Neither James Madison, for whom this lecture is named, nor any of the other Framers of the Constitution, were oblivious, careless, or otherwise unaware of the words they chose for the document and its Bill of Rights.
quote by Diane Wood
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The Framers of the Bill of Rights did not purport to ""create"" rights. Rather, they designed the Bill of Rights to prohibit our Government from infringing rights and liberties presumed to be preexisting.
quote by William J. Brennan, Jr.
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We know no document is perfect, but when we amend the Constitution, it would be to expand rights, not to take away rights from decent, loyal Americans. This great Constitution of ours should never be used to make a group of Americans permanent second-class citizens.
quote by Barbara Boxer
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Gravely Oppose Bush Obama Imposed Poverty
honest Abe Lincoln born in a one-room log cabin;
on the Sinking Spring Farm in Hardin County
Kentucky inspired by a Separate Baptists church;
was a self-educated man of high moral standards;
opposed to the monstrous injustice of slavery
Abraham lead his people nation to a moral victory;
Abe upheld the ideals values of the Founding Fathers;
Abe insisted that God said all men are created equal
Abe successfully led his country through its greatest;
constitutional, military and moral crisis Civil War;
at the Gettysburg Address Abe declared the nation
was conceived in Liberty and men are created equal;
James Madison hailed as 'Father of the Constitution'
instrumental in drafting the United States Constitution
champion author of the United States Bill of Rights;
fought for constitutional guarantees for religious liberty;
infused religious freedom into Constitution and Bill of Rights
hyenas centuries later striped religion from US schools;
born in an age when rich whites owned hundreds of slaves;
Madison's slave Paul Jennings later wrote Madison
never personally struck a slave nor permitted his overseers;
to strike slaves, Jennings wrote if a slave misbehaved;
'Madison would meet with the person privately
to try to talk about the behavior' to resolve spur issues;
the moral lesson here is might proves not who is right;
might proves merely who is strongest with biggest stick
if pen be mightier than the sword what lesson is learned?
Madison's writings are still import perspective studied;
weighted measured for their debate over human rights
among different classes of citizens in the 21st century;
the anticipated danger of a strong majority;
imposing its will on a weaker minority
by popular vote can be an attack on liberty;
study Madison in 'The Federalist Papers' No.51
'It is of great importance in a republic not
only to guard the society against the oppression
of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society
against the injustice of the other part... In a society
under the forms of which the stronger faction can
readily unite and oppress the weaker, anarchy
may as truly be said to reign as in a state
of nature, where the weaker individual is not
secured against the violence of the stronger.'
When America embraces the truth greatness
of her own heritage emancipation of poverty;
infesting contemporary America may be eradicated?
When will Modern America stop voting rich spoilt
brats into office liars faking policy into presidency?
Did not James Madison leave fame US presidency;
a legacy poorer man than when he honest entered
due to serving needs of a nation instead of own needs?
poem by Terence George Craddock
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The rights of persons, and the rights of property, are the objects, for the protection of which Government was instituted.
quote by James Madison
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The happy Union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.
quote by James Madison
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It is unfortunate that Americans are no longer aware of what the constitution says and what their rights are. Because of that, we are often very passive about what happens when the government violates those rights.
quote by James Bovard
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The American Constitution is the greatest governing document, and at some 7,000 words, just about the shortest.
quote by Stephen Ambrose
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This is a time for a national conversation. A conversation about the document that binds us as a nation and a people. That document, of course, is the Constitution.
quote by Mike DeWine
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Do not separate text from historical background. If you do, you will have perverted and subverted the Constitution, which can only end in a distorted, bastardized form of illegitimate government.
quote by James Madison
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The right to be let alone is the underlying principle of the Constitution's Bill of Rights.
quote by Erwin Griswold
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The very purpose of the Bill of Rights and the Constitution is to protect minority rights against majority voters. Every court decision that strikes down discriminatory legislation, including past Supreme Court decisions, affirming the fundamental rights to marry the person you love, overrules a majority decision.
quote by David Boies
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The framers of the Constitution were so clear in the federalist papers and elsewhere that they felt an independent judiciary was critical to the success of the nation.
quote by Sandra Day O'Connor
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The Constitution preserves the advantage of being armed which Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation where the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.
quote by James Madison
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In Republics, the great danger is, that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority.
quote by James Madison
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This Is My Only 'True' Relationship
Do you think I sit,
Unaware of my submissions?
