Who proposed the United States Bill of Rights in Congress in 1789?

James Madison proposed the United States Bill of Rights in Congress in 1789.

Madison introduced a series of constitutional amendments in the House of Representatives on June 8, 1789. He drew from state declarations of rights, the English Bill of Rights, and concerns raised by opponents of the Constitution during ratification debates.

Congress approved 12 proposed amendments and sent them to the states. The states ratified 10 of those amendments on December 15, 1791. These became the Bill of Rights, protecting freedoms including speech, religion, assembly, the press, and petition, while also addressing searches, trials, punishment, and other government powers.

The two proposals that were not ratified in 1791 were not the modern First and Second Amendments. One concerned congressional apportionment and the other congressional pay; the latter was eventually ratified as the Twenty-seventh Amendment in 1992.