How many Bills of Rights were proposed? A clear, sourced guide

Quick answer: How many proposed bill of rights items are there, and why definitions matter

The clearest origin for a U.S. “Bill of Rights” is the set of 12 amendments that Congress proposed in 1789; ten of those were ratified in 1791 and are usually called the U.S. Bill of Rights. For the primary text of the Bill of Rights, consult the National Archives transcription National Archives’ Bill of Rights transcription or our full text guide.

If you count only formal congressional amendment proposals, the short historical answer is: Congress proposed 12 amendments in 1789, ten were ratified in 1791, and one of the two remaining 1789 proposals was later ratified as the 27th Amendment in 1992. The Library of Congress transcription of the 1789 joint resolution explains the original proposal process Library of Congress joint resolution transcription.

Counting changes if you broaden the question. Many later documents and proposals have used the language Bill of Rights, but they differ in legal form and intent from a constitutional amendment. Read the section below on definitions for a short decision rule you can use when reporting counts.

Definition and context: What counts as a proposed bill of rights

A proposed constitutional amendment is a formal measure that Congress approves and then sends to the states for ratification under Article V. The 1789 joint resolution that proposed the original set of amendments is the procedural record for that step, available from the Library of Congress Library of Congress joint resolution transcription.

Policy documents or executive frameworks that use Bill of Rights language, such as presidential speeches or White House policy blueprints, are rhetorical and programmatic. They do not create constitutional rights by themselves. For an example of a modern nonbinding framework, see the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s AI blueprint OSTP Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.

In practice, reporters and students should separate three categories: formal congressional amendment proposals, ratified constitutional amendments, and nonbinding policy frameworks that borrow the phrase Bill of Rights. Each category answers a different question and produces a different count.

The original 1789 proposed bill of rights: what Congress actually proposed

James Madison drafted the set of amendments that the First Congress considered in 1789; Congress approved a joint resolution proposing twelve amendments and sent it to the states for ratification. The joint resolution text is the authoritative source for what Congress proposed in 1789 Library of Congress joint resolution transcription. See the LOC Bill of Rights item.

Which of the original proposals became law is a common reader question. The ten amendments that were ratified in 1791 make up the U.S. Bill of Rights, and readers can consult the National Archives for an official transcription National Archives’ Bill of Rights transcription.

The twelve proposed items included protections for speech, religion, assembly, and procedural safeguards, as well as several structural provisions related to congressional procedures and powers. Ten of those items were ratified by the states and published in 1791 as the first ten amendments to the Constitution.

To study the original phrasing and the legislative context, the Library of Congress joint resolution provides the closest primary record of what Congress proposed in 1789 Library of Congress joint resolution transcription.

Counting edge cases: the two 1789 items not ratified in 1791 and the 27th Amendment

Two of the original twelve items in the 1789 proposals were not ratified with the other ten in 1791. One of those items limited changes to congressional pay and remained technically pending for more than two centuries; the detail appears in the original joint resolution records Library of Congress joint resolution transcription.

That same pay-limitation proposal was later ratified as the 27th Amendment in 1992, providing a clear example where an originally proposed amendment became binding long after the first ratification wave. The National Archives summarizes the historical path of the 27th Amendment National Archives summary of the 27th Amendment and the National Archives milestone document.

This history shows why simple counts can mislead. Saying only that "ten amendments became the Bill of Rights in 1791" is accurate for ratified amendments, but the broader label of what Congress proposed in 1789 is twelve items.

Later amendment efforts called ‘Bills of Rights’ – the Equal Rights Amendment and congressional proposals

Later congressional amendment efforts have sometimes been described as Bills of Rights when they seek broad protections. The Equal Rights Amendment is a prominent example: first proposed in 1923 and approved by Congress for state consideration in 1972, it did not reach the required number of state ratifications within the original deadline and therefore did not become part of the Constitution during that ratification period. The National Archives provides a concise record of the ERA’s congressional action and status National Archives’ ERA summary.

Congressional amendment proposals differ procedurally from policy frameworks because they require state ratification to become binding. When counting proposed Bills of Rights, including all congressional amendment proposals increases the total relative to counting only ratified amendments.

