The Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Congress proposed 12 amendments in 1789, but the states ratified only 10 of them at first. These amendments became part of the Constitution on December 15, 1791. They protect freedoms such as speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition, while also addressing criminal-procedure rights and limits on government power.
The original first and second proposed amendments were not ratified at that time. The proposed second amendment concerned congressional pay and was eventually ratified in 1992 as the Twenty-seventh Amendment. The original first proposal concerned congressional apportionment and was never ratified.
The Bill of Rights is therefore not the entire Constitution, nor is it a list of 12 amendments. Its 10 amendments form a foundational statement of civil liberties often emphasized in national anniversary education, including America250.