The Bill of Rights

Introduction to this Web Site

Introduction to the Bill of Rights

The Origins of the Bill of Rights by Amendment
    by Gordon Lloyd

Part 1: The Documentary Origins of the Bill of Rights

Commentary and Tables on the Documentary Origins of the Bill of Rights

• The English and Colonial Roots of the U.S. Bill of Rights
• State and Continental Origins of the U.S. Bill of Rights

Part 2: The Politics of the Bill of Rights

Rights Secured in the Constitution
    by Gordon Lloyd

Federalist and Antifederalist Debate over the Bill of Rights

Debates in the First Congress: The Five Dimensions of Development

The Four Stages of Approval of the Bill of Rights in Congress and the States
    by Gordon Lloyd and Roger Beckett

Adoption of the Ten Amendments

The United States Bill of Rights

Commentary and Tables on the Politics of the Bill of Rights

• The State Ratifying Conventions and Their Impact on James Madison's Proposals in the First Congress
• The Fate of Madison's Proposals for the Bill of Rights

Major Themes of the Adoption of the Bill of Rights