The Bill of Rights is a list of rights, or amendments, belonging to the people of the United States. Now, this question was asked ages ago at the time of his proposal: Does enumeration of rights create an assumption that all unenumerated rights are lost? To answer this debatable question, we must examine both the anti-federalist and federalist arguments. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe Anti-Federalists were actually the first to propose including a bill of rights in the Constitution. They asserted that fundamental and vital rights must be specifically enumerated, or enumerated, for the protection of the liberty of the individual. These rights (i.e. freedom of religion and freedom of speech), after all, should clearly be retained by the people. Therefore, if their freedom were ever threatened, they could rely on the Bill of Rights, rather than the ambiguous Constitution, to guide them. For the Anti-Federalists, firmly preserving the rights of the people was of the utmost importance. As for the actual enumeration, I think they thought that only the fundamental rights were necessary and that people would understand that all, if not all, other rights were preserved by the very nature of the Constitution. The Federalists, on the contrary, had a different opinion regarding the Bill of Rights. They argued that the Bill of Rights was not only unnecessary, but to some, it was downright ridiculous. One federalist said the idea itself didn't even cross the minds of many of the attendees until the conference closed. Ultimately, federalists believed that since the Constitution was made by the people, for the people, it was not necessary to specifically list the rights already contained in the Constitution. The very nature of the Constitution made the people themselves masters of their own rights, so there was simply no need for a document to affirm them. Some Federalists even considered the Bill of Rights dangerous because it could be left to false interpretation or rights not listed would be considered lost. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay To conclude, however, the Bill of Rights lists only what has been deemed vitally important by both parties. And to eliminate any confusion, a final amendment was added stating that any unenumerated rights would still belong to the people, unless removed by them. Therefore, this compromise satisfied both parties and demonstrated that enumeration of rights does NOT create an assumption, or theory, that all unenumerated rights are lost. It is simply a guarantee for the freedom and peace of not only individuals, but also the entire public. The people will always have the right to life and liberty. The Bill of Rights serves only as protection from potential government tyranny.