Final answer:
The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified on December 15, 1791. These amendments guarantee fundamental rights and were initially proposed by James Madison, although only ten of the proposed twelve were ratified.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These amendments were a response to the concerns of the Anti-Federalists, ensuring protection of individual liberties and restraining the government's power over its citizens. The term "Bill of Rights" was coined because these first ten amendments guarantee essential rights and civil liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, and press, as well as fair legal procedures.
On December 15, 1791, these ten constitutional amendments were ratified and have since played a fundamental role in American law and government. Although James Madison proposed twelve amendments initially, only ten were agreed upon by the required three-quarters of the state legislatures. The number of amendments in the entire Constitution, however, is twenty-seven, with the 27th Amendment often discussed alongside the original ten because it was initially proposed at the same time.