The Importance Of The Bill Of Rights

The Bill of Rights is significant to American history because it guarantees certain rights and liberties of the people. Also without its creation the Anti-Federalists in 1787 wouldn’t have ratified the Constitution. Without ratification the Constitution would not have gone into effect. The Bill of Rights also guarantees that personal freedom would be broad and the power of the federal government is limited. Without the written rights the government could take them away. People were scared of a new Constitution that gave the Federal Government too much power and that they would end up with the type of government they just fought to separate from. They worried that the Washington government would abuse the people’s rights just like the British did.

Though it hasn’t prevented the government from taking away our rights, such as during World War II and the Cold War era, it has made people more aware of their rights to fight to get them back. The Bill of Rights has led to the addition of other amendments that had a huge impact on America such as the 13th amendment to abolish slavery, the Fourteenth amendment that promised “equal protection of the laws”, the Fifteenth amendment that gave suffrage for black men, and the Nineteenth amendment that gave women’s suffrage. The Bill of Rights is still important today because it is continually referenced in court cases and debated over its meaning. For example, because of numerous mass shootings in the United States in the past years there has been a call to change the Second amendment (the right to bear arms). The Bill of Rights was important in the ratification of the Constitution and for protecting individual rights of the American