need such "stipulations between KINGS and their SUBJECTS". Some Founding Fathers even considered the Bill of Rights "Unnecessary and DANGEROUS"! "DANGEROUS" how? The fear was the Bill of Rights could contain exceptions not granted by the "Supreme Law of the Land" (the Constitution) to protect us from government - BUT since our government is made of US ("WE the people...") - why would we need a document to protect us from ourselves? James Wilson also suggested how could anyone enumerate ALL the rights of mankind? And what if we missed one - is it therefore no longer a right just because it did not make it on our "list"? There was also the fear that a Bill of Rights would imply that a national government could do ANYTHING it wished, just as long as it followed the "list".

Wow, even in our nation's foundation we did not always agree.....but could you imagine our history without this vital decree?


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