Which document outlines the rights of citizens?

The Bill of Rights is the document that explicitly outlines the rights of citizens. Ratified in 1791, it consists of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments guarantee fundamental rights and freedoms, such as freedom of speech, religion, and assembly, as well as the right to a fair trial and protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. This document was created to address concerns about the potential for government overreach and to ensure that certain individual liberties would be protected.

While the Constitution itself establishes the framework for the government and provides various powers and responsibilities, it does not detail specific rights in the same way that the Bill of Rights does. The Articles of Confederation, which preceded the current Constitution, were primarily concerned with the structure of government and the relationship between the states rather than individual rights. The Federalist Papers, on the other hand, are a series of essays written to promote the ratification of the Constitution, discussing various aspects of government but not listing specific rights for citizens.