Learn

The Bill of Rights

One of the major obstacles to ratifying the Constitution was the lack of a Bill of Rights. Federalists had promised that a bill of rights would be a top priority of the new government and the new Congress. Open The Bill of Rights interactive and watch the Introductory Video (3:13) for an overview of why the Bill of Rights was written. PBS login information.

James Madison wrote seventeen amendments which were sent to both houses of Congress for approval; later they were sent for approval to the states. But wait, wasn't Madison a Federalist?

Yes, you're right -- and you've got a good memory! Open The Bill of Rights interactive and watch the video Madison's Motivations (1:05) to find out why he was the author of those first amendments to the Constitution.

Ten of the seventeen were approved and became the Bill of Rights in our U.S. Constitution in December of 1791.

The Bill of Rights include Amendments 1-10 of the United States Constitution, which afford the following freedoms and protections:

  1. Freedom of speech, religion, the press and the right to petition and assemble
  2. The right to bear arms
  3. Protects citizens from being forced to quarter soldiers
  4. Protects citizens against illegal search and seizure of property
  5. Protects the rights of persons accused of a crime
  6. Protects citizens' right to a fair trial
  7. Protects citizens' rights in civil cases
  8. Protects citizens from excessive bail, fines and cruel and unusual punishment
  9. Protection of rights not listed specifically in the Bill of Rights
  10. Powers not delegated to the United States, nor prohibited by the states, are reserved to the states, or to the people.

Explore Creating a Bill of Rights to read about the freedoms that we have because of these amendments, and be sure to click on the individual links. You can also read the full transcript of the Bill of Rights at the National Archives; on this page, you'll see the original 12 amendments proposed by Congress followed by the 10 that were actually approved for the Bill of Rights.

Next, open The Bill of Rights interactive and watch the video Interpretations Over Time (1:18) to see how our understanding of the Bill of Rights has changed and expanded over time.