Happy Bill of Rights Day!

December 15th, 2010

The first 10 Amendments to our Constitution, commonly known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. On this day, let’s all try to celebrate all of our rights, even “the most dangerous right.”

Random tidbit, but Article V of the Constitution does not specify how Amendments should be added. Initially, some members of Congress wanted to insert the Amendments into various places in the actual constitution, rather than adding them at the end. It makes sense with some of the amendments changing the electoral process and the like. Also, all the things that Congress could not do (abridge free speech) would probably have gone into Article I. Ultimately, they decided to add them at the end. Probably a good idea.