December 15, 2016 marked the 225th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. To celebrate this momentous occasion, the Columbia Public Library is presenting a display about the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights display is made possible by Missouri Humanities Council in partnership with the National Archives.
What is the Bill of Rights, and why is it important? The Bill of Rights is a document written by the founding fathers that displays the first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution. These amendments were written by James Madison to protect the rights of individual citizens.
Want to help your kids understand the Constitution? Build one together as a family!
- Have everyone talk about the rules or ideas they want to establish in the house. Write them down, and order them from most important to least important.
- Talk about the concept of compromise. Compromise is the agreement that is reached by each side making concessions. Which issues are each of the members willing to give or take? (Remember: not even the founding fathers could get exactly what they wanted!)
- Write down the final rules of the house, and have everyone sign it, showing that they agree with what is written.
- If someone wants to change a rule, everyone has to vote on the new rule. At least 2/3 of the family needs to agree on the change for it to take effect.
To learn about the Constitution, Bill of Rights and other related topics, check out the display next to the Children’s Desk at the Columbia Public Library, my online book list and this YouTube video.
