I will provide authoritative sources, short summaries for each amendment, and practical citation guidance to help writers and readers use precise language and primary transcriptions.
Quick answer: What are the first 12 amendments called?
The short answer is that the first ten amendments are collectively called the Bill of Rights, ratified December 15, 1791, while two other amendments that Congress originally proposed in 1789 were adopted later as the Eleventh and Twelfth Amendments. According to the National Archives transcription, the Bill of Rights refers specifically to Amendments 1 through 10 and the ratification date is recorded there National Archives transcription.
Short definition
When people ask about the first 12 amendments, they often mean the first 10 that became the Bill of Rights; if they mean the original list Congress proposed in 1789, note that that package included twelve items, two of which were acted on later as separate amendments Library of Congress overview.
The Tool below gives quick steps to find primary amendment transcriptions and uses exact transcription sources for quotes.
Quick steps to find primary amendment transcriptions
Use exact transcriptions for quotes
One-sentence clarifier: say “Amendments 1 through 10, called the Bill of Rights” when you mean those ten, and say “the original twelve proposed amendments of 1789” when you mean the broader package; this avoids conflating what was proposed with what was ratified.
How the 1789 proposal became twelve proposed amendments
After the Constitution was sent to the states, the first Congress debated amendment language and in 1789 approved a package of proposed changes that numbered twelve items to send to the states for ratification. The Library of Congress records describe the 1789 congressional proposal and its place in early amendment history Library of Congress overview. The National Archives milestone page also provides a brief overview of the Bill of Rights submission National Archives milestone page.
Of those twelve items, ten were ratified together and are now known as the Bill of Rights. The two items that were not part of that 1791 ratification were effectively paused and later adopted separately; primary transcriptions and ratification notes show the different paths those two items took in subsequent years National Archives transcription.
The procedural history matters for writers because saying “the first 12” without clarification can mislead readers about which texts and dates to cite. For reporting or scholarship, prefer language such as according to congressional records the original proposal contained twelve items, while the Bill of Rights refers to Amendments 1 through 10.
What the Bill of Rights includes: a short guide to Amendments 1 6
The first ten amendments, commonly called the Bill of Rights, enumerate foundational civil liberties and limits on federal power, including free speech, free exercise of religion, protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, and procedural safeguards in criminal cases; the National Archives provides authoritative transcriptions and ratification information for these texts National Archives transcription.
Legal reference resources such as the Cornell Legal Information Institute outline the themes and legal framing of the Bill of Rights and are useful for concise summaries of each amendment s scope and common legal interpretations Cornell LII Bill of Rights, and see the full-text guide for the Bill of Rights on this site full-text guide.
Writers should use primary transcriptions for exact quotation and rely on authorized sites for ratification dates; the National Archives transcription is the standard source for quoting amendment text and for reporting the December 15, 1791 ratification date.
Below is a compact description of the major themes: freedom of speech and religion, assembly and petition, rights of the accused, limits on federal power, and reserved powers for states and the people. These themes are descriptive summaries intended to help readers locate the full texts rather than to provide legal interpretation.
Why the Eleventh and Twelfth Amendments were adopted separately
The Eleventh Amendment addressed specific questions about federal-court jurisdiction in suits against states after early judicial decisions raised concerns, and it was ratified in 1795 as a distinct corrective step; the National Archives provides a consolidated list of later amendments and ratification dates National Archives amendments page.
The Twelfth Amendment corrected the presidential electoral procedure after the election of 1800 exposed flaws in the original process, and it was ratified separately in 1804 to require distinct ballots for president and vice president; Congress.gov offers the amendment text and ratification record for that change Congress.gov Twelfth Amendment.
Because each of these two amendments responded to immediate problems of jurisdiction and electoral mechanics, respectively, they were treated and recorded as separate constitutional acts rather than as part of the Bill of Rights package.
Eleventh Amendment: purpose, text and effect
The Eleventh Amendment, ratified February 7, 1795, limits certain lawsuits in federal court brought against a state by citizens of another state or by citizens or subjects of a foreign state; this jurisdictional restriction is summarized in primary amendment lists and transcriptions National Archives amendments page.
In plain language, the amendment reduced the ability of private parties to sue a state in federal court without the state’s consent, a response to early disputes about the reach of federal judicial power. Use the National Archives transcription when you need the exact wording for citation.
Writers should distinguish between the ten amendments ratified in 1791, known as the Bill of Rights, and the original twelve proposed items from 1789, two of which were later adopted as the Eleventh and Twelfth Amendments; cite the National Archives and Congress.gov for authoritative texts and dates.
The amendment is typically cited by its ordinal name, the Eleventh Amendment, rather than as part of the Bill of Rights, and writers should reflect that naming convention when reporting legal history and court rulings.
Twelfth Amendment: what changed in the Electoral College
The Twelfth Amendment, ratified June 15, 1804, altered how electors cast votes by requiring separate ballots for president and vice president, a direct institutional reform following contested results in the election of 1800 Congress.gov Twelfth Amendment.
