The Bill of Rights is/ the first 10 amendments/ to the Constitution./ When the Framers wrote/ the Constitution,/ they did not/ focus on/ individual rights./ They focused/ on creating the system/ and structure of government./ Many Americans believed that/ the Constitution should guarantee/ the rights of the people,/ and they wanted/ a list of all the things/ a government could not do./ They were /afraid that/ a strong government would take away/ the rights people won/ in the Revolutionary War./

James Madison,/ one of the Framers/ of the Constitution,/ wrote/ a list of individual rights/ and limits/ on the government./ These rights appear/ in the first 10 amendments,/ called the Bill of Rights./ Some of these rights include/ freedom of expression,/ the right to bear arms,/ freedom from search/ without warrant,/ freedom not to be tried twice/ for the same crime,/ the right/ to not testify/ against yourself,/ the right/ to a trial/ by a jury of your peers,/ the right/ to an attorney,/ and protection/ against excessive fines/ and unusual punishments./

The Bill of Rights was/ ratified in 1791./