Patrick Henry Demands a Bill of Rights
On June 7, 1788, Patrick Henry delivered one of many long speeches at the Virginia Ratifying Convention, warning about giving up too much power, and demanding the inclusion of a Bill of Rights in the proposed U.S. Constitution before its adoption. The convention ran...
Separation of Powers: A “Dogmatic Maxim” in the Constitution
James Madison considered the separation of powers so important he not only called it a “dogmatic maxim,” he expressly included it as part of his proposed amendments for the Bill of Rights. Representing the twin-pillars making up the foundation of the Constitution,...
What’s the Point of the Ninth Amendment?
You will often hear people claim that the Ninth Amendment “gives us all of the rights that aren’t listed in the Bill of Rights.” But that is not the correct way to read the amendment. The Ninth Amendment reads: “The enumeration in the...