Question

Why did James Madison promise to write the bill of rights

Answer 1

James Madison promised to write the Bill of Rights to fulfill commitments made during the U.S. Constitution's ratification and to assure that personal liberties would be protected. He drafted a package of amendments focused on individual rights, which, after extensive debate and modification, were ratified by the states, becoming the Bill of Rights.

Step-by-step explanation:

Why James Madison Promised to Write the Bill of Rights

James Madison promised to write the Bill of Rights because of the commitments made during the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. State conventions wanted assurance that the new government would safeguard individual liberties. Madison, serving as the Virginia Representative in the first Congress, fulfilled his campaign promise by drafting amendments that focused on protecting personal rights without diluting the power of the central government. He drew on suggestions from state-ratifying conventions and the Virginia Declaration of Rights, among other sources, to craft a package of amendments that would become the Bill of Rights after achieving ratification by a requisite 75 percent of the states.

George Mason, another influential figure in the creation of the Bill of Rights, called for its inclusion to protect citizens from an overreaching government. Although Madison wasn't originally a strong advocate for amendments, he was driven by his commitment to his constituents and a pragmatic approach to governance. The ratification process saw the approval of ten amendments out of the twelve initially proposed, as two did not meet the ratification requirements by the states.

The Bill of Rights addressed the concerns of both Federalists and Anti-Federalists by outlining essential freedoms while still preserving the functional strength of the federal system. These ten amendments became a cornerstone of American constitutional law, enumerating protections such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, as well as protections against arbitrary government action in legal proceedings.

Answer 2

James Madison wrote the amendments, which list specific prohibitions on governmental power, in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties. ... Anti-Federalists held that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty.