Presidential Proclamation -- Bill of Rights Day, 2011

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

On December 15, 1791, the United States adopted the Bill of Rights, enshrining in our Constitution the protection of our inalienable freedoms, from the right to speak our minds and worship as we please to the guarantee of equal justice under the law. For 220 years, these fundamental liberties have shaped our national character and stirred the souls of all who dream of a freer, more just world. As we mark this milestone, we renew our commitment to preserving our universal rights and perfecting our Union.

Introduced in the First Congress in 1789, the Bill of Rights was born out of compromise. The promise of enumerated rights enabled the ratification of the Constitution without fear that a more centralized government would encroach on American freedoms. In adopting the first ten Amendments, our Founders put forth an ideal that continues to define our Nation -- that we can have both liberty and security, that we need not sacrifice the rights of man for the rule of law.

Throughout our country's history, generations have risen to uphold the principles outlined in our Bill of Rights and advance equality for all Americans. The liberties we enjoy today are possible only because of these brave patriots, from the service members who have defended our freedom to the citizens who have braved billy clubs and fire hoses in the hope of extending America's promise across lines of color and creed. On Bill of Rights Day, we celebrate this proud legacy and resolve to pass to our children an America worthy of our Founders' vision.

EDSITEment joins the President in the celebration of our heritage of equality by offering teachers and students the following resources:

Websites / History & Social Studies lessons

The Creation of the Bill of Rights:

This new lesson focuses on the arguments either for or against the addition of a Bill of Rights between 1787 and 1789. By examining the views of prominent Americans in original documents, students will see that the issue at the heart of the debate was whether a Bill of Rights was necessary to secure and fulfill the objects of the American Revolution and the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Students will also gain an understanding of the origins of the Bill of Rights and how it came to be part of what Thomas Jefferson called "the American mind," as well as a greater awareness of the difficulties that proponents had to overcome in order to add the first ten Amendments to the Constitution.

The Creation of the Bill of Rights: "Retouching the Canvas":

This new interactive map of the first 13 states highlights the ratification process in each state.

Bill of Rights Institute:

The mission of the Bill of Rights Institute is to educate young people about the words and ideas of America's Founders, the liberties guaranteed in our  Founding documents, and how our Founding principles continue to affect and shape a free society.

See their page of Student interactive learning games such as this challenge to your students to test their knowledge of some important American statements on religious liberty by matching the pictured American Founder with the quotation.

The Bill of Rights:

This page from EDSITEment features resources relating to the Bill of Rights and presents information about the history and the content of this important, foundational document.

Exploring Constitutional Law:

This EDSITEment-reviewed Web site, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law, provides documents and information related to issues and controversies that surround our nation's founding document.

The First Amendment: What's Fair in a Free Country?

In this unit of six lessons, from EDSITEment, students consider the limitations that have been placed on the First Amendment guarantee of "freedom of speech.

Shelley

EDSITEment