Murrieta Calvary Chapel Constitution Class

6:00 pm in the Spanish Ministry room at Calvary Chapel Murrieta we will be meeting for two hours for a Constitution Class.  We will be covering Amendments 1 through 12 (or at least as much of it as we can get through in the two hours).

Preview:


Lesson 7


The Bill of Rights and Amendment I


7.1 - Introduction to the Bill of Rights


A significant segment of the Founding Fathers believed the Bill of Rights to be unnecessary. The first seven articles of the U.S. Constitution was written in such a way that the concerns of the Anti-Federalists had been addressed.


The Constitution was written in a manner that allowed the new federal government only the authorities granted to it by the Law of the Land. Regarding firearms, for example, was never an issue granted to the federal government in the first seven articles of the U.S. Constitution, therefore the federal government had no authority to restrict guns in any way, shape, or form.  The Anti-Federalists, however, did not believe the federal government would abide by the limitation of authorities placed on the United States Government, therefore demanded that there be written a Bill of Rights.  Failure to provide a Bill of Rights, indicated the Anti-Federalists, would result in a failure of those States dominated by Anti-Federalists to ratify the new constitution.


The founders, understanding that without the critical approval of the Anti-Federalists the new constitution would never be ratified, agreed to include a Bill of Rights.  James Madison was asked to write the amendments to be proposed and potentially ratified by the States that would make up the Bill of Rights. 


Originally, there were a large number of amendments proposed, but the final proposal was narrowed down to twelve amendments.  Only ten were ratified.  Of the remaining two, one regarding apportionment remains unratified, and the other became the Twenty-Seventh Amendment in 1992.


The debates over the adoption of the Constitution found the Anti-Federalists fearful that as drafted, the Constitution created a central government that may have the opportunity to become a tyranny.  These fears were based on the memory of the British violation of basic civil rights before and during the American Revolution.  With past British tyranny as a frame of reference, the Anti-Federalists demanded that a "bill of rights" be written that would clarify without question the immunities of individual citizens.  Though the amendments of the Bill of Rights were not proposed until 1789, several state conventions during their ratification conventions ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered. . . 

Lessons 7 (Introduction to the Bill of Rights, Incorporation of the Bill of Rights, First Amendment), 8 (Amendments 2-8), 9 (Amendments 9 and 10), and 10 (Amendments 11 and 12) will be discussed if time permits.

Next Tuesday we will not meet because of a teacher's meeting, and the following Tuesday because of Spring Break.  We will resume April 17th with lessons on the Civil War (Amendments 13-15) and the Progressive Era (Amendments 16 and 17).

Attendance, if you did not pre-register, is $5 per class per person.

Free Pocket Constitutions are handed out to all attendees.

See you there!