Final answer:
The Bill of Rights includes ten amendments to the United States Constitution, which were ratified in 1791 to protect individual freedoms and specify prohibitions on government actions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Bill of Rights consists of ten amendments to the United States Constitution. Initially, twelve amendments were proposed by James Madison to address the criticisms of the Anti-Federalists. However, only ten were ratified by the necessary number of states by 1791. These amendments are designed to protect individual freedoms and limit the power of the government by specifying prohibitions on governmental actions.
The first eight amendments deal with individual liberties, such as freedom of speech, press, and religion; the ninth amendment deals with unenumerated rights; and the tenth amendment addresses states' rights.It is important to note that while originally only applied to the federal government, most of these protections have been applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. The Bill of Rights is a foundational document that outlines essential rights and liberties that are considered fundamental in American society.