Why did Madison feel that natural rights had to be expressed in the Bill of Rights

Madison belived that rule by "majority" would lead to oppression of the minority, in religion, press, etc.

Read his letter to Jefferson:
http://www.constitution.org/jm/17881017_bor.htm

James Madison believed that natural rights had to be expressed in the Bill of Rights for several reasons. Here are the steps explaining why Madison felt this way:

1. Recognizing the importance of natural rights: Madison, along with other Founding Fathers, such as Thomas Jefferson, believed in the concept of natural rights. Natural rights are inherent and inalienable rights that individuals possess simply by virtue of being human, such as the rights to life, liberty, and property.

2. The need to protect individual liberties: Madison understood that these natural rights needed to be protected to prevent any potential government abuse or infringement upon individual liberties. He believed that the primary role of government was to safeguard these rights.

3. Concerns about the original Constitution: Madison initially opposed the inclusion of a Bill of Rights in the original Constitution during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. However, he later realized that the absence of a Bill of Rights could be seen as a loophole, leaving room for potential encroachments on individuals' natural rights. This issue was raised by Anti-Federalists, who argued that without a Bill of Rights, the federal government could become too powerful and limit personal freedoms.

4. Addressing Anti-Federalist concerns: In order to gain support for the new Constitution and alleviate Anti-Federalist concerns, Madison ultimately advocated for the inclusion of a Bill of Rights to explicitly protect individual liberties. He recognized the importance of addressing these concerns to ensure unity and prevent the Constitution from being rejected by states during the ratification process.

5. Ensuring the limited power of the federal government: By expressing natural rights in the Bill of Rights, Madison aimed to codify the fundamental freedoms that the federal government should not infringe upon. These rights would act as a limitation on the powers of the government and provide clear safeguards for individuals.

In conclusion, James Madison felt that natural rights had to be expressed in the Bill of Rights to protect individual liberties, address concerns raised by Anti-Federalists, and ensure that the federal government's power was limited and held in check.

To understand why James Madison believed that natural rights had to be expressed in the Bill of Rights, it is important to understand the historical context in which the Bill of Rights was drafted.

The Bill of Rights is the collective name given to the first ten amendments of the United States Constitution, which were ratified in 1791. These amendments were added to address the concerns of those who feared that the original Constitution did not explicitly protect individual liberties.

James Madison, often called the "Father of the Constitution," played a leading role in drafting the Bill of Rights. He had a deep understanding of political philosophy and embraced the idea of natural rights, which are rights inherent to all individuals by virtue of their humanity. Madison believed that these rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, were fundamental and needed to be safeguarded in the Constitution to ensure the protection of individual liberties.

However, there were debates among the Founding Fathers regarding the necessity of explicitly listing these rights in the Constitution. Some argued that since the Constitution did not grant the government certain powers, it should be assumed that all other powers were reserved for the people.

Madison, on the other hand, recognized the need for explicit protection of individual rights. He believed that a written enumeration of rights would serve as a clear and specific limitation on the power of the government, ensuring that it did not infringe upon these natural rights.

Moreover, Madison understood that a constitution is a living document subject to interpretation, and that future generations might interpret it differently. By including the Bill of Rights in the Constitution, he sought to establish a firm foundation that future lawmakers and judges could refer to when protecting individual rights.

In summary, Madison felt that expressing natural rights in the Bill of Rights was necessary because it provided clear and specific protections for individual liberties, limited the power of the government, and served as a reference point for future interpretation of the Constitution.