Some states insisted that a bill of rights be added to the Constitution, and they proposed more than 200 amendments.
James Madison weeded out the duplicates and then wrote up the most important ideas in 17 proposals. Congress sent 12 of these proposals to the states. In the end, ten were approved, and in 1791 they became the first ten amendments to the Constitution. They are called the Bill of Rights, and together they outline some basic rights of citizens.
