Bill of Rights Day

December 15th is Bill of Rights Day, celebrating the addition of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution on that date in 1791.  This holiday celebrates the freedoms and rights that the Bill of Rights preserve for Americans.   In 1941, on the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the date a federal holiday.

The first ten Amendments to the Constitution form the Bill of Rights.  When the Constitution was ratified, many signers believed that these Amendments were needed to insure certain fundamental human rights were preserved – many of them the specific liberties and freedoms we enjoy today.

Signer’s Hall at the National Constitution Center - it features 42 life-size bronze statues that visitors can walk among

Can you name each Amendment making up the Bill of Rights?  Click on each of the ten listed below to learn  more courtesy of the National Constitution Center* on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, PA:

Amendment 1

Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition

Amendment 2

Right to Bear Arms

Amendment 3

Quartering of Soldiers

Amendment 4

Search and Seizure

Amendment 5

Grand Jury, Double Jeopardy, Self-Incrimination, Due Process, Takings

Amendment 6

Right to Speedy Trial by Jury, Witnesses, Counsel

Amendment 7

Jury Trial in Civil Lawsuits

Amendment 8

Excessive Fines, Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Amendment 9

Non-Enumerated Rights Retained by People

Amendment 10

Rights Reserved to States or People

*The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia is a hands-on museum, national town hall, and civic education headquarters celebrating the United States Constitution and the story of “We the People.” Learn more at constitutioncenter.org