What was the primary purpose of the Bill of Rights?

• A. To limit the powers of the federal government
• B. To organize the executive branch
• C. To promote trade with Britain
• D. To establish a two-house legislature

Answer: (A)

The Bill of Rights is about placing limits on the federal government and safeguarding individual liberties. When the Constitution was written, fears that a strong central government could threaten liberty led to demands for explicit protections. Ratified in 1791, the first ten amendments spell out freedoms and due process rights that keep federal power from trampling on individual rights, so it’s best understood as a shield against government overreach. It doesn’t set up how the executive branch operates, it isn’t about foreign trade policy with Britain, and it doesn’t establish how a legislature is formed; those are about other parts of the constitutional framework, not the primary aim of the amendments.