The Bill of Rights

During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the Revolution. They demanded a "bill of rights" that would spell out the immunities of individual citizens. Several state conventions in their formal ratification of the Constitution asked for such amendments; others ratified the Constitution with the understanding that the amendments would be offered.

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 Amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.

Within the Bill of Rights are the fundamental freedoms enjoyed by all citizens of the United States today. Prominent among them are the freedom of speech and the press, the right to assemble peaceably and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, the right to bear arms, protection against unreasonable search and seizure, protection against self-incrimination, and the right to a speedy and public trial by a jury of one’s peers. Amendment 10 effectively limits the power of the Federal Government by stating: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

See for yourself

Use the magnifying glass below to get a closer look at the Bill of Rights, on display at the National Archives in Washington, D.C.