Read the paragraph from the section "The Final 10."
New Jersey was the first state to act, recording its favorable vote on November 20, 1789. On December 15, 1791, Virginia became the last state to ratify the document. The 10 amendments we now know as the Bill of Rights officially became part of the Constitution.
Which phrase from the paragraph helps the reader understand the meaning of "ratify"?
A
first state
B
favorable vote
C
last state
D
we now know
B
favorable vote
how are you sure
I am sure that choice B, "favorable vote," helps the reader understand the meaning of "ratify" because it directly refers to the action that a state takes to officially approve or accept something, in this case, the document or the amendments. Ratification is the process of giving formal consent or approval to something, and a "favorable vote" represents the state's act of ratifying the document.
Read the following selection from the article.
He was running to be a member of the First Congress of the United States. Madison and his opponent, James Monroe, had stood outside a church to publicly debate the issues of the campaign.
What is the meaning of "debate" as it is used in the selection above?
A
argue
B
add to
C
adjust
D
agree on
A
argue
are you sure
Yes, I am sure. "Debate" in this context refers to a discussion or argument in which two or more people express their opposing views on a particular topic or issue. In this case, Madison and Monroe stood outside a church to publicly discuss and argue about the issues related to their campaign. Therefore, "debate" means to argue in this selection.
On a cold night in January 1789, James Madison suffered a frostbitten nose. He was campaigning in his Virginia district for the House of Representatives. He was running to be a member of the First Congress of the United States. Madison and his opponent, James Monroe, had stood outside a church to publicly debate the issues of the campaign.
No one expected Madison to win the election. The voters wanted amendments to the Constitution guaranteeing individual rights. Madison's enemies had spread rumors that he opposed them. At first, Madison had doubted that such amendments were important. Now, however, he supported them, in part because Thomas Jefferson had praised them in his letters from Paris. Jefferson was serving as U.S. ambassador there. Madison realized the voters wanted these amendments, too. To make his position clear, Madison traveled throughout his district and promised the people the amendments they wanted.
Madison won by a comfortable majority. In the spring of 1789, he began his congressional duties in New York. He had prepared a list of amendments to the Constitution. Most came from the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Some were from other states' bills of rights. All had been taken from 150 or more amendments proposed by the states as they ratified the Constitution.
Proposal For A Bill Of Rights
It was more than a month, though, before Madison had the opportunity to read his proposal for a bill of rights to the House of Representatives. The amendments were put before the House for consideration.
Many of the amendments dealt with personal liberties. These had been trampled by the British when the states were still colonies. Concepts such as freedom of religion, speech and press were very important to American citizens. Also important were the freedoms to assemble in protest and petition the government for the correction of wrongs.
Madison also proposed that the Constitution protect the right to keep and bear arms. This would let states form their own militias. Citizens could protect themselves. At the time, there were no professional police forces. Congress added a provision banning any army or militia from forcing citizens to house soldiers. During the Revolution, many colonists had suffered the invasion of British soldiers into their homes.
The House agreed to the clauses Madison had written guaranteeing due process of law. The same amendment protected citizens against self-incrimination and double jeopardy. It forbid cruel and unusual punishment or unreasonable searches and seizures. It also granted people the right to a speedy trial and trial by jury.
Congress now considered the amendment Madison believed to be most important: "No State shall infringe the equal rights of conscience, nor the freedom of speech, or of the press, nor the right of trial by jury in criminal cases." He felt that states, too, should have to protect these basic rights.
Many people had objected to the idea of writing a bill of rights. They felt that listing certain rights this way would imply that others did not exist. So, Madison composed an amendment. It said that the inclusion of certain rights in the Constitution "shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people." A final amendment reserved to the states any powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution.
The Final 10
Madison had proposed adding the amendments within the text of the Constitution. During the House debates, Roger Sherman of Connecticut suggested the amendments be numbered and added to the end. The other House members ultimately agreed with Sherman.
As representatives approved each element, they reworked Madison's proposals into 17 amendments. They sent them to the Senate for its approval. The Senate reworked them further.
On September 25, 1789, Congress sent 12 amendments to President George Washington. He forwarded them to the states for ratification. Only 10 of the final 12 received the necessary ratification by nine states.
New Jersey was the first state to act, recording its favorable vote on November 20, 1789. On December 15, 1791, Virginia became the last state to ratify the document. The 10 amendments we now know as the Bill of Rights officially became part of the Constitution.
Read the section "Proposal For A Bill Of Rights."
Select the paragraph from the section that shows which amendment James Madison thought was more essential than the others.
A
Many of the amendments dealt with personal liberties. These had been trampled by the British when the states were still colonies. Concepts such as freedom of religion, speech and press were very important to American citizens. Also important were the freedoms to assemble in protest and petition the government for the correction of wrongs.
B
Madison also proposed that the Constitution protect the right to keep and bear arms. This would let states form their own militias. Citizens could protect themselves. At the time, there were no professional police forces. Congress added a provision banning any army or militia from forcing citizens to house soldiers. During the Revolution, many colonists had suffered the invasion of British soldiers into their homes.
C
The House agreed to the clauses Madison had written guaranteeing due process of law. The same amendment protected citizens against self-incrimination and double jeopardy. It forbid cruel and unusual punishment or unreasonable searches and seizures. It also granted people the right to a speedy trial and trial by jury.
D
Congress now considered the amendment Madison believed to be most important: "No State shall infringe the equal rights of conscience, nor the freedom of speech, or of the press, nor the right of trial by jury in criminal cases." He felt that states, too, should have to protect these basic rights.
D
Congress now considered the amendment Madison believed to be most important: "No State shall infringe the equal rights of conscience, nor the freedom of speech, or of the press, nor the right of trial by jury in criminal cases." He felt that states, too, should have to protect these basic rights.