What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?

The first ten amendments to the Constitution are collectively known as the Bill of Rights. This designation is significant because these amendments were introduced to ensure specific rights and liberties for individuals, protecting them from government infringement. The Bill of Rights was ratified in 1791 and includes fundamental freedoms such as the right to free speech, the right to bear arms, and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

Understanding the importance of the Bill of Rights is crucial as it laid the groundwork for civil rights and liberties in the United States. It serves to guarantee essential freedoms that are foundational to democracy. In contrast, the other options refer to different historical documents: the Articles of Confederation were an early governing agreement among the states, the Declaration of Independence declared the colonies' independence from British rule, and the Emancipation Proclamation was an executive order that freed enslaved people in Confederate states during the Civil War. Each of these has its own significance in American history, but they are not associated with the initial ten amendments of the Constitution.