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Bill of Rights

by Gordon Lloyd

List of Madison’s Proposals
Power Vested in the People Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Life, Liberty, Property, Happiness Ìý Ìý Ìý
Alter/Abolish/Create Government Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Representation/Census/Taxation Ìý Ìý Ìý
Legislative Compensation Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Civil Rights and Religious Belief Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
No Established Religion/Favored Sect Ìý Ìý Ìý
Rights of Conscience/Free Exercise Ìý Ìý Ìý
Freedom of Speech Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Freedom of Press Ìý Ìý Ìý
Freedom of Assembly Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Freedom of Petition Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Keep and Bear Arms/Militia Ìý Ìý Ìý
Arms and the Religiously Scrupulous Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Quartering of Troops Ìý Ìý Ìý
Double Jeopardy Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Self-Incrimination Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Due Process of Law Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Takings/Just Compensation Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
No Excessive Bail and Fines Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
No Cruel and/or Unusual Punishments Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
No Unreasonable Searches/Seizures Ìý Ìý Ìý
Speedy/Public Trial in Criminal Cases Ìý Ìý Ìý
Nature of Accusation Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Confrontation of Accusers Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Compulsory Witness Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Assistance of Counsel Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Rights Retained by the People Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
No State & Equal Right of Conscience Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
No State & Freedom of Press Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
No State & Trial by Jury (Criminal) Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
$ Limitation on Appeals Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Common Law and Jury Trial Ìý
(Local) Impartial Jury for All Crimes Ìý Ìý Ìý
Various Trial “Requisites” Ìý Ìý Ìý
Grand Jury for Loss of Life or Limb Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Non-Local Trial of Crimes Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Separation of Powers Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý
Reservation of Non-Delegated Powers

The first column lists the 39 items in Madison’s list. The remaining columns concern the ratifying conventions. We are interested in charting the relationship between the requests and recommendations of the ratifying conventions and what actually proposed on June 8.

I have divided the ratifying conventions into three categories. The first are five conventions: Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Virginia and New York. Although the Pennsylvania Minority Report is not part of the official Pennsylvania ratification record, and it was issued as a partisan broadside by discontented Antifederalists, some scholars have leaped to the conclusion that it represents the first draft of the Bill of Rights. Roughly half of Madison’s proposal bears some affinity with the Minority Report, an insufficient number to bear the title of first draft. Massachusetts and New Hampshire are important because the amendment proposal did have a bearing on ratification in those two states. But the proposal had very little bearing on Madison’s bill of rights proposal in the First Congress. The story is far different when we turn to Virginia and New York. Both states proposed amendments AND a bill of rights. I have included the Bill of Rights recommendations. Over 2/3 of Madison’s proposals have a strong affinity with the recommendations from these two states.

The next group is what emerged from the South Carolina and Maryland conventions. The call for a bill of rights from these two conventions was neither strong nor influential on the outcome of the result in these two states. Moreover, only two from South Carolina and less than a third from Maryland made their way into Madison’s list.

The third group consists of North Carolina and Rhode Island. Both lists seem as strong in their affinity with Madison’s list as do the lists of Virginia and New York. But there is a twist in the story. Virginia and New York were “inspirational” rather than “confirmational” since their lists took place before June 8. North Carolina and Rhode Island were “confirmational ” rather than “inspirational,” because they were announced way after June 8 and after the conclusion of the first session of the First Congress.

In conclusion, to the extent that the list of 39 rights that Madison introduced in the First Congress was influenced by the dynamics of the ratification campaign, then it is necessary and sufficient to emphasize the Virginia and New York ratifying conventions. And we need to recognize that there is something uniquely Madison about Madison’s June 8 list, namely, restraints on the state governments with respect to religion, press, and juries. These restraints made their way through the House of Represenatives but were overturned in the Senate.

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