Quote:
Originally posted by MysticCat81
Thanks for your post, librasoul. I, for one, found it very thought provoking. Being a lawyer, however, I have to pick one nit. 
I would have to say that the rights in question were not given by someone, but that the citizens of this country (and yes I recognize that in the late 1700's that meant the white, male, land-owning citizens of this country) secured these rights for themselves. They did this as a result of having been denied these rights by the British crown. The Bill of Rights was not originally part of the constitution, but a few states (North Carolina and Rhode Island particularly) refused to ratify the constitution, and therefore refused to enter into the Union, until the Bill of Rights, with all of the freedoms that it guarantees, was adopted. In essence, the citizens (same disclaimer) of NC and RI, through their elected representatives, forced the adoption of the Bill of Rights.
FWIW.
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Thanks for the info! Having family in NC (which is DEEEEP south, no matter what anyone says!), it is hard to imagine them being progressive and radical back in the day! lol.
As far as the Bill of Rights, I am pretty sure the citizens from RI and NC that ensured its inclusion pretty much mirrored the white male land owners who ratified the Constitution.
In essence what I meant was that presently we are still living by these rights, hence they were "given" to us by our forefathers. And I know that we have the power to vote, etc. but that only goes so far. Hey, I live in FL, trust me on that one, lol.
Anyway, next time I argue with my conservative NC family, I will have to point that out!