As if I am oblivious,
To what it takes to create them?
Nor do they come easy,
Like those critics who sniff.
With a passing of judgement with it!
Free on the scene and unsolicited.
I wish I could say,
I'm not observant of this at all.
There is too much life I live,
For me to become that enthralled.
I have no ego to be massaged.
None to bring my activities,
To a complete engrossing stall.
Do you think I sit,
Unaware of my submissions?
As if I am oblivious,
To what it takes to create them?
I know I get less sleep!
And this is my only 'true' relationship,
I can say I've managed to keep!
And devoted I am.
With a divorce from it,
Nowhere to address in my mind to exist!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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I believe that the Framers of the Constitution made their intent clear when they wrote the First Amendment. I believe they wanted to keep the new government from endorsing one religion over another, not erase the public consciousness or common faith.
quote by Nick Rahall
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The Framers of the Constitution knew that free speech is the friend of change and revolution. But they also knew that it is always the deadliest enemy of tyranny.
quote by Hugo Black
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It is a measure of the framers' fear that a passing majority might find it expedient to compromise 4th Amendment values that these values were embodied in the Constitution itself.
quote by Sandra Day O'Connor
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Our Constitution’s Birthday
Our Constitution’s Birthday
(September 17,2008)
In the year, Seventeen eighty-seven
Those thirty-nine, changed our History
They signed that piece of parchment
The Laws of, the Land of the Free.
In more than two hundred twenty years
It has gone through a few changes
That’s not, an easy thing to get done
For, all of our lives, it rearranges.
The First through Tenth Amendments
Are known as our Bill of Rights
And many times, they were in danger
But, the People, usually won those fights.
Sometimes, those people in power
Try to change them, for their gain
Sometimes they will just ignore them
Like we’ve seen, time and again.
They are our only, real protection
With a high and terrible price to pay
If we don’t keep fighting for them
There’s some, would take them all away.
Other Amendments, Thirteen and Fifteen
Abolished Racial Suffrage and Slavery
Supposed to give promised Rights
To all of those promised, Liberty.
The Sixteenth, allowed for Income Tax
And as we know, it has many a flaw
Some say, that it was never Ratified
That, it was never made, a Legal Law.
The Eighteenth, Prohibition of Alcohol
Which was, another legal blunder
With organized crime borne of it
And, the Rule of Law torn, asunder.
The Nineteenth, said Women could Vote
After a very long, contentious fight
Just look at what those Ladies have done
Since, they got their, American Right.
Then, a Repeal of Prohibition
Came with the Twenty-first
In most places, booze flowed freely
To quench America’s, hearty thirst.
The Twenty-second said, Two Terms
Was, all a President could serve
But, as we know, for some, one
Was one more, than they deserved.
The Twenty-sixth said we could Vote
When reaching Eighteen years of age
Since they could fight and die for us
Every time, we had a War to wage.
Those great words of our Constitution
Have served our Country long, and well
Will they withstand the test of time
Or will History show, our Nation, fell?
If we don’t protect them with our life
If we bow to those powers that, be
If we let them twist those words around
One sad day, we’ll be no longer, Free.
We can’t let our precious Bill of Rights
Fail, to protect us all, as they must do
We can’t let one man, or group of men
Twist them into something, they construe.
Though, our Constitution is not perfect
Our Founding Fathers knew, this so
And, “In God We Trust”, is not enough
Our Freedom depends, on where, we go.
We must each, defend those Freedoms
From outside foes, and those, within
It’s, We, the People, wield the power
To lose this battle, which, we must, win.
So, On this Constitution Day
Let’s each, pay the price we owe
To uphold those words of Wisdom
Penned upon that parchment, long ago.
Del “Abe” Jones
09.16.2008
One great object of the Constitution was to restrain majorities from oppressing minorities or encroaching upon their just rights.
quote by James K. Polk
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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