The History of the Bill of Rights.

Although 12 amendments were originally proposed, the 10 that were ratified became the Bill of Rights in 1791. They defined citizens' rights in relation to the newly established government under the Constitution. During the debates on the adoption of the Constitution, its opponents repeatedly charged that the Constitution as drafted would open the way to tyranny by the central government. Fresh in their minds was the memory of the British violation of civil rights before and during the …

…unusual punishments inflicted. The eleventh article states that the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. And finally, the twelfth article states that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people. The Bill of Rights is a very important document in America.