On December 15, 1791, the Bill of Rights was ratified by Virginia, allowing the passage of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. Virginia was the tenth of fourteen states to ratify the ...

The First Amendment is widely considered to be the most important part of the Bill of Rights. It protects the fundamental rights of conscience—the freedom to believe and express different ideas ...

Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the ...