The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence are all unique documents in their own right. Although they share many aspects, they also have their respective differences. The Bill of Rights is the name given to the first ten amendments or changes to the Constitution. The Constitution set laws to start the United States and established the government of the country. The Declaration was essentially a complaint letter to England and a declaration of war. Each document is essential creation of the others.
The Declaration was primarily written by Thomas Jefferson along with a few coauthors in 1776. It was to declare Independence: “We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, … solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved.”
It also listed the many grievances the British have caused the colonists: “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.” Moreover, the Declaration of Independence served as propaganda to turn the public eye against Britain and assist in the recruiting process. By signing the document, the writers committed treason, meaning that the country needed to commit to the Revolutionary War and usurp the British or else their primary leaders would be executed.
The Constitution, however, served a completely separate purpose. The Second Continental Congress, known as the Framers created the Constitution, while James Madison wrote it. The need for a government better than the previous oppressive British one led Alexander Hamilton to eventually call a constitutional convention to decide the new nation’s fate. The Constitution determined the rules for the U. S. government as an official document for a new country. The document provided basic and essential rights to all white male citizens. Although the Constitution set up the U. S. government, it did have its problems.
That’s where amendments come in. James Madison wrote the first ten known as the Bill of Rights in 1789. Congress conceived the article when they realized that their Constitution was not nearly as good as they thought it was. So Madison drafted the famous bill, which included more rights and privileges granted to all white male citizens. Nonetheless, Congress added on seventeen other amendments onto the Constitution later on to include all men and women. Overall, the Bill of Rights is an extension of the Constitution.
To wrap it all up, you can agree that these three documents are all linked together. The Declaration of Independence is the starter. From it Congress created the Constitution. To complete the Constitution, they needed to make the Bill of Rights. Without the Declaration there would not be the Constitution, and without the Bill, the U. S. couldn’t fully enjoy all the benefits of the Constitution. These three documents are some of the most significant in American history, and without them the U. S. wouldn’t even come close to what it is now.
