Bill of Rights Day is celebrated on December 15 each year. The Bill of Rights, composed of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, sets out the foundational civil rights and liberties guaranteed to all Americans.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 15 to be Bill of Rights Day in 1941 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights’ ratification.
The Bill of Rights was proposed by James Madison in June 1789 and passed the House and Senate in September 1789. Twelve amendments were signed by President George Washington and sent to the states for ratification, with 10 amendments passing the three-fourths mark required for ratification on December 15, 1789.
For more information about Bill of Rights Day, go to the Texas State Law Library’s spotlight post.