The Bill of Rights

Simply Put

Bill of Rights: Defined

A list of freedoms that a government promises to protect. The First 10 Amendments (additions) to the Constitution.   

How they came about:

Opponents of the Constitution (Anti-Federalists) argued that without a Bill of Rights, the new government could easily trample on people's liberties.  The framers of the Constitution put together an addition to the original document that included 10 amendments with a mechanism to add more if necessary.

Amendments 1-2: Personal Freedoms

 1.  Protects the freedom of speech, religion, the press, peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government.    2. Protects the right to keep and bear arms (weapons).  

Amendments 3-5: prevents abuse of power 3.  Soldiers cannot be housed in your home without your permission.  4.  You and your property cannot be searched nor seized without probable cause and/or a warrant, issued by a judge that specifically describes what they are searching for and where they are searching. 5.  You have the right to due process, you cannot be tried twice for the same crime (double jeopardy), you cannot be forced to confess to a crime, and your property cannot be taken by the government without "due compensation"

Amendments 6-8: Protection of those accused of crimes. 6.  You have the right to know what you are accused of, the right to a "speedy and public" trial by jury, to confront witnesses who testify against you, to call witnesses to testify for you, and to be represented by a lawyer. 7.  In non-criminal cases, you can have a trial by jury if you are arguing over a value of 20 dollars or more.  8.  Prevents excessive bail and "cruel and unusual" punishments

Amendments 9-10: Leaves the Constitution open-ended 9. Protects rights not specifically listed by the Constitution.   10.  Powers not specifically given to the US Government by the Constitution and powers not specifically withheld from the states by it belong to the States, or the people.  

Since the original 10:

There have been 17 new amendments added. The last one was in 1992.  It says that any new Congressional pay raises won't take effect until after the next Congressional elections. To amend the Constitution, a proposed amendment must pass the House and Senate with a 2/3rds majority and must be accepted by 3/4ths of the State Legislatures.

Notable Amendments

13th - Outlawed slavery 14th - Made everyone citizens of the United States and guaranteed equal protection of the laws of the United States. 15th - Guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race. 18th - Outlawed alcoholic beverages. 19th - Guaranteed the right to vote regardless of gender. 21st - Outlawed the 18th Amendment.