Janie Howell The Bill of Rights helped to assuage some of the fears for the anti-federalists by protecting individual

freedoms, states rights and civil liberties. Anti-federalists were afraid of a government that had too much power. These Americans can remember and have heard about the monarchial rule in Britain and other European nations, which is what they fear. In the Bill of Rights the first eight amendments protect specified rights for individuals; for an example the freedoms of speech and religion and the right to bear arms. The ninth and tenth amendments address the powers of the Constitution. This means that the Constitution cannot be used to cancel its own amendments and that whatever is not mentioned in the Constitution is in the power of the state. By adding these amendments to the Constitution the government soothed the anti-federalists fears by making them feel some security that the government would not be an absolute power like a monarchy.

The First Amendment in the Bill of Rights is, in my opinion, the most important amendment to the Americans during the 1780s. This amendment covers so much: the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and the freedom to petition the government for compensation of injustice. Some colonists were accustomed to not having freedom of speech, press and religion in the countries they came from. However, the freedom of religion played a, if not the key part of exploring to America. There were also colonists coming to America from many European countries that were escaping religious persecution. In my opinion the First Amendment covers a lot of what America cherished and wanted to preserve.