Final answer:
The framers omitted a Bill of Rights from the original Constitution due to pressing concerns of maintaining the union and belief that constitutional mechanisms protected rights. The addition of the Bill of Rights emerged from a compromise forged to address Anti-Federalist demands and to ensure the Constitution's ratification. James Madison played a key role in drafting the amendments from state suggestions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The framers of the United States Constitution initially did not include a Bill of Rights because they faced more immediate concerns, such as maintaining the union and addressing external threats and internal unrest. They also believed that the Constitution, through its structure and separation of powers, adequately protected individual rights. However, as the states began the ratification process, the lack of specific protections of civil liberties became a point of contention, especially among the Anti-Federalists. These Anti-Federalists demanded protections against governmental overreach. To ensure ratification by the major states, and in response to widespread demand, a Bill of Rights was promised and later added as amendments to the Constitution after its initial passage.
Notably, prominent figures like Thomas Jefferson advocated for a bill of rights, and James Madison, who played a foundational role both in drafting the original Constitution and in writing the amendments, took suggestions from the states and formulated what would become the Bill of Rights. This compromise was integral in the facilitating the ratification of the Constitution by satisfying both Federalists and Anti-Federalists.