Since it was first proposed in 1789, the Bill of Rights was controversial. The Founding Fathers had already considered adding a Bill of Rights in the original Constitution of 1787, primarily because they knew that people feared a powerful central government and formally asserting their rights in this new document would appease them. They didn't add it, though, thinking it wasn't really necessary. However, each state had its own version of a Bill of Rights. The framers of the Constitution decided that just because individual states' rights were not listed in the Constitution did not mean that the federal government controlled the lives of every citizen. The debate over the Bill of Rights ended with the federalists against the anti-federalists. Federalists favored a strong central government that had power over the states. States are known to make some mean decisions that may not be universally right. The Anti-Federalists preferred a strong local government. Most Americans felt a sense of loyalty to their home state and trusted decisions would be made in their best interests. They didn't want their rights taken away by a powerful federal government, which is what they thought the Constitution would do. Once citizens saw the text of the Constitution, they immediately demanded a Bill of Rights to protect their freedoms. There was a lot of opposition to the Constitution. Both the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists did not want to attempt to create a new Constitution, or worse yet have another American Revolution if the people felt that their rights had truly been violated. The founding fathers wanted the people's support for their government. The Bill of Rights was a compromise… middle of paper… These values ​​negatively affect the people around them, so motivations are questioned. They have freedom, but they must also be responsible for the rights established for them. If someone keeps a gun in their home, it is assumed that they want to protect themselves, but they must be responsible for keeping the gun out of the wrong hands. If someone publishes information, it must be accurate and not for their own interests. If someone chooses to worship a particular faith, those beliefs should not harm others. The Bill of Rights was established to protect individuals and states, assuming they can accept these freedoms with responsibility. It is important that each provision is worded so that there is no doubt about its meaning, even if the explanation is longer. The provisions would not be left to interpretation and applied arbitrarily based on convenience.