The Bill of Rights
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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.
More Constitutional Amendments
Amendments 1-10 constitute what is known as the Bill of Rights. Discover the other
17 amendments that have been made to the Constitution
over the past 200+ years.
