George Washington on Bill of Rights

[Paul Finkelman]

This is not exactly correct, with all due respect to the late Professor
Schwartz, who was my predecessor here at the Chapman Professor at the
University of Tulsa.

In  his first  address to Congress, which functioned as his inaugural
address, Washington  devoted an entire paragraph to the discussion of
amendments (the third from the last if anyone wants to look at it).  Here
he declined to offere specific recommendations of Amendments, but  urged
Congress to show "a reverence for the characeristic rights of freemen, and
a regard for public harmony...."  This was in fact a recommendation for
strong consideration of some bIll of rights that would not change the
character of the Constitution, but would satisfy the mild antifederalists.
I discuss this in 1990 Supreme Court Review at 338-39.

--
Paul Finkelman
Chapman Distinguished Professor
University of Tulsa College of Law
3120 East 4th Place
Tulsa, Oklahoma  74104-2499

918-631-3706 (office)
918-631-2194 (fax)

paul-finkelman at utulsa.edu



Daniel Hoffman wrote:

> Washington strongly opposed the insistence on amendments as
> preconditions for ratification; privately expressed general sympathy
> with what advocates of the Bill were contending for; and declined to
> make a recommendation either way in his first annual message to
> congress.  See Schwartz, The Bill of Rights, A Documentary History, II:
> 985-88, 1011-12.