US History Regents Practice Exam

The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are collectively known as the Bill of Rights. This crucial component was introduced to ensure the protection of individual liberties and to limit the powers of the federal government. The Bill of Rights addresses essential rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, the press, assembly, and the right to a fair trial, among others.

This term was chosen because these amendments were specifically designed to respond to the concerns of those who were worried that the original Constitution did not adequately safeguard individual rights. Thus, the Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791, becoming fundamental to American law and the democratic principles of the nation. The other options, while significant in their own right, do not represent the first ten amendments specifically; for example, the Constitution refers to the entire framework of government established by the document, the Preamble outlines the purposes of the Constitution, and the Federalist Papers are a collection of essays promoting the ratification of the Constitution rather than amendments to it.