Policy ‘Bill of Rights’ frameworks that use the language but are not constitutional amendments

Some influential documents labeled Bill of Rights are programmatic statements rather than constitutional amendments. President John F. Kennedy articulated a four-point Consumer Bill of Rights in his 1962 State of the Union address; that speech framed consumer protections as policy priorities, not as an amendment process Kennedy’s 1962 State of the Union.

Similarly, the October 2022 Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights is a nonbinding White House policy framework that sets expectations for technology and governance without creating new constitutional or statutory rights OSTP Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights.

Policy frameworks use the term Bill of Rights as a rhetorical device to highlight priorities, but they should not be conflated with formal amendment proposals when reporting legal status or counts.

A simple framework for answering ‘how many bills of rights were proposed’ accurately

Reporters and students can use three counting rules: count only formal congressional amendment proposals; count only ratified amendments; or include nonbinding policy frameworks. Each choice gives a different number and requires explicit attribution to sources such as the Library of Congress or the National Archives. See more on constitutional rights and the Library of Congress guide to the Constitution Creating the Constitution guide.

Example phrasing for each approach helps avoid ambiguity. If you count formal proposals, say that Congress proposed twelve amendments in 1789, citing the Library of Congress text. If you count ratified amendments, note that ten of the 1789 proposals were ratified in 1791 and later the pay-limitation item became the 27th Amendment in 1992, citing the National Archives for the 27th Amendment.

When you include policy frameworks, clarify they are nonbinding. For example, describe Kennedy’s Consumer Bill of Rights as a policy speech and the OSTP AI document as a nonbinding blueprint. Cite the presidential record or OSTP summary when you use those examples Kennedy’s 1962 State of the Union.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them when reporting counts

Reporters and students often conflate categories, which leads to miscounts. A frequent mistake is treating policy frameworks as though they were constitutional amendments, or overlooking the 27th Amendment’s late ratification.

Another common error is omitting primary-source citations. Always check the joint resolution text and the published ratification records at the National Archives or the Library of Congress before asserting a precise count National Archives’ Bill of Rights transcription.

Use cautious language. Prefer attributions such as According to the Library of Congress and According to the National Archives when you state counts or dates. That phrasing signals readers you relied on primary documents rather than loose summaries.

Practical examples and sample reporting lines you can use

Here are short, source-linked lines you can use in reporting. For the formal-proposal approach: “According to the Library of Congress, Congress proposed 12 amendments in 1789; ten were ratified in 1791.” The Library of Congress joint resolution is the source for the 1789 proposal text Library of Congress joint resolution transcription.

For the ratified-only approach: “Ten of the 1789 proposals were ratified in 1791 to form the U.S. Bill of Rights; one other 1789 proposal was ratified later as the 27th Amendment in 1992.” For the 27th Amendment’s unusual timeline see the National Archives summary National Archives summary of the 27th Amendment.

When describing policy frameworks, use wording such as: “President Kennedy articulated a Consumer Bill of Rights in 1962 as a policy speech, and the White House published a nonbinding Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights in 2022.” Cite the presidential record and the OSTP blueprint when you use those examples Kennedy’s 1962 State of the Union.

“For the ratified-only approach: “Ten of the 1789 proposals were ratified in 1791 to form the U.S. Bill of Rights; one other 1789 proposal was ratified later as the 27th Amendment in 1992.” For the 27th Amendment’s unusual timeline see the National Archives summary National Archives summary of the 27th Amendment.

Conclusion: A concise, sourced answer and where to read the originals

In one sentence: Congress proposed twelve amendments in 1789, ten were ratified in 1791 as the U.S. Bill of Rights, and one of the remaining original proposals became the 27th Amendment in 1992. For direct consultation see the Library of Congress joint resolution and the National Archives Bill of Rights transcription Library of Congress joint resolution transcription.

Choose and state your counting rule when you report a number. If you need primary texts for verification, the Library of Congress and the National Archives are the recommended starting points. See the First Ten Amendments guide.