<P> After fifty years on display, signs of deterioration in the casing were noted, while the documents themselves appeared to be well preserved . Accordingly, the casing was updated and the Rotunda rededicated on September 17, 2003 . In his dedicatory remarks, President George W. Bush stated, "The true (American) revolution was not to defy one earthly power, but to declare principles that stand above every earthly power--the equality of each person before God, and the responsibility of government to secure the rights of all ." </P> <P> In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 15 to be Bill of Rights Day, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights . In 1991, the Virginia copy of the Bill of Rights toured the country in honor of its bicentennial, visiting the capitals of all fifty states . </P>

Were the bill of rights part of the original constitution