What Is the Bill of Rights?

It goes like this: tensions are high between the Federalists, who want to ratify the Constitution, and the Anti-Federalists, who do not. The debate over whether this document should be ratified has been going on for weeks, and it seems nearly impossible to reach a compromise. 

The first settlers in America were those who feared persecution for their beliefs, and most of the people who inhabited America at this time were the same. These people were the ones who cared about their rights, such as the right to criticize the government or to freely practice their religion. Both sides agreed that the new land would be free, so they did. 

The Anti-Federalists feared that this new document would eventually lead to tyranny again because it gave the central government too much power. They feared that those at the very top would seize all the power and not give it to the average citizen, and would also abuse the rights of said citizens. With all that said, the only way the Anti-Federalists would agree to ratify the Bill of Rights was to create a document that would protect citizens from the government. This eventually led to the formation of the official Bill of Rights, a powerful document that most Americans take for granted every day. 

The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution of the United States. These crucial amendments specifically outline the rights of Americans vis-à-vis the United States government. These amendments cannot be disputed unless a formal request to change them is proposed to the House and Senate or to a national convention. That is a discussion for later. This bill explicitly tells the government and any entity under it that it cannot engage in unreasonable searches and seizures (courtesy of the Fourth Amendment) and protects people from self-incrimination (courtesy of the Fifth Amendment). 

Although this document was created in the 1700s, it still makes a significant impact today. Roe v. Wade (1971) and Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) are both cases involving the Bill of Rights. These cases reiterate how vital those rights are, and there will definitely be future cases that call them into question.