The Bill of Rights comprises the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, ratified on Dec. 15, 1791. These amendments provide broad protections, including freedom of speech, religion, and the press; the right to bear arms; protection against unreasonable searches; and extensive rights for the criminally accused, including the right to a speedy trial and legal counsel. The Ninth and 10th Amendments clarify that the listed rights are not exhaustive and that powers not granted to the federal government remain with the states and the people.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
The Constitution was ratified before a formal list of rights was added. To avoid reopening debates, the founders approved the core document first, then adopted the Bill of Rights as amendments. Watch this video to find out why, and how, that happened.
This interactive resource from the National Constitution Center traces the complex drafting process behind the Bill of Rights, showing how state proposals and revisions evolved into the first 10 amendments.
Madison drafted the initial set of constitutional amendments in 1789. The House approved 17 amendments; the Senate reduced them to 12; and 10 were ratified as the Bill of Rights. One rejected amendment was later ratified in 1992 as the 27th Amendment.
Congress proposed 12 amendments in 1789, not 10. Of the two amendments not ratified, the one on congressional pay raises remained dormant for 203 years before finally becoming the 27th Amendment in 1992.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Georgia originally rejected or tabled the amendments in 1791. With Virginia's ratification already clearing the three-fourths threshold of adoption, there was no legal pressure to revisit it—until all three states acted symbolically on the 150th anniversary of Congressional approval of the amendments.
James Madison drew on Virginia's Declaration of Rights, written in 1776. The document affirmed freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and jury trials, and placed limits on government power—core protections that later appeared in the Bill of Rights.
When the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791, its protections applied only to the federal government. It wasn't until the 14th Amendment (1868) and the Supreme Court's doctrine of selective incorporation that most provisions were extended to state governments—a process that began in 1925.
During the ratification process of the US Constitution, anti-Federalists demanded that a Bill of Rights be included to guard against federal overreach, while the Federalists initially opposed it. The Federalists ultimately committed to its inclusion to secure support for ratification.
Most Americans cite the amendment on free speech, but the First Amendment also protects religion, the press, peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government—five separate guarantees in a single sentence.
One of the most debated amendments, the Second Amendment has divided courts, lawmakers, and the public for decades. The Supreme Court held in 2008's District of Columbia v. Heller that it protects an individual right. Legal challenges continue today.
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