The first 10 amendments to the constitution

The Bill of Rights: The First Ten Amendments First Amendment

This amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press, and protects the right of assembly.

Second Amendment

This amendment protects the right to keep and bear arms

Third Amendment

This amendment guards against the forced quartering of troops. (In the years before the American Revolution, British officials forced the colonists to quarter-to house and feed-British troops.)

Fourth Amendment

This amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures

Fifth Amendment

This amendment guarantees a trial by jury and "due process of law," and guards against double jeopardy (being charged twice for the same offense) and self-incrimination.

Sixth Amendment

This amendment outlines the rights of the accused, including the right to have a "speedy and public" trial, the right to be informed of the charges made against him, the right to call witnesses in his defense, and the right to have an attorney in his defense.

Seventh Amendment

This amendment lays out the rules of common law.

Eighth Amendment

This amendment protects against "cruel and unusual punishments.".

Ninth Amendment

This amendment ensures that the individual rights that are not enumerated in the Constitution are secure-that is, that these rights should not be automatically infringed upon because they are omitted from the Constitution.

Tenth Amendment

This amendment limits the power of federal government by reserving for the states all powers that are not explicitly granted to the federal government by the Constitution, nor denied to the states. This amendment counterbalances Article VI, which invests the federal government with ultimate legislative authority.