South West Illinois News

Illinois State Rep. Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) recently celebrated "Bill of Rights Day."

"Bill of Rights Day commemorates the ratification of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which spelled out our rights as Americans. Today we celebrate this founding document and the freedoms it allows. Happy Bill of Rights Day!" Jacobs wrote in a Dec. 15 Facebook post.

Paul Jacobs was first elected to the Illinois House in 2020. A Republican, their legislative experience includes serving on the Tourism Committee and Higher Education. Jacobs is a state representative who resides in Pomona, according to the Illinois House.

According to The American Presidency Project, "Opportunities to improve our Constitution have been contemplated since its inception. On December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the existing State legislatures ratified the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution—the Bill of Rights. These Amendments protect some of the most indispensable rights and liberties that define us as Americans. Though we have often struggled to live up to the promises they contain, 230 years after the ratification of the Bill of Rights, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms remains at the center of our democracy."

The National Archive noted that "The Constitution might never have been ratified if the framers hadn't promised to add a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and contain many of today's Americans' most valued freedoms."  

According to the National Archives, while James Madison wasn't a fan of a Bill of Rights - he thought it was unnecessary, he worked to get a series of amendments to the Constitution passed. 

"Few members of the First Congress wanted to make amending the new Constitution a priority. But James Madison, once the most vocal opponent of the Bill of Rights, introduced a list of amendments to the Constitution on June 8, 1789, and 'hounded his colleagues relentlessly' to secure its passage," according to The National Archives. "Madison had come to appreciate the importance voters attached to these protections, the role that enshrining them in the Constitution could have in educating people about their rights, and the chance that adding them might prevent its opponents from making more drastic changes to it."