Transcript United States Bill of Rights

United States Bill of Rights
Bill of Rights, first ten amendments to the
Constitution of the United States. The Bill of
Rights establishes basic American civil liberties
that the government cannot violate.
The states ratified the Bill of Rights in 1791,
three years after the Constitution was ratified.
Originally the Bill of Rights applied only to the
federal government.
Rights Protected
• The Bill of Rights includes a wide range of
protections with a common theme and
purpose.
• to define the scope of individual freedom in
the United States and to make the political
system more democratic.
Origin of the Bill of Right
• personal liberties brought from England to
America included the right of accused persons
to have legal assistance at trials
• The most important of these were the right to
trial by jury and the right of habeas corpus,
which prevented the government from jailing
people arbitrarily.
Agitation for New Rights
• The June 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights
served as a model for the United States Bill of
Rights, which was ratified by the states in 1791.
• the right to petition the government for change,
and 'all the inherent rights and liberties' of
people native to England.
• The idea of a bill of rights as a basic protection of
civil liberties thus dates to the American
Revolution.