Origins and Purposes of the Bill of Rights | BRI’s Homework Help Series

Why did the Founders see the need to create a Bill of Rights? What historical documents and events influenced them as they drafted it?

The Founders included both concepts of democracy and republic in the blueprint for American government. Democracy protected majority rule whereas the idea of a republic protected individual citizens. The Bill of Rights was an important addition to the Constitution because it helped to guarantee individual rights. As a fluid document, inclusions to the Bill of Rights like the 14th Amendment brought the idea of incorporation, the process of states being held liable to uphold the Bill of Rights on the state level.

This latest installment in our Homework Help series explores these important constitutional questions.