41 Bill Of Rights Facts: Know About The U.S. Constitution

The Bill of Rights document spells out the civil rights and liberties of an American!

This document constitutes a collection of amendments concerning the rights and liberties of American citizens. Over the centuries, the Bill of Rights helped America evolve into the county it is today!

Today, most of us might wonder why the basic rights of U.S. citizens like freedom of speech, freedom of thought, or freedom of religion weren't included in the original Constitution and why the Bill of Rights was later added as amendments.

Keep reading the article to get answers for this and other important questions!

Historic Facts

The Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution establishes fundamental rights for people and states. However, in 1789, the proposal was controversial because a majority had rejected the idea of including the Bill of Rights in the original Constitution.

The English Bill of Rights, written in 1225, had a major influence on the American Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights was first presented in the Constitutional Convention in 1787, but was rejected because many delegates felt it was unnecessary.

George Mason drafted the Virginia Bill of Rights in 1776, which was used by James Madison to draft 19 amendments.

James Madison, who was considered the 'Father of the Constitution,' played a key role in preparing the Bill of Rights in 1788.

As well as the Virginia Bill of Rights, the Magna Carta, and the English Bill of Rights, James Madison referred to and used the Bill of Rights from all states.

The initial 19 amendments were reduced to 12 after edits and trimming by the Senate, and sent to 12 states for ratification in 1789.

The Bill of Rights' final draft, approved by Senate, was written in the Federal Hall in New York.

The original Bill of Rights consists of 12 amendments.

14 copies of the Bill of Rights were prepared, and 13 of them were sent to the states for approval and ratification.

Most of these original copies are displayed at their respective state archives.

States approved only 10 of the 12 amendments, and thus 10 Bill of Rights and the Constitution were ratified in 1791.

It was believed that the Bill of Rights applied to all American citizens, but Native Americans were not considered to be citizens at that time. Women were considered property of their husbands.

The Bill of Rights had little judicial influence for more than 150 years.

Until 1924, Native Americans were rejected for full American citizenship and did not have the rights mentioned in the Bill of Rights.

With the inclusion and recognition of Native Americans as American citizens, they were also bought under the purview of the Bill of Rights in the 19th century.

December 15 was declared as Bill of Rights Day by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The first copy of the Bill of Rights, which Congress retained, is displayed at the National Archives building in Washington DC.

Four states lost their copy of the Bill of Rights: Maryland, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and New York. However, two of these lost documents were found again, and are kept at the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library.

During the Civil War, North Carolina's copy of the Bill of Rights was stolen by a Union soldier and was recovered after 140 years, in 2003.

Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Georgia approved the Bill of Rights in 1939 on the occasion of the Constitution's 150th Anniversary.

The Third Amendment of the Bill of Rights is the least used amendment.

The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights is considered the most important amendment.

To make any changes to the Bill of Rights, they have to be ratified by a two-thirds majority of votes from both house representatives in the Senate and by three-fourths of the states.

Provisions

The Bill of Rights is important in contemporary history because people as a nation are bound to freedom, equality, and liberty but not to race or religion. Thus, this document helps secure the fundamental rights and principles of American citizens. Let us have a look at these 10 amendments in brief!

On September 25, 1789, the U.S. Bill of Rights was created.

The U.S. Bill of Rights contains 10 amendments.

These 10 amendments were passed, and Bill of Rights was ratified on December 15, 1791.

The U.S. Bill of Right's First Amendment provides freedom of expression by restricting Congress from making any laws that prohibit individuals' freedom of speech, religion, right to assemble, press, and petition the government for justice.

The First Amendment guarantees several protections to citizens.

The Second Amendment grants U.S. citizens the right to bear arms and a well-regulated militia. Individuals possess the right to own weapons to protect themselves against any threat.

The Third Amendment prohibits federal government from letting involuntary quartering of soldiers in private houses without permission. During the Revolutionary War, British soldiers were granted the right to forcefully occupy private houses on behalf of the crown. This amendment was created to stop such occupation of citizens' homes from happening again.

The Fourth Amendment guards Americans against illegitimate searches and seizures. It forbids sanction of warrants without a proper reason.

The Fifth Amendment protects anyone forced to testify against a crime until proven guilty. It prohibits double jeopardy for the same crime. It states that a grand jury must decide the case trial and forbids government from taking people's property for public use without due process of law.

The Sixth Amendment provides the right to a fair trial. Every citizen has the right to have a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury. They also hold the right to be briefed of accused charges, confront witnesses and get assistance from a lawyer appointed by the government, if unable to pay.

The Seventh Amendment provides the right to a jury trial in certain federal civil cases. It states that government must follow laws and treat its citizens fairly.

The Eighth Amendment protects people from authorities charging unreasonable bail or fines and outlaws cruel punishments for crimes.

Prior to the '70s, the Supreme Court occasionally applied the Eighth Amendment while dealing with critical cases involving executions.

The Ninth Amendment declares that the fundamental rights of citizens are not only limited to the list of rights that are detailed in the Constitution. There are additional individual rights too. It was a foundation for the Supreme Court to build decisions in various critical cases.

The Tenth Amendment declares that federal government has no new powers other than rights granted by the Constitution.

Reasons That Led To Its Formation

The Constitution is the base of the government. The U.S. Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791 to protect fundamental rights of American citizens.

They provide the right to speech, religion, press, assembly, bear arms, fair trial, and many more. People were not very aware of the Bill of Rights in the early years. President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared December 15 as 'Bill of Rights Day' in 1941 to recognize its importance.

The fundamental rights of individuals guarantee freedom and liberty to citizens against any seizure by the state, and prevent any initiation of dictatorial rule in the nation.

The Bill of Rights strongly supports and complements the Constitution to run a government powered by its citizens.

There was concern that even with the Constitution in place, the President would be like a king, hence the necessity to have the Bill of Rights.

According to James Madison, the author of the Bill of Rights, each state had its own original Bill of Rights, and there was no consistency or commonality between them.

FAQs

Who signed the Bill of Rights?

President Washington sent 12 petition copies of 12 amendments proposed by James Madison to the states, which were signed and ratified by state Congress.

Did the Bill of Rights protect everyone?

The broad language used in the Bill of Rights suggested that it protected all Americans, but it mainly considered land-owning white men only and excluded Native Americans.

Why is it called the Bill of Rights?

The purpose of this constitutional document was to protect the rights of American citizens against infringement from anybody, including the federal government, and so it was called the Bill of Rights.

Is the Bill of Rights good?

The Bill of Rights guarantees that all Americans have essential civil rights and liberties in the form of law, which is considered good and necessary.

How many Bill of Rights are there?

There are 10 Bill of Rights which are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.

Can Bill of Rights be taken away?

Bill of Rights cannot be repealed and can only be modified through an elaborate and special legislative process.

What would happen without the Bill of Rights?

If the Bill of Rights did not exist, then citizens would lose their freedom of speech and other civil liberties, failing the Constitution and resulting in the collapse of the government.