Chapter 12 of 25
The Bill of Rights
Many Americans had supported the Constitution only after being promised that their freedoms would be written down. In 1791, the first ten amendments were added together. The Bill of Rights protectsQ6 the basic rights of Americans.
The First Amendment protects rights that belong to everyone living in the United States, citizen or not. Three rights of everyone living in the United StatesQ65 are freedom of expression, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Many early colonists had fled governments that told them how to worship; they made sure their new nation would not.
The last of the ten, the 10th Amendment, answered a fear of a distant, too-powerful national government. The purpose of the 10th AmendmentQ60 is to state that the powers not given to the federal government belong to the states or to the people.
This is federalism: power shared between the nation and the states. Some powers are only for the federal governmentQ58; for example, only Washington can declare war, print money or make treaties. Other powers are only for the statesQ59; for example, a state can give a driver's license, and states run schools and local governments.