Imagine having no rights. The government tells you what you can or can't say. You can't choose your religion. The government controls what newspapers and magazines print. If you complain, you get thrown into jail. You could be locked up for years without ever getting a trial. Thanks to the Bill of Rights, Americans don't have to worry about loosing their rights. The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the constitution. These amendments list rights that belong to all Americans.
amendment - <em>a change that is made to a law or constitution</em>
The Anti-Federalists insisted that a Bill of Rights be added to the Constitution because they believed that this document would give far too much power to the federal government--making it tyrannical. Therefore they wanted to ensure that the most fundamental human liberties would be protected by adding these amendments.
