12 things you didn't know about the Bill of Rights

There's a lot you probably didn't know about the Bill of Rights.It was inspired by the English Bill of Rights of 1689.It didn't actually apply to all individuals until 130 years after it was made.The Bill of Rightsaka the first10 amendments to the Constitutionguarantee basic rights such as freedom of speech and worship.And while the Bill of Rights has existed since 1791, there's a lot about it that most people don't know.Read on for some facts about the Bill of Rights you may have never heard before.It was inspired by the Virginia Declaration of Rights.Politician George Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776. The document solidified certain rights, stating that "all men are by nature equally free and independent," and that "government is, or ought to be, instituted for the common benefit, protection, and security, of the people, nation, or community."The Bill of Rights was also inspired by an English law of the same name.The English Bill of Rights, which was passed in 1689, limited the power of the monarchy by giving more power to Parliament, and outlined individual rights such as freedom of speech.James Madison was the author.Madison wrote a lot more amendments in his first draft of the Bill of Rights than ended up being ratified. His list got cut down first to 17 by the House, and then 12 by the Senate. It was finalized with just 10 amendments in 1791three months after his original proposition.One of two amendments rejected by the states was eventually ratified in 1992 as the 27th Amendment; it restricted the ability of Congress to change thepay of a sitting Congress while in session. (The other proposed amendment dealt with the number of representatives in Congress, based on the 1789 population.)See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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