Madison's Notes for the Bill of Rights

The Library of Congress has extensive exhibits on American history. One section discusses how the First Amendment came to be. Here is the part that talks about Madison's notes (Madison is considered the "father" of the First Amendment).

Madison used this outline to guide him in delivering his speech introducing the Bill of Rights into the First Congress on June 8, 1789. Madison proposed an amendment to assuage the anxieties of those who feared that religious freedom would be endangered by the unamended Constitution. According to The Congressional Register Madison, on June 8, moved that "the civil rights of none shall be abridged on account of religious belief or worship, nor shall any national religion be established, nor shall the full and equal rights of conscience be in any manner, or on any pretext infringed."

Images of the actual notes are also included:



See more http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel06.html