What was the primary purpose of the Bill of Rights?

The primary purpose of the Bill of Rights was to protect individual liberties against government infringement. This first ten amendments to the Constitution were introduced in response to the calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual rights. The framers recognized that a strong federal government could potentially lead to the oppression of personal freedoms, so the Bill of Rights was specifically designed to guarantee essential freedoms such as speech, religion, assembly, and the press, as well as protections against government abuse, such as unreasonable searches and seizures.

By enshrining these rights in the Constitution, it ensured that they could not be easily violated or disregarded by the government. The adoption of the Bill of Rights helped to calm fears about federal overreach and played a crucial role in the ratification of the Constitution by addressing the concerns of Anti-Federalists who worried about the potential for tyranny in a new national government. Thus, the Bill of Rights serves as a cornerstone of American civil liberties, underscoring the importance of individual rights within the framework of government power.