In 1791, Virginia ratified the Bill of Rights, making the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution the law of the land.

Let’s review…

Amendment I

1. The government cannot make you believe in a religion.
2. The government cannot keep you from practicing any religion you choose.
3. The government cannot keep you from saying what you wish.
4. The government cannot stop you from writing what you want.
5. The government cannot stop you from publishing what you want.
6. The government cannot keep you from joining together peacefully with others to express your views.
7. The government cannot prevent you from complaining about what government or others are doing to you.

Amendment II

1. The government cannot take away your right to own and keep guns.

Amendment III

1. The government cannot make you let soldiers live in your house unless the country comes under attack and Congress specifically authorizes it.

Amendment IV

1. The government cannot come into your home or search your belongings unless it has legal permission.

Amendment V

1. The government cannot hold you in jail for a major crime without the knowledge of approval of your fellow citizens.
2. The government cannot try a person twice for the same crime.
3. The government cannot make you incriminate yourself.
4. The government cannot take away your life, liberty, or property without following the law.
5. The government cannot take your private property away from you for public use unless it pays you what your property is worth.

Amendment VI

1. The government cannot hold you in jail for a long time without a trial if you are accused of having broken the law.
2. The government cannot deny to you a speedy trial with a jury of your fellow citizens.
3. The government cannot keep secret from you those who will speak against you.
4. The government cannot prevent you from having your personal attorney.
5. The government cannot keep you from having other people help you defend yourself in a courtroom.

Amendment VII

1. The government cannot keep you from having a trial decided by your fellow citizens in civil disputes and the fact finding by the jury in those trials cannot be overturned by other courts.

Amendment VIII

1. The government cannot make people pay an unfairly high amount of money for bail while they wait for a judge or jury to hear their case.
2. The government cannot punish you for a crime in a cruel and unusual way.

Amendment IX

1. The government cannot limit your rights only to those listed in the Bill of Rights.

Amendment X

1. The government cannot claim to possess more power and authority than what the Constitution permits, and all other powers not listed in the Constitution belong to the states or individuals.

Modified from a guest post on the Texas Policy Institute website