Bill of Rights Resources

Countdown to the Bill of Rights Day

In December 1791, the states ratified the first 10 amendments to the Constitution—the Bill of Rights. Every year, the National Constitution Center hosts a celebration to honor the liberties enshrined in these amendments. This December, we present a series of programs and events highlighting the history and meaning of the First Amendment.

Bill of Rights Day

Join us live on Friday, December 15, to celebrate the freedoms of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition. Participants can test their First Amendment knowledge through interactive programs and trivia, join a live guided tour of our new First Amendment gallery, and meet historic figures who used the First Amendment to expand the meaning of “We the People.”

What Is the Bill of Rights?

Shortly after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the Founding generation added the Bill of Rights—the Constitution’s first 10 amendments. These amendments guarantee many of our most cherished liberties, including the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the right to keep and bear arms, and the right to a jury trial.

How Was the Bill of Rights Ratified?

On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution in a Joint Resolution of Congress. Ten of the proposed 12 amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791. 

The Bill of Rights

First Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition
The Establishment Clause
The Free Exercise Clause
Freedom of Speech and the Press
Right to Assemble and Petition

Second Amendment: Right To Bear Arms

Third Amendment: Quartering Of Soldiers

Fourth Amendment: Search And Seizure

Fifth Amendment: Grand Jury, Double Jeopardy, Self Incrimination, Due Process, Takings
Criminal Procedure Clauses
Due Process Clause
Takings Clause

Sixth Amendment: Right To Speedy Trial By Jury, Witnesses, Counsel

Seventh Amendment: Jury Trial In Civil Lawsuits

Eighth Amendment: Excessive Fines, Cruel And Unusual Punishment

Ninth Amendment: Non-Enumerated Rights Retained By People

10th Amendment: Rights Reserved To States Or People

Discover How It Was Written

Founders' Library

The National Constitution Center’s Founders’ Library includes primary texts that span American constitutional history, including that have shaped the American constitutional tradition. 

Virginia House of Delegates, The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)

Pennsylvania Convention, Pennsylvania Constitution (1776)

James Wilson, Speech at a Public Meeting in Philadelphia (1787)

Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, Correspondence on a Bill of Rights (1787-1789)

James Madison, Speech in Support of Amendments (1789)

George Mason, Objections to the Constitution of Government formed by the Convention (1787)

Constitution 101: Bill of Rights

Unadopted Bill of Rights Amendments

Educational Video

The Bill of Rights With Justice Neil Gorsuch

Reconstruction, Incorporation, and the Bill of Rights Featuring Kermit Roosevelt

The Bill of Rights With Erwin Chemerinsky

The Bill of Rights Featuring Akhil Amar

Scholar Exchange: The Bill of Rights with Linda Monk

Classroom Resources

Bill of Rights Overview

Learning Module: The Bill of Rights

Activity Guide: Big Ideas of the Bill of Rights

Live Class: 27 Amendments With a Focus on the Bill of Rights (Introductory)

Live Class: 27 Amendments With a Focus on the Bill of Rights (Advanced Level)

Supreme Court Cases

The National Constitution Center’s Supreme Court Cases Library  includes materials on the most influential Supreme Court cases in American history. 

America's Town Hall Video

Watch video conversations and discussions featuring leading scholars on topics including the Bill of Rights.

Constitution Daily Blog

The Constitution Daily blog features stories on the origins of the Bill of Rights and related topics.