Constitution of the United States

( 1787 ) Commentary by John P. Kaminski, University of Wisconsin—Madison

Questions for Further Study

1. How did the opposing forces in the Constitutional Convention create a constitution of compromises?
2. How were the Founders able to create a stronger central government that would at the same time provide increased protection for the rights of its citizens?
3. How did the Constitution, which was designed to secure the rights of individuals, condone and even benefit those who owned slaves?
4. During the debate over ratification, James Madison argued that rights would be better secured from the structure of the Constitution than from the subsequently added Bill of Rights. What did he mean by this? Why did Madison only two years later champion the Bill of Rights?

Constitution of the United States (National Archives and Records Administration)

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