<P> Federalist representatives were quick to attack Madison's proposal, fearing that any move to amend the new Constitution so soon after its implementation would create an appearance of instability in the government . The House, unlike the Senate, was open to the public, and members such as Fisher Ames warned that a prolonged "dissection of the constitution" before the galleries could shake public confidence . A procedural battle followed, and after initially forwarding the amendments to a select committee for revision, the House agreed to take Madison's proposal up as a full body beginning on July 21, 1789 . </P> <P> The eleven - member committee made some significant changes to Madison's nine proposed amendments, including eliminating most of his preamble and adding the phrase "freedom of speech, and of the press". The House debated the amendments for eleven days . Roger Sherman of Connecticut persuaded the House to place the amendments at the Constitution's end so that the document would "remain inviolate", rather than adding them throughout, as Madison had proposed . The amendments, revised and condensed from twenty to seventeen, were approved and forwarded to the Senate on August 24, 1789 . </P> <P> The Senate edited these amendments still further, making 26 changes of its own . Madison's proposal to apply parts of the Bill of Rights to the states as well as the federal government was eliminated, and the seventeen amendments were condensed to twelve, which were approved on September 9, 1789 . The Senate also eliminated the last of Madison's proposed changes to the preamble . </P> <P> On September 21, 1789, a House--Senate Conference Committee convened to resolve the numerous differences between the two Bill of Rights proposals . On September 24, 1789, the committee issued this report, which finalized 12 Constitutional Amendments for House and Senate to consider . This final version was approved by joint resolution of Congress on September 25, 1789, to be forwarded to the states on September 28 . </P>

Who was the bill of rights made for