Bill of Rights

Bill of Rights
  • Created September 25, 1789 and adopted December 15, 1791.
  • The first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, they limit federal and state overreach while guaranteeing individual rights such as freedom of speech and religion.
  • Critics of the Constitution (i.e. Anti-Federalists) pushed for more specific language protecting individuals’ rights and James Madison took it upon himself to draft them.
  • Inspired by the Magna Carta (in 1215), the English Bill of Rights (1689) and George Mason’s 1776 Declaration of Rights.