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Reading James Madison’s Speech Proposing a Bill of Rights | A Primary Source Close Read w/ BRI
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Founding Principles
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The Bill of Rights has become one of the foundational documents of the United States, but why was it not immediately enacted alongside the Constitution? In this Primary Close Read video, Kirk Higgins and Tony Williams examine James Madison’s proposal to Congress expressing the importance of including a Bill of Rights. How did the Bill of Rights contribute to preserving the civil liberties of the American people? What civil virtues did Madison use to make his argument to Congress?
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James Madison, justly recognized as the “Father” of the Constitution, believed that republican liberty was best preserved by the strict enumeration of governmental powers.
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