James Madison originally proposed twelve constitutional amendments to Congress in 1789.
Madison presented the proposals on June 8, 1789, in response to concerns that the new Constitution lacked explicit protections for individual rights. Congress approved a modified package of twelve articles and sent it to the states for ratification.
The first two proposed articles did not become part of the Bill of Rights in 1791. The proposed article concerning congressional apportionment remains technically pending, while the proposed article concerning congressional pay was eventually ratified as the Twenty-seventh Amendment in 1992.
The ten articles ratified in 1791 became the Bill of Rights. This is why the familiar phrase “the first ten amendments” does not mean that Madison initially proposed only ten. The distinction between twelve proposals and ten ratified amendments is one of the most frequently tested facts about the Bill of Rights.