Bill of Rights?
What Bill of Rights?
The Constitutional Convention met from May 1787 to September 1787, in Philadelphia. That’s a basic fact we’ve all been taught in American history. At some point in that lesson, they go on to tell us that the Bill of Rights was added later. But frankly, they really don’t talk a lot about that, at least they didn’t when I was in school at that level.
But if you go to Wikipedia today and look, there’s a much better and more inclusive conversation about that which talks about the Federalists and the Antifederalists and the entire period after that as that Constitution was ratified. Good stuff. Much of it passes by any talk about Rich White Men as I’ve been talking about, but that’s not surprising, is it?
But briefly, it does touch on something I’d like to talk about today, and that’s when they mention that the antifederalists were very unhappy that there were no enshrined civil rights. Unfortunately for them, the Federalists were better organized, and they won, getting the Constitution ratified without that. But there were some promises made, and during the summer of the very first Congress those first ten Amendments were passed.
But stop for a moment and think. The slavery states were strong in that time, and best met the goals of the RWM behind all this. What does that say about their goals?
But the struggles of ratification do show there was a lot of differing opinions, so don’t think that I’m trying to say there weren’t. Plus, even though the RWM were wanting to control things, they did have factions with different attitudes about, for instance, that “all men are created equal” thing. A bunch of them did think democracy was a good thing over that “divine right of kings” bit, and weren’t just using that phrase to garner support for the revolution. They did mean it.
They just wanted to be sure their RWM factions still ruled the roost, hence the “only male property owners can vote” thing. They didn't have to say “white” men, because in that time and place, there weren’t any rich black ones.
But for further proof of what I’m claiming, look at the version of the Constitution they ratified.
The official control the government wielded was considerable, as those first ten Amendments didn’t exist! No freedom of speech, no free press, no right to firearms, no warrants required for your arrest or to search your home, and the Feds could, just like the British, quarter troops in your home!
It took a considerable amount of pressure from not just the opposing factions of the RWM, but from the general public to force their hand in that. But do think about it, the very first version of the US Constitution did NOT have civil rights enshrined into it! To me, at least, that paints a quite different picture of what was intended at first.
That says a lot, especially since the Bill of Rights didn’t get ratified until the summer of 1891.
This is the start of how the American People eventually moved this country from that point beginning where the RWM controlled this country to today, where we are struggling with a group of people trying their best to make us an Authoritarian country, denying us the rights we’ve fought so hard for, because we’ve managed to expand civil rights to both women and minorities.
They’re trying to take us back, not to the 1950’s, but all the way back, to before that Bill of Rights got ratified. To where they can use that power to do as they wish and we, The People, have little actual power.
Remember that lack of enforcement mechanisms in the Constitution?
That wasn’t an accident. It was deliberate. It’s because they wanted control, but to put that ability into the Constitution would give The People that power. They had confidence in their ability to control one another, and to them, that was enough.
Fortunately, some People had the will and the courage to force the issue of civil rights.
Now, its up to our generation (or rather of the younger generations, mine is a bit tired) to go further in protecting our democracy. Once the current threats are dealt with, please take another look at the Constitution and its provisions, and fix the issues left behind. The next group may be a bit more competent than this group has been.
Your grandkids will thank you.
