On this day in 1789
by joint resolution the Congress of the United States adopted a series of 12 proposed Amendments offered by James Madison and sent them to the states for ratification.
The first of the propose amendments, which would have gradually increased the minimum number of people represented by a House member as the size of the House increased, was never ratified.
The second, which prohibits raising or lowering the salary of members of Congress until an intervening House election cycle as taken place, was finally ratified in 1992 as the 27th Amendment - unlike nowadays, the proposals approved the Congress had no time limitation for their being approved by the states.
The other ten thus became Amendments 1-10, commonly known as The Bill of Rights, when finally ratified on December 17, 1791, when Virginia, following the lead in order of NJ, MD, NC, SC, NH, DE, NY, PA, RI & VT (which was formally admitted as a state on March 4) went into affect.
The beginning words of the Bill of Rights, in the First Amendment, are worth remembering today:
Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion nor interfering with the free exercise thereof
It is these words I wish to consider today
