September 25
U.S. Congress Proposes Bill of Rights Amendments
The First Congress approved twelve amendments to the Constitution on September 25, 1789, and forwarded them to the states to address widespread concerns over individual liberties and limits on federal authority.
Summary
After ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1788, debates continued over the need for explicit protections of individual liberties against potential federal overreach. On September 25, 1789, the First Congress approved twelve proposed amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. These amendments addressed concerns raised during the ratification debates, including freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition; the right to bear arms; protections against unreasonable searches and seizures; and rights in criminal proceedings. Ten of the twelve were ultimately ratified by 1791, becoming the Bill of Rights. The process reflected compromises between Federalists and Anti-Federalists to secure broader support for the new government.
Context
The U.S. Constitution, drafted in 1787 and ratified by the required nine states in 1788, faced significant opposition from Anti-Federalists who argued it granted excessive power to the central government without sufficient safeguards for personal freedoms. Several states ratified the document only after attaching lists of proposed amendments or declarations of rights, while North Carolina and Rhode Island initially withheld approval altogether until protections were added.
What Happened
James Madison of Virginia, who had initially opposed a separate bill of rights during the Constitutional Convention, changed course during his campaign for a House seat and introduced a series of amendments on June 8, 1789, drawing heavily from the more than two hundred proposals submitted by the states. The House of Representatives debated and revised the measures through the summer, ultimately approving seventeen amendments on August 24 after Roger Sherman of Connecticut successfully argued they should appear as a separate list at the end of the Constitution rather than interwoven into the text.
Aftermath
A joint conference committee reconciled differences between the House and Senate versions, resulting in a final list of twelve proposed amendments. The House gave its approval on September 24 and the Senate followed on September 25, after which Speaker Frederick Muhlenberg and Vice President John Adams signed the resolution. President George Washington transmitted copies to the states shortly thereafter, initiating the ratification process that would ultimately succeed for ten of the amendments by December 1791.
Legacy
The ten amendments ratified in 1791 became the Bill of Rights and established enduring protections for speech, religion, assembly, bearing arms, due process, and other liberties that continue to shape American constitutional interpretation and litigation. The two unratified proposals—one concerning congressional representation and one on congressional pay—highlighted the deliberate pace of constitutional change, with the latter eventually becoming the Twenty-seventh Amendment in 1992.
Why It Matters
The Bill of Rights established foundational legal protections that shaped American constitutional law and influenced democratic frameworks worldwide. It addressed Anti-Federalist fears, helped unify the early republic, and continues to underpin civil liberties litigation and debates in the United States today.
Related Questions
Why did Anti-Federalists demand a Bill of Rights?
They feared the new federal government would infringe on individual liberties without explicit protections, a concern rooted in their experiences under British rule and the absence of such guarantees in the original Constitution.
How many amendments did Congress originally propose in 1789?
Congress approved twelve amendments on September 25, 1789, though only ten were ratified by the states in 1791.
What role did James Madison play in creating the Bill of Rights?
Although initially skeptical of a separate bill of rights, Madison compiled proposals from the states, introduced them in Congress, and guided their passage through the House.
When were the Bill of Rights amendments finally ratified?
Ten of the twelve proposals were ratified on December 15, 1791, when Virginia provided the necessary approval to reach three-fourths of the states.
What happened to the two amendments not ratified in 1791?
One concerning congressional apportionment remains unratified; the other, limiting congressional pay raises, was ratified in 1992 as the Twenty-seventh Amendment.
Related Portfolio Site
America 250 Atlas: Proposal of the Bill of Rights amendments by the First U.S. Congress
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Sources
- What Happened on September 25, A&E Television Networks. Accessed 2026-07-05.
- September 25, 2019 – Pieces of History, U.S. National Archives. Accessed 2026-07-05.