December 15, 1791Primary sourceWell documented
The Bill of Rights
On the timeline · around December 15, 1791 ·
What happened
To answer critics who feared a too-powerful central government, the first Congress proposed a set of amendments, ten of which were ratified in 1791 as the Bill of Rights. They guarantee freedoms of speech, religion, press, and assembly; the right to bear arms; protections for the accused; and rights reserved to the people and the states.
Why it matters
The Bill of Rights placed explicit limits on government power over the individual, becoming the most-cited part of the Constitution and a model for rights protections around the world.
Sources
- US National Archives. The Bill of Rights (founding document) · Primary source