Which amendment is the first of the ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights?

The First Amendment is the first of the ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights.

It protects freedom of religion, speech, and the press, along with the rights to assemble peacefully and petition the government. These protections limit Congress and express several principles that became central to American constitutional identity after independence.

Congress proposed the Bill of Rights in 1789, and the amendments were ratified in 1791. The First Amendment’s wording concerns government action; it does not generally prevent private organizations or individuals from setting their own rules. Another common confusion involves the amendment’s religion clauses: it bars government establishment of religion and protects religious exercise, but it does not require government to be hostile to religion. The amendment remains an important connection between the founding era and modern civic life.