The Bill of Rights: The Fight to Secure America's Liberties

The real story of how the Bill of Rights came to be a concise vivid history of political strategy big egos and partisan interest that set the terms of the ongoing contest between the federal government and the statesRevered today for articulating Americas founding principles the first ten amendmentsthe Bill of Rightswas in fact a political stratagem executed by James Madison to preserve the Constitution the Federal government and the latters authority over the states In the skilled hands of award-winning historian Carol Berkin the story of the Founders fight over the Bill of Rights comes alive in a gripping drama of partisan politics acrimonious debate and manipulated procedure From this familiar story of a Congress at loggerheads an important truth emerges In the young nation faced a great ideological divide around a question still unanswered today should broad power and authority reside in the federal government or should it reside in state governments The Bill of Rights from protecting religious freedom and the peoples right to bear arms to reserving unenumerated rights to the states was a political ploy first and matter of principle second How and why Madison came to devise this plan the divisive debates it fostered in the Congress and its ultimate success in defeating antifederalist counterplans to severely restrict the powers of the federal government is more engrossing than any of the myths that shroud our national beginnings The debate over the founding fathers original intent still continues through myriad Supreme Court decisions By pulling back the curtain on the political short-sighted and self-interested intentions of the founding fathers in passing the Bill of Rights Berkin reveals the inherent weakness in these arguments and what it means for our country today.