Synopsis
The Bill of Rights is the collective name given to the first ten amendments to The United States Constitution. The bill specifically protects the rights of liberty and property. Complementary to the principles that bolster The Constitution, this bill details the immunities granted to individual citizens, some of which are freedom of speech, press, religion and petition; the right to keep and bear arms and the right to a speedy trial. Though foundational today, when The Bill of Rights was proposed in 1789, it was highly controversial. After the replacement of an unaccountable monarch with a new government by and for the people, citizens resisted a bill that protected the people from themselves. Why would the people need to be protected, now that they were free from the monarchy? The original document manifests its importance by answering that question.
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