Why Some of the Founders Feared a Bill of Rights episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 4, 2026 · 7 MIN

Why Some of the Founders Feared a Bill of Rights

from Field Notes on the Republic · host Michael Fowler

The Bill of Rights is the part of the Constitution most Americans can name, so it is surprising that some of the ablest framers argued against having one at all. Their objection was serious: that listing rights might imply the unlisted ones were surrendered. How the disagreement was resolved, not by one side winning, but by writing the loser's warning into the Ninth Amendment.Field Notes on the Republic was written and read by Michael Fowler. It was produced for Quorum (Supply Co.), an American civic purveyor. Music is "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," performed by the U.S. Military Academy Band, West Point.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jun 4, 2026

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