1939 March 2

Massachusetts Ratifies Bill of Rights – 148 Years Late

 

Massachusetts finally ratified the Bill of Rights on this day — 148 years after its adoption.

This was the first ratification of the Bill of Rights since Virginia in 1791. It was followed by Georgia in March 1939, and Connecticut on April 19, 1939. These actions were prompted by the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution in 1937 and the impending 150th anniversary of the Bill of Rights in 1941.

Go to December 15, 1941, for Bill of Rights Day.

Follow a timeline on the ratification of the Bill of Rightshttp://www.usconstitution.net/constamrat.html

Read: Akhil Reed Amar, The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction (2000)

Learn more: Akhil Reed Amar and Les Adams, The Bill of Rights Primer: A Citizen’s Guidebook to the American Bill of Rights (2013) [an on-line book]

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