The practical effect was to avoid the tie and confusion that occurred under the original electoral procedure, and secondary summaries provide accessible explanation of the change; Britannica offers a clear discussion of the amendment s context and rationale Britannica Twelfth Amendment.
For historical reporting, attribute descriptions of the cause and effect to the amendment text and to authoritative histories rather than offering legal conclusions about later electoral developments.
Where to find authoritative texts and ratification dates
For primary transcriptions and official ratification dates, consult the National Archives for the Bill of Rights and the consolidated amendments pages, and use Congress.gov for amendment histories and drafting records National Archives transcription. Also see the constitutional rights hub on this site for related material constitutional rights hub.
Stay informed and get involved
Consult the National Archives transcription and Congress.gov amendment pages for text and ratification dates when you need authoritative primary sources.
Cornell s Legal Information Institute and the Library of Congress provide reliable secondary context and concise summaries that are suitable for quick reference and for teaching background, but always link back to the primary transcription when quoting amendment language Cornell LII Bill of Rights.
Common confusions to avoid: ‘first 12’ versus the Bill of Rights
The phrase first 12 amendments is ambiguous in two common ways: it can mean the ten ratified amendments that form the Bill of Rights, or it can mean the original twelve items proposed by Congress in 1789; the Library of Congress overviews and the National Archives both show this distinction in their records Library of Congress overview.
Recommended wording: write “Amendments 1 through 10, known as the Bill of Rights” when referring to the ten ratified items, and write “the twelve amendments proposed by Congress in 1789” when discussing the original congressional package. Always attribute the claim to a primary source such as the National Archives or congressional records.
How legal and historical sources usually refer to these amendments
Primary sources and legal references typically call Amendments 1 through 10 the Bill of Rights and use ordinal names for later amendments such as the Eleventh Amendment and Twelfth Amendment; Cornell LII and the National Archives show this standard naming convention Cornell LII Bill of Rights.
Mirroring institutional language in reporting reduces confusion: use the phrase Bill of Rights when you mean Amendments 1 through 10, and use the ordinal names for the 11th and 12th when you mean those later-adopted texts.
Typical mistakes and pitfalls when writing about the first 12 amendments
A common mistake is to conflate the original proposal with the ratified Bill of Rights and then to misstate which dates apply; for accurate dates and official wording, cite the National Archives transcription rather than relying on secondhand summaries National Archives transcription.
Another pitfall is to treat the 11th and 12th as if they were part of the Bill of Rights rather than later, purpose-specific amendments; the National Archives consolidated amendments list and congressional records make clear that these two were adopted separately and for distinct reasons National Archives amendments page.
Practical examples and short summaries for quick reference
Below are one-line, writer-ready summaries for Amendments 1 through 12. Use the National Archives transcription for exact quotations and Congress.gov for the Twelfth Amendment text and ratification details.
Amendment 1: Protects freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition, as transcribed by the National Archives National Archives transcription.
Amendment 2: Recognizes the right to keep and bear arms, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 3: Limits quartering of soldiers in private homes in peacetime, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 4: Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 5: Provides due process protections and rules against double jeopardy, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 6: Guarantees speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 7: Preserves the right to trial by jury in civil cases, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 8: Forbids excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishments, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 9: Clarifies that rights listed are not exhaustive, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 10: Reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people, see the National Archives text.
Amendment 11: Limits certain suits against states in federal court, ratified in 1795, see the National Archives consolidated list National Archives amendments page.
Amendment 12: Requires separate electoral ballots for president and vice president, ratified in 1804, see Congress.gov for text and history Congress.gov Twelfth Amendment.
How to cite these amendments in reporting and academic writing
Sample citation practice: when quoting an amendment, use the National Archives transcription and include the ratification date as given there; cite the transcription as the primary source for the exact wording National Archives transcription.
For the Twelfth Amendment and its legislative history, cite Congress.gov for the amendment text and the ratification record; for background and interpretation you may cite Cornell LII or the Library of Congress as contextual sources Congress.gov Twelfth Amendment.
Summary and suggested further reading
Key takeaway: Amendments 1 through 10 are the Bill of Rights, ratified December 15, 1791, while Congress did originally propose twelve items in 1789 and the remaining two items later became the Eleventh and Twelfth Amendments with separate ratification dates; the National Archives and Congress.gov provide authoritative transcriptions and dates National Archives transcription. See the Bill of Rights first 10 amendments page here Bill of Rights first 10.
For further reading, begin with the National Archives for primary texts, consult Congress.gov for amendment histories, and use Cornell LII or the Library of Congress for concise legal and historical context.
The Bill of Rights refers specifically to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which were ratified together in 1791 and enumerate core civil liberties.
Yes. In 1789 Congress proposed twelve amendments to the states; ten were ratified together in 1791 and two were adopted later as the Eleventh and Twelfth Amendments.
Primary transcriptions and ratification dates are available from the National Archives and amendment histories are available on Congress.gov.
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