The Original Bill of Rights Had 12 Amendments, Not 10

The Original Bill of Rights Had 12 Amendments, Not 10 How many amendments are in the Bill of Rights? If you answered ten, you are right. But if you visit the Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom at the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC, you will see that the original copy of the Bill of Rights sent to states for ratification had twelve amendments. Fast Facts The  Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution.The Bill of Rights establishes specific restrictions and prohibitions on the powers of the  federal government.The Bill of Rights was created in response to demands from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties already considered  natural rights, such as the rights to speak and worship freely.The Bill of Rights, originally in the form of 12 amendments was submitted to the legislatures of the states for their consideration on September 28, 1789, and was ratified by the required three-fourths (then 11) states in the form of 10 amendments on December 15, 1791. What is the Bill of Rights? The Bill of Rights is actually the popular name for a joint resolution passed by the first U.S. Congress on September 25, 1789. The resolution proposed the first set of amendments to the Constitution. Then as now, the process of amending the Constitution required the resolution to be ratified or approved by at least three-fourths the states. Unlike the ten amendments we know and cherish today as the Bill of Rights, the resolution sent to the states for ratification in 1789 proposed twelve amendments.When the votes of the 11 states were finally counted on December 15, 1791, only the last 10 of the 12 amendments had been ratified. Thus, the original third amendment, establishing freedom of speech, press, assembly, petition, and the right to a fair and speedy trial became todays First Amendment. Imagine 6,000 Members of Congress Rather than establishing rights and freedoms, the first amendment as voted on by the states in the original Bill of Rights proposed a ratio by which to determine the number of people to be represented by each member of the House of Representatives. The original first amendment (not ratified) read: After the first enumeration required by the first article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall be not less than one hundred Representatives, nor less than one Representative for every forty thousand persons, until the number of Representatives shall amount to two hundred; after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall not be less than two hundred Representatives, nor more than one Representative for every fifty thousand persons. Had the amendment been ratified, the number of members of the House of Representatives could by now be over 6,000, compared to the present 435. As apportioned by the latest  Census, each member of the House currently represents about 650,000 people. The Original Second Amendment was About Money, not Guns The original second amendment as voted on, but rejected by the states in 1789, addressed congressional pay, rather than the right of the people to possess firearms. The original second amendment (not ratified) read: No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened. Though not ratified at the time, the original second amendment finally made its way into the Constitution in 1992, ratified as the 27th Amendment, a full 203 years after it was first proposed. And So the Third Became the First As a result of the failure of the states to ratify the original first and second amendments in 1791, the original third amendment became a part of the Constitution as the First Amendment we cherish today.   Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Background Delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 considered but defeated a proposal to include a bill of rights in the initial version of the Constitution. This resulted in a  heated debate during the ratification process.The Federalists, who supported the Constitution as written, felt a bill of rights was not needed because the Constitution intentionally limited the powers of the federal government to interfere with the rights of the states, most of which had already adopted bills of rights. The Anti-Federalists, who opposed the Constitution, argued in favor of the Bill of Rights, believing that the central government could not exist or function without a clearly established list of rights guaranteed to the people. (See: The Federalist Papers)Some of the states hesitated to ratify the Constitution without a bill of rights. During the ratification process, the people and the state legislatures called for the first Congress serving under the new Constitution in 1789 to consider an d put forward a bill of rights. According to the National Archives, the then 11 states began the process of ratifying the Bill of Rights by holding a referendum, asking its voters to approve or reject each of the 12 proposed amendments. Ratification of any amendment by at least three-quarters of the states meant acceptance of that amendment. Six weeks after receiving the Bill of Rights resolution, North Carolina ratified the Constitution. (North Carolina had resisted ratifying the Constitution because it did not guarantee individual rights.) During this process, Vermont became the first state to join the Union after the Constitution was ratified, and Rhode Island (the lone holdout) also joined. Each state tallied its votes and forwarded the results to Congress. Sources and Further Reference â€Å"The Charters of Freedom: The Bill of Rights.† Washington, DC. National Archives and Records Administration.â€Å"James Madison’s Proposed Amendments to the Constitution, June 8, 1789.† Washington, DC. National Archives and Records Administration.Lloyd, Gordon. â€Å"Introduction to the Constitutional Convention.† Teaching American History.

The Best Music for Studying - 20 Songs

The Best Music for Studying - 20 Songs    According to Nick Perham, a researcher published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, the best music for studying is none at all, which is sure to make all the music aficionados upset to hear.  Perham recommends complete quiet or ambient noise, like a soft conversation or muted traffic for the optimal study background. Websites like SimplyNoise.com and apps like White Noise have millions of users testifying to the fact that ambient noise helps people focus and study. But purveyors of white noise have an equal number of music lovers who would beg to disagree.   Some people, despite Perhams research, believe that music is a must for studying everything from the SAT to the MCAT. They believe that music can really enhance the study experience since music brightens peoples moods and increases positive feelings - both of which are important factors for successful study. Lyric-Free Music Music researchers do agree on one thing, however: music for studying should be free from lyrics, so the songs arent competing for your brains memory space.   The individual songs listed below can give you an idea of the wide range of lyric-free study music available to you. There is an entire  world  out there dedicated to study music that you may have never even heard about. Try Pandora and Spotify stations by genre and artist and download the music apps to help you focus on your studies and NOT on the sweet beats of the songs.   20 Songs for Studying These twenty songs represent a wide variety in musical genres. Everything from classical music by Mozart to covers by Modern Rock Heroes is listed, hopefully hitting a lyric-free genre youd be willing to crack open the books to.   Song: Adagio from Serenade No. 10 in B Flat Major for Thirteen Winds Gran Partita ListenArtist: Wolfgang Amadeus MozartSong: Aloha Ia O Waianae ListenArtist:  Ledward KaapanaSong: Be Still My SoulArtist: David NevueSong: Blues After Hours ListenArtist: Pee Wee CraytonSong: Braveheart Film Score ListenArtist: James HornerSong: Concerto for Violin, String and Harpsichord in C R. 190 I. AllegroArtist: Antonio VivaldiSong: Desfinado ListenArtist: Stan GetzSong: Here Comes The Sun ListenArtist: Piano Music SongsSong: In The Shadow Of Your Wings ListenArtist:  John TeshSong: Love Theme From Romeo and Juliet ListenArtist: Henry ManciniSong: Palladio ListenArtist:  EscalaSong: Étude-Tableau in C Major, Op. 33, No. 2 ListenArtist: RachmaninoffSong: Sigh Listen to SighArtist: PrafulSong: Silence Magnifies Sound ListenArtist: The Six Parts SevenSong: So Long, Lonesome ListenArtist: Explosions in The SkySong: South Street ListenArtist:  Bobby Ross Avila and NaturalSong: Take Five Lis tenArtist: Dave Brubeck Song: Viva La Vida ListenArtist:  Modern Rock HeroesSong: Whiskey Before Breakfast ListenArtist: Doc WatsonSong: You Wish ListenArtist:  Nightmares on Wax