Bill of Right

Name
Institution
Instructor
Date
Bill of rights
Introduction
The bill of rights is an important document that contains or specifies the individual rights that the government should not contravene. In the US, the bill of rights plays a vital role in ensuring that the government protects citizens’ rights. The document spells clearly what the government can do and cannot do regarding the protection of its citizens (Jefferson 1). Its development was to prevent the unwarranted use of power by the government or unfair practices that are common when clear systems of procedure are not adhered. The provision of the bill of rights remains an important part of the US constitution given that it cannot be ratified in any way without the chapter and clauses detailing the rights of citizens. The key provisions of the bill of rights include the right to privacy, equality before the law, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and adherence to due processes (Haws 2). This paper gives a detailed discussion of the bill of rights with a focus on its formulation and development.
The bill of rights
The process of drafting the bill of rights started in earnest after the blueprint for self-government was developed in Philadelphia in a meeting of convened delegates from 13 states in the year 1787 (Jefferson 1). The process started when it was later realized that the constitution was extensively flawed for one major thing. The reason is that it did not have a specific declaration section for the individual rights.

The constitution spelled out clearly what the government could do but failed to specify what it could not do. The provisions as they were meant that the government had overriding power over its citizens (Cogan, Aviel Pret, David and Theresa 2). This is where the development of the bill of rights containing the major human rights that the government should not violate started.
The process of amending the constitution and including the new clauses took 4 years of intense debate. The debate was between Anti-Federalists who were opposed to the idea citing that it was unnecessary while those in support of the idea were satisfied (Haws 4).. One notable proponent of the idea known as Thomas Jefferson held that the bill of rights is what provides pertinent entitlements that people have against every government on earth. The spirited fight led to the inclusion of the bill of rights by the drafters of the constitution who include James Madison in 1791. During this period, the important 10 amendments were included in the constitution and became law.
This was executed in the first Congress that Madison undertook with the aim of fulfilling the promise made regarding shifting of amendments contained in the state ratification conventions made from the proposals put across (Levy 2). The amendments were then completed within six months thereby submitted to the states for ratification. The ratification known as the Virginia ratification took place on December 1791 as noted.
The development of the bill of right started from amendment one to ten.
The first amendment provided freedom of religion, speech and press by prohibiting the government from imposing contrary rules while the second amendment provided the right of gun ownership (Jefferson 1). The third amendment provided for non-quartering of soldiers in houses in times of peace, while the fourth and fight amendments provided people the right to own property and prohibition of home intrusion respectively. The sixth amendment provided the accused persons the right to speedy and public trial, and the seventh amendment provides for the preservation of the right to trial by a jury where the value of controversy exceeds 20 dollars (Jefferson 1). Other rights provided in the amendment schedule include the right to fair bail, privacy, adherence to due processes and unfair delegation of constitutional power.
Indeed, the bill of rights has helped in restoring sanity to the nation from the colonial period to date. The provisions have enhanced the relationship between the government and its people effectively.
Works Cited
Cogan, Neil H, Aviel Pret, David L. Adams, and Theresa L. Harvey. The Complete Bill of Rights: The Drafts, Debates, Sources, and Origins., 2015. Print.
Jefferson, Thomas. The Bill of Rights: A Brief History. 1787. Web. 2nd Dec. 2015.
Haws, Robert J. The South’s Role in the Creation of the Bill of Rights. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2009. Internet resource.
Levy, Leonard W. Origins of the Bill of Rights. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1999. Print.