Americans celebrated the 220th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights last week. This document is the cornerstone of our individual freedoms.
The Bill of Rights was demanded by the Anti-Federalists, as a condition for their accepting the then-proposed Constitution. James Madison, however, believed no such document was necessary because the Constitution nowhere denied such rights. Putting them on paper, Madison feared, would provide a pretext for their re-interpretation to limit individual freedom.
Though anxious to get the Constitution ratified, Madison promised they would be added to the Constitution as amendments, he drafted the Bill of Rights in 1789, and they were ratified by Congress and the states in 1791.
Living in a time when the Constitution is either ignored or mis-interpreted, we should thank the Anti-Federalist for their perseverance. The clash of the Federalist and Anti-Federalists led to guarantees of liberties that have been envied throughout the world for over two centuries.
Madison, ironically, believed, and rightly so, “Liberty is to faction, what air is to fire.” In this case, the clash of two factions produced an historic result.
The Bill of Rights, especially the First Amendment, is the most widely recognized feature of the Constitution. Students across America, when asked about the Constitution, seemingly know nothing about any of its seven Articles, but they are quick to mention such First Amendment guarantees as freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion.
John Adams said, “Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people.” Yet, in order to know when your personal freedoms are being infringed, you must understand the Bill of Rights.
A timely case in point is the First Amendment provision that says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishing of a religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”
Too many schools neglect teaching about the Constitution. As a result, many students, and their parents, do not understand their constitutional rights in this area and are silenced by a misreading of the First Amendment.
The cultural elite and progressives have initiated a vastly successful campaign to intimidate students from exercising their uniquely American right to express religious beliefs in public schools.
Courts affirm time and time again that the First Amendment guarantees students’ rights to discuss their religious beliefs openly in the classroom and campus as long as they aren’t disruptive. This includes saying “Merry Christmas,” handing out Christmas cards and gifts, and drawing religious symbols.
The public schools, because they are government entities, however, cannot force a specific religion upon students, though it may teach about religion in the context of instruction about the tenets of multiple religions.
Too many schools, however, still have intimidating policies that result from ideological considerations or constitutional ignorance. Dr. Charles C. Haynes, director of Religious Freedom Education Project, who travels the nation instructing schools on this matter, writes, “Memo to school officials: Divisive lawsuits and bitter conflicts might be avoided if you remember that students are not the government.”
Knowledge is power. As the Bill of Rights is highlighted during this festive season that is rich with religion and religious holidays, it is helpful to know all the facts.
Passions are persuasive. Our founding fathers consequently crafted an ingenious document that curbs ardent and misguided quests.
Thus, Americans should put a Constitution in their children’s stocking and discuss their rights with them over the holiday break. A student cannot stand tall if he does not know it all.
Examiner contributor Janine Turner is a longtime actress and talk radio show host on KLIF in Dallas. She is also founder and co-chairman, with Cathy Gillespie, of Constituting America, a non-profit foundation devoted to improving constitutional education in America.
