The Bill of Rights Monument resides within the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza in Phoenix, Arizona. Created to celebrate the civil rights that the Bill of Rights granted to Americans and to the concept of human freedom, the Bill of Rights Monument is an especially imaginative interpretation of the physical words and spiritual concept that the Bill of Rights represents to the people of the United States and beyond.
The First Monument to the Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights was created to support and augment the specific guarantees of personal freedoms that were granted to citizens of the United States when the country was founded. Proposed in 1787 during the process to ratify the Constitution, they are a group of ten constitutional amendments that were intended to define the basics of American law related to speech, due process, the power of government and more. It completed the framework that began with the Declaration of Independence and has provided the foundation for countless laws of the United States.
In the early 2000s, Chris Bliss came up with the idea to create a monument that honored the Bill of Rights after seeing the outcry over a public monument to the Ten Commandments. Wanting to highlight the freedoms and entitlements that the Bill of Rights defined, he proposed what would be the first monument to the Bill of Rights in the country. After working with representatives and raising money to make this monument a reality, the Bill of Rights Monument was dedicated in 2012.
The abstract, public art project was designed to bring the full text of the original Constitutional Amendments into fresh view. The history of the Bill of Rights is detailed at the sight but the full text of each amendment that collectively makes up the Bill of Rights is displayed on ten distinct stone sculptures that define the monument. Visitors can walk through the plaza from one to the next to read the text of each amendment.
At the dedication, Bliss mentioned that great ideas make a great nation, and the Bill of Rights is one of the greatest ideas related to human freedom. This dedication has inspired the creation of other monuments that honor the Bill of Rights, highlighting the incredible impact such landmarks can have on individual communities that can extend across an entire country.
A Landmark to an Idea
The Bill of Rights Monument was created as a landmark to an idea rather than a person or event, which shows how an imaginative approach can create interest and engagement on multiple levels. An essential part of the larger Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, it was designed to endure and make an impact on both the hearts and minds of visitors. In doing so, the Bill of Rights Monument showcases how such landmarks can impact audiences of all eras.
