What is the Bill of Rights?

• A. A set of statutes enacted by Congress
• B. The original preamble to the Constitution
• C. The amendments that apply only to states
• D. The ten amendments to the Constitution

Answer: (D)

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. They were added to protect individual liberties and to limit the power of the federal government, enumerating rights such as freedom of expression, religion, and assembly, protections for the accused, and safeguards against unreasonable searches and seizures. They are not statutes enacted by Congress, nor is the preamble to the Constitution what the Bill of Rights covers. While they were originally designed to constrain the federal government, many of their protections have since been applied to state governments as well through later constitutional interpretations. This combination of being a specific, enumerated set of amendments within the Constitution is what defines the Bill of Rights.