Did Benjamin Franklin believe in the Bill of Rights?
Asked by: Adelle Hartmann | Last update: July 2, 2025Score: 4.6/5 (74 votes)
Benjamin Franklin: Franklin was a printer, scholar, philosopher, inventor, philanthropist, and Founding Father. He was a co-signer of the Bill of Rights.
Who didn't support the Bill of Rights?
Federalists rejected the proposition that a bill of rights was needed. They made a clear distinction between the state constitutions and the U.S. Constitution.
What did Benjamin Franklin believe in?
He was a devout Catholic. He supported state-run religious institutions favoring a particular denomination. He rejected the philosophy of Enlightenment thinkers for traditional Protestant views. He was skeptical of organized religion and focused instead on moral virtue.
Who strongly supported the Bill of Rights?
Federalists advocated for a strong national government. They believed the people and states automatically kept any powers not given to the federal government. Anti-Federalists wanted power to remain with state and local governments and favored a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty.
Who believed in the Bill of Rights?
The Federalists opposed including a bill of rights on the ground that it was unnecessary. The Anti-Federalists, who were afraid of a strong centralized government, refused to support the Constitution without one. In the end, popular sentiment was decisive.
United States Constitution | Miracles in American History #15
Who criticized the Bill of Rights?
Federalists opposed the inclusion of a bill of rights as unnecessary. The Constitution's first draft established a system of checks and balances that included a strong executive branch, a representative legislature, and a federal judiciary—specifying what the government could do but not what it could not do.
Who was the true father of the Bill of Rights?
James Madison took the lead at the First Congress and submitted a Bill of Rights. For his efforts, he is entitled to be called the "Father of the Bill of Rights." Madison used rights listed in state constitutions and from state ratifying conventions. The House of Representatives adopted 17 amendments.
Who was the biggest supporter of the Bill of Rights?
Even James Madison, the Bill of Rights' greatest advocate, had first proposed them to appease members of the opposition; North Carolina and Rhode Island were not yet part of the Union, and he hoped that amendments would bring them into the fold.
Which group supported the Bill of Rights?
A critical minority, referred to as Anti-Federalists, insisted upon the addition of a bill of rights that would protect the rights of individual citizens, and demanded a new look at some of the Constitution's specific provisions.
Who were the strongest supporters of the Bill of Rights?
The Anti-Federalists, including Thomas Jefferson, were the strongest supporters of adding a bill of rights to the Constitution during the founding era. They believed it was necessary to protect individual rights from potential government abuses.
Did Benjamin Franklin believe in natural rights?
"Every man…is, of common right, and by the laws of God, a freeman, and entitled to the free enjoyment of liberty." "All the property that is necessary to a man for the conservation of the individual… is his natural right which none can justly deprive him of."
Why is Ben Franklin on the $100 bill?
Franklin played a key role in building the nation. He was the most important founding father, he was the oldest and the one who had contributed the most to the cause of independence. Franklin signed the Treaty of Alliance with France, convincing the French government to support America against powerful Britain.
What did Benjamin Franklin think of Jesus?
As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion, as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes, and I have, with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts ...
Did Benjamin Franklin support the Bill of Rights?
Benjamin Franklin: Franklin was a printer, scholar, philosopher, inventor, philanthropist, and Founding Father. He was a co-signer of the Bill of Rights.
Who believed the Bill of Rights was unnecessary?
James Madison and other supporters of the Constitution argued that a bill of rights wasn't necessary because - “the government can only exert the powers specified by the Constitution.” But they agreed to consider adding amendments when ratification was in danger in the key state of Massachusetts.
Who inspired the Bill of Rights?
There were originally 12 amendments to the Constitution, but the first 2 were never ratified. Amendments 3 through 12 then became the Bill of Rights. The structure and content of the Bill of Rights was influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights drafted in 1776 by George Mason.
Who did not like the Bill of Rights?
Federalists rejected the proposition that a bill of rights was needed. They made a clear distinction between the state constitutions and the U.S. Constitution.
Who is the Father of the Constitution?
James Madison, America's fourth President (1809-1817), made a major contribution to the ratification of the Constitution by writing The Federalist Papers, along with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. In later years, he was referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.”
Was Alexander Hamilton involved in the Bill of Rights?
A Bill of Rights was not part of the Constitution of 1787. Its omission was hotly debated. Some Founding Fathers, most famously Alexander Hamilton, argued that it was not necessary to include a bill of rights in the Constitution.
Did Thomas Jefferson support the Bill of Rights?
Thomas Jefferson was a strong supporter of supplementing the Constitution with a bill of rights. Jefferson thought they would give an independent judiciary the means to curb any “tyranny” of the executive or legislative branches.
Which amendment ended slavery?
13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of Slavery (1865)
Which right isn't guaranteed in the First Amendment?
Incitement to Imminent Lawless Action
The First Amendment does not protect speech that incites people to break the law, including to commit acts of violence.
Why did James Madison not want a Bill of Rights?
Madison considered the bill a “dangerous abuse of power”; he reasoned that if government could establish Christianity over other religions, then it would also have the power to elevate one Christian group over another.
Was Thomas Jefferson an anti-federalist?
With the passage of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the Anti-Federalist movement was exhausted. Some activists joined the Anti-Administration party that James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were forming about 1790–91 to oppose the policies of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton.
Can the bill of rights be changed?
Of course, the Constitution wasn't perfect. It has been amended 27 times, including the Bill of Rights. But every amendment should be a change that brings the document more – not less – in line with our founding principles of individual liberty, personal responsibility and limited government.