Madison’s Bill (of Rights)

The Bill of Rights authored by James Madison, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, understood historically as a political concession responding to Anti-Federalist (e.g., Patrick Henry’s) objections concerning militia control and federal power.

Claims that use this term

• Madison’s Bill of Rights was a political concession to dissatisfied enslavers over militia control
• Contemporaries attributed Madison’s Bill of Rights obsession to Patrick Henry’s militia objections