The Bill of Rights and the Constitution

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In madison's notes, you can find these clear statements by people att the convention. They built in structures to insure their protection. A great example is the us Senate, which was designed to be made up of elite men who would not even be elected by the people. And sure enough, the senate became this place where legislation goes to die.

In the summer of 1787, fifty-five men got together in Philadelphia to write a new Constitution for the United States, replacing the new nation’s original blueprint, the Articles of Confederation. But why, exactly? What problems were the framers trying to solve? Was the Constitution designed to advance democracy, or to rein it in? And how can the answers to those questions inform our crises of democracy today?

By producer/host John Biewen with series collaborator Chenjerai Kumanyika. Interviews with Woody Holton, Dan Bullen, and Price Thomas. The series editor is Loretta Williams.