Bill of Rights Day

Bill of Rights Day is celebrated every year on December 15.  It marks the anniversary of the day the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution were ratified.  On December 15, 1791, the Virginia General Assembly completed the ratification process for the amendments.

The Bill of Rights is very important, as it protects our basic freedoms and rights in the United States of America.  With Bill of Rights Day being today, I thought it would be fun to share some interesting facts:

• On September 25, 1789, the First Federal Congress of the United States proposed twelve amendments to the Constitution, but only ten were ratified.
• President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued a proclamation on November 27, 1941, designating December 15, 1941, as Bill of Rights Day.
• The Bill of Rights was influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, drafted in 1776 by George Mason.
• The Bill of Rights was also influenced by the English Bill of Rights, which passed in 1689.
• George Washington commissioned 14 handwritten copies of the Bill of Rights (one for each of the original 13 colonies and one for Congress).
• The Bill of Rights was drafted in New York City, where the federal government was operating out of Federal Hall in 1789.
• On June 8, 1789, James Madison introduced proposed amendments to the Constitution, which would later become known as the Bill of Rights.
• Three states did not ratify the Bill of Rights until 1939 (Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Georgia).
• The third amendment (No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.) is the least litigated amendment in the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights contains many of our most valued freedoms.  So, on December 15, remember and celebrate the importance it plays in our lives.

Happy Bill of Rights Day!