Today is the 225th anniversary of the adoption of the Bill of Rights. To mark the occasion, the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington is handing out Bill of Rights wallet cards. The ACLU will be passing out the cards from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle. The Bill of Rights is made up of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including amendments protecting free speech and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures.
ACLU of Washington spokesman Doug Honig says his organization had been hearing from a lot of people worried about the possible loss of rights with Donald Trump as president, given the comments made during the campaign about banning Muslims and restricting the press.
“A lot of people were feeling anxiety and despair, so we want to give a positive action by giving people a chance to have a free copy of the Bill of Rights and carry it around with them. And it just serves as a reminder that these are really basic American values and they exist regardless of who is in the White House,” Honig said.
He said one thing people don’t always realize about the Bill of Rights is that it “protects all people in America” not just citizens.
The ACLU of Washington has seen a spike in memberships since the election. Honig says 17,000 people joined in the last month alone.
December 15 was first declared Bill of Rights Day by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1941.