The Bill of Rights is the name given to the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1791. These amendments protect fundamental freedoms that the government cannot take away from citizens.

When the Constitution was first written in 1787, some Americans worried that the new federal government might become too powerful and trample on people's basic liberties. Several states refused to ratify the Constitution unless it included explicit protections for individual rights. So James Madison drafted a series of amendments that became the Bill of Rights.

These ten amendments protect rights you probably exercise regularly without even thinking about them. The First Amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, and the press. This means you can say what you think, practice your religion (or not practice one), and newspapers can criticize the government without being shut down. The Fourth Amendment protects you from unreasonable searches, meaning police generally need a warrant before searching your home. The Fifth Amendment says you can't be forced to testify against yourself in court. The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy trial by jury.

Some amendments address concerns from colonial times that seem less urgent today. The Third Amendment, for instance, says the government can't force you to house soldiers in your home, which was a real problem under British rule but rarely comes up anymore.

The Bill of Rights represents a crucial promise: there are certain freedoms so important that even a majority vote can't take them away. Courts still interpret these amendments today when deciding whether laws violate constitutional rights.