ABSTRACT
One of the central tensions within the democratic tradition concerns the conflict between majority rule and minority rights. How can the one be reconciled with the other? The men who drafted the U.S. Constitution thought that the separation of governmental powers and the system of checks and balances incorporated into the Constitution would protect the rights and interests of individuals from the power of the majority, but many others believed that a list of specific limits on government authority was needed to guarantee individual rights. When the first Congress met, it moved to add the following ten amendments to the Constitution. These amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, took effect on November 3, 1791.
