I often feel that as we navigate the hectic “busyness” of our everyday lives, we take for granted the rights we have as citizens of this great Republic in which we live. Although the Revolutionary War was over and the Constitution was in effect, there were a number of points of contention between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists in the 1780s. One particular point of contention was that the Anti-Federalists felt the Constitution needed a bill of rights to place specific limits on the power of federal government. While the Federalists argued that the people and states kept the powers that weren’t given to the federal government, Anti-Federalists believed “that a bill of rights was necessary to safeguard individual liberty”. James Madison, who was then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, became involved with this issue of the limits of governmental power. Madison presented the list of amendments to the Constitution to the House and Senate in 1789. It took until December 1791, however, for all the states to ratify the amendments. Virginia’s legislature was the final state to ratify them on December 15, 1791. Take a moment and check out these links for more information concerning the Bill of Rights!
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Bill of Rights from the Charters of Freedom
U.S. Bill of Rights from ConstitutionFacts.com
Bill of Rights of the United States of America (1791)
If you love the big band sound of the swing era, then you are familiar with Glenn Miller. He is one of my favorites from that era. Born in Clarinda, Iowa in 1904, his love of music was apparent by the time he joined the high school band and played the trombone. Desiring a band with its own unique sound and “personality”, it took Miller from 1921 to 1938 to accomplish this as he worked with a number of well-known bands and musicians. The Glenn Miller Orchestra achieved great success and had many hit songs. Enlisting in 1942 to serve his Country, Glenn did not leave his music behind. He was appointed a Captain in the Army Specialist Corps and formed the Army Air Force Band which toured to raise the morale of soldiers fighting WWll. Sadly, Miller met a tragic end December 15, 1944 when the flight he took to Paris to make arrangements for his band to embark on a tour of Europe, disappeared and was never recovered. There has been much speculation on this through the ensuing years. While his death was tragic, Miller’s influence and music legacy lives on. Here are some great sites for more information:
Here’s some hints on my next topic: British novelist, romance, social commentary, and works never publicly acknowledged in her own lifetime. Yes, you’ve got it, Jane Austen! Whether or not Austen’s novels are your cup of tea, you are familiar with her name. Born in Hamsphire, England December 16, 1775, Austen was the seventh child of country clergyman George Austen and his wife, Cassandra. She began writing “comic” stories as a child and published her first serious work at 19. While she lived a quiet life, Austen was well educated at home and her development as a writer was supported by her entire family. Every Jane Austen fan has her/his favorite.
Emma and
Pride and Prejudice are mine. By 1815, as she was finishing
Persuasion, Austen’s health began to fail. She died July 18, 1817. The world will never know what other wonderful works she could have written. Two of her works,
Persuasion and
Northanger Abbey, were published posthumously by one of her brothers. It was only after her death that she achieved fame as a novelist.
The possibilities are unlimited. See you soon at the Library.
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