Final answer:
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights, and they were ratified on December 15, 1791, to protect individual freedoms and ensure certain restrictions on government power.
Step-by-step explanation:
The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. They were ratified on December 15, 1791, and serve as crucial protections for individual freedoms within the American legal framework. The Bill of Rights was created to ensure citizens that the national government would be restricted from infringing upon their rights and would guarantee fundamental legal protections. These amendments cover a range of rights including freedom of speech, religion, the press, the right to peaceable assembly, the right to keep and bear arms, protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, and rights related to criminal prosecutions. The Tenth Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, is significant as it outlines the principle of federalism by reserving powers to the states that are not delegated to the national government nor prohibited by the Constitution.
The Bill of Rights continues to play a fundamental role in American society by safeguarding individuals' rights and limiting government power. The process of adding these first ten amendments was initiated by James Madison in response to demands from the Anti-Federalists during the fight for the Constitution's ratification. Out of the twelve amendments that Madison proposed, only ten were ratified by the states, thus becoming the Bill of Rights.