Res. No. 1245 Title Resolution calling upon the Board of Education to post a copy of the Bill of Rights in every public school classroom. Body By Council Members Rodriguez, Carrion, Espada, Linares, Lopez, Marshall, Reed, Fiala and Golden; also Council Members Eisland, McCaffrey, O'Donovan, Quinn, Rivera, Robinson and Ognibene Whereas, In the summer of 1787, delegates from the original 13 states convened in Philadelphia and drafted a remarkable blueprint for self-government-the Constitution of the United States; and Whereas, The first draft of this document lacked a specific declaration -or bill- of individual rights; and Whereas, The absence of a "bill of rights" turned out to be an obstacle to the Constitution's ratification by the states; and Whereas, Even then, the American people wanted strong guarantees that government would not trample upon freedoms of speech, press and religion, nor upon their rights to be free from warrantless searches and seizures; and Whereas, Thomas Jefferson argued that "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference"; and Whereas, The United States' Bill of Rights, inspired by Jefferson and drafted by James Madison, was adopted, and in 1791 the Constitution's first ten amendments became the law of the land; and Whereas, The Bill of Rights established soaring principles that guaranteed important fundamental rights; and, Whereas, These fundamental, individual rights are amongst the oldest and most traditional of American values; and Whereas, New York City schools are entrusted with not only providing basic academic education, but ensuring that our children understand and appreciate these traditional American values; and Whereas, Every child's education should frequently include the valuable concepts of democracy and liberty contained in the Bill of Rights; and Whereas, By posting a copy of the Bill of Rights in every classroom, the Board of Education could help ensure that the children of New York City will be exposed daily to the document that recognizes their inalienable rights; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Board of Education to post a copy of the Bill of Rights in every public school classroom. 3/24/00 LS#2744 |10
13| |1013|