Na m e : ___ Date: _
Directions: The story below is about the original Bill of Rights. Read the questions first. Next,
read the story to find the answers. Finally, go back and answer the questions.Do you read first and ask questions later? A better
strategy is to ask questions before you read. Then
read to find the answers.On April 30, 1789, the first president of the United States took office. For the newly
independent country, a pressing order of business was to pass into law a set of
amendments to the Constitution. This was important because several states had only
agreed to adopting the Constitution if a specific Bill of Rights was added.Led by Madison, a list of 12 amendments were proposed for
ratification on September 25, 1789. Ten of the twelve were
ratified and in force on December 15, 1791. These ten
amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.The main intent of the Bill of Rights was to guarantee
freedoms not specifically addressed in the Constitution.
Unlike similar provisions in the English version, in which
Parliament could repeal a right, the American Bill of
Rights could only be repealed through the states.- What is the Bill of Rights? _____
- Why was the Bill of Rights a priority for the new government? _____
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________- How long did it take from the proposal to the ratification? ____
- How many of the proposed amendments were finally accepted? ___
- What was the main intent of the Bill of Rights? ___
_____________________________________________________________________________________- How was the American version of the Bill of Rights different from the English version? _____
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