Bill of Rights Ratified: America's First 10 Amendments Become Law
Virginia's vote made it official. Ten amendments. The first Congress had proposed twelve — states rejected the two about congressional pay and apportionment. What passed? Limits on federal power that James Madison initially opposed. He thought a bill of rights was "parchment barriers" — ineffective against tyranny. But Anti-Federalists refused to ratify the Constitution without one, so Madison changed course. He wrote the amendments himself, borrowed from state constitutions, then watched Virginia — his home state — cast the deciding vote. The irony: the man who doubted their usefulness created the framework Americans cite more than any other part of the Constitution. Those ten amendments have generated more Supreme Court cases than the rest of the document combined.
December 15, 1791
235 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Virginia
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United States Bill of Rights
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Virginia General Assembly
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United States
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Constitution of the United States
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United States Bill of Rights
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1791
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Liste des amendements de la Constitution des États-Unis
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História dos Estados Unidos (1783–1815)
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