Guide Note

The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Although the Declaration of Independence commented on "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," the topic of individual rights was not addressed by the Constitution. This was remedied when James Madison, with the encouragement of Thomas Jefferson, proposed the Bill of Rights, which was ratified in 1791. The Bill of Rights specifically details rights that are reserved to the people or the states and is designed to preserve and protect individual liberties.

Fast Facts

Proposed: March 4, 1791
Ratified: December 15, 1791
James Madison based the Bill of Rights on the Virginia Declaration of Rights

The Bill of Rights in Brief

Freedom of speech and religion
Right to keep and bear arms
No quartering of troops
No unreasonable search and seizure
Due process
Trial by jury
Civil trial by jury
No cruel and unusual punishment
Protection of other rights
Rights reserved to the states

Extra Articles

There were originally twelve articles proposed as the Bill of Rights. The first one, concerning an apportionment formula for the U.S. House of Representatives, was not approved by the states and has never been adopted. The second, concerning congressional pay raises, although rejected in 1791, was ultimately adopted as the 27th amendment to the Constitution in 1992.

Quotes

"[A] bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government should refuse."—Thomas Jefferson, December 20, 1787 ¹

"It will be a desirable thing to extinguish from the bosom of every member of the community any apprehensions, that there are those among his countrymen who wish to deprive them of the liberty for which they valiantly fought and honorably bled."— James Madison ²

Categories

History | U.S. History

View Note History

Bill of Rights

The Mahalo Top 7

National Archives: Bill of Rights
Cornell University: The 10 Amendments from the Bill of Rights
Wikipedia: United States Bill of Rights
ACLU: The Bill of Rights: A Brief History
James Madison University: James Madison's Speech...Proposing Bill of Rights
The Library Of Congress: Bill of Rights Web Guide
YouTube Video: The Bill of Rights (Time: 1:59)

Bill of Rights Background

James Madison University: Bill of Rights
Our Documents: Bill of Rights (1791)
Archiving Early America: The Bill of Rights
USConstitution.net: Constitutional Topic: The Bill of Rights
American Memory: James Madison Letter to Thomas Jefferson, October 17, 1788
American Memory: George Washington Letter to Marquis de Lafayette, April 28, 1788

Bill of Rights Articles and Commentary

First Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment I
Wikipedia: First Amendment to the United States Constitution
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution First Amendment
Bill of Rights Institute: Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
Library of Congress: Religion and the Federal Government
American Library Association: First Amendment
Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights
Marry in Massachusetts: What Right to Incite? (April 10, 2008)

Second Amendment

Mahalo's Guide to the 2nd Amendment
Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment II
OneNewsNow.com: Supreme Court hears arguments on 2nd Amendment (March 18, 2008)
Wikipedia: Second Amendment to the United States Constitution
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Second Amendment

Third Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment III
Wikipedia: Third Amendment to the United States Constitution
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Third Amendment
Tom W. Bell: Third Amendment, Forgotten but Not Gone

Fourth Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment IV
Wikipedia: Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Fourth Amendment
Jrank Law Library: Weeks v. United States - Further Readings
Electronic Frontier Foundation: Administration Asserts No Fourth Amendment for Domestic... (April 2, 2008)

Fifth Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment V
Wikipedia: Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution | Miranda v. Arizona
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Fifth Amendment
JusticeLearning: Fifth Amendment- The Text, The Meaning

Sixth Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment VI
Wikipedia: Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Sixth Amendment
Harvard Law Review: Crawford v. Washington: Confrontation Clause Forbids Admission... (2005)

Seventh Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment VII
Wikipedia: Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Seventh Amendment
Jrank Law Library: Seventh Amendment - Further Readings

Eighth Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment IIX
Wikipedia: Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Eighth Amendment
Capital Defense Network: Introduction to the 8th Amendment

Ninth Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment IX
Wikipedia: Ninth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Ninth Amendment
AlterNet: The 'Silent' Ninth Amendment Gives Americans Rights They Don't Know... (April 23, 2007)

Tenth Amendment

Interactive Constitution: The Text of the Constitution, Amendment X
Wikipedia: Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Cornell University: CRS Annotated Constitution Tenth Amendment
Jrank Law Library: Tenth Amendment

Bill of Rights Images and Media

Google Video: The U.S. Constitution & the Bill of Rights (Time: 3:22)
American Memory: George Washington to ...Marquis de Lafayette, April 28, 1788
Google Images: Bill of Rights
Yahoo! Images: Bill of Rights
Google Video: Bill of Rights Videos

Bill of Rights Books and Research

Google Books: The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction
Google Books: Origins of the Bill of Rights
Project Gutenberg: United States Bill of Rights
Amazon.com: Retained by the People: The "Silent" Ninth Amendment...
Amazon.com: The Tenth Amendment (The American Heritage History of the Bill of Rights)

Bill of Rights Blogs and Message Boards

Facebook: Bill of Rights Institute
Webbe’s Money: Glenn Beck: America needs a 12-step program (April 11, 2008)
North Carolina Miscellany: NC’s Bill Of Rights Is Home (March 27, 2008)

Bill of Rights Timeline

1791: Bill of Rights added to Constitution.
1833: Supreme Court rules that Bill of Rights applies only to federal government, not to states
1868: Fourteenth Amendment ratified.
1925: Supreme Court determines that the Fourteenth Amendment extends the Bill of Rights to the states.
1965: In Griswold v. CT, Supreme Court holds that 4th, 9th, and 14th amendments imply a right to privacy.
1972: Supreme Court rules wiretapping is a "search" as covered in 4th amendment.

Bill of Rights in Popular Culture

Unemployed Philosophers Guild: Disappearing Civil Liberties Mug
The Onion: Bill Of Rights Pared Down To A Manageable Six (December 18, 2002)
Cartoonstock: Fifth Amendment Cartoons

Related Searches

2nd Amendment | Constitution of the United States of America | Gun Control | District of Columbia vs. Heller | Magna Carta

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