Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence illustrates for many people the representation of individual rights. In addition, many felt the Constitution to be void of many of the considerations that made the Declaration of Independence great. After the states ratified the Constitution the inaugural congress set to work at the task of James Madison to reestablish the ideals of the Declaration of Independence in the Constitution. From this thought, the Bill of Rights were enacted granting Americans inherent rights that few citizens of any nation every experienced.

* The Declaration of Independence lamented against the despotic rule of the British crown. Many were fearful that this new Constitution would instill a new central power unconcerned with the will of the many. The assumption that the American Revolution was fought and won leading right into the American nation is simply not true. For a span of several years, the new constituency of thirteen colonies lacked any integral unity or central ideals. Even with this consideration, the populace remained weary of a new central government that would play a hand in their affairs not much unlike that of the British crown. Everything that the Declaration of Independence once represented seemed to be lost in politics and posturing.

* After the Constitution was ratified, it seemed to be on a short leash. The idea of a central power still struck fear in most people weary from the previous fifteen years under the British crown. James Madison who took a leading role in the drafting and ratification of the Constitution established a Bill of Rights to guarantee for people the things they lacked under the British empire.

* Among the Bill of Rights consisted ten amendments that were almost radical in their intentions. Some of the crucial extension of rights to American individuals under the Bill of Rights included; the freedom of speech, freedom to practice religion, protection from unreasonable search and seizure, right to representation in a court of law, protection from cruel and unusual punishment, right to a jury of their peers, and numerous other rights never before guaranteed by a central government.

The Bill of Rights came to embody the main sentiment of the Declaration of Independence. It allowed people to live free of persecution in a manner they wish, while maintaining the protection and safety of a central government. Madison expressed his desires for a bill of rights even before the ratification of the Constitution, but wanted to make sure that a government existed before destroying its chances.