The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are called the Bill of Rights.
Congress proposed the amendments in 1789, and the states ratified them on December 15, 1791. They protect liberties including freedom of speech, religious exercise, press freedom, due process, and protections against unreasonable searches.
James Madison introduced the amendments in the First Congress. They were influenced partly by concerns that the new Constitution did not explicitly protect individual rights and partly by earlier American documents such as the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
The Bill of Rights is often confused with the Declaration of Independence because both are central founding documents. The Declaration announced separation from Britain in 1776; the Bill of Rights limited federal power under the Constitution.