The Bill of Rights
The First Ten Amendments to the United States Constitution
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"--a charter of freedom that would spell out the rights, privileges, and immunities of individual citizens under federal law.
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.
Although 12 amendments were originally proposed, the 10 that were ratified became the Bill of Rights in 1791.
They defined citizens' rights in relation to the newly established government under the Constitution, and have been dearly held and defended by successive generations of Americans down through the ages.
See: The National Archives Experience