When was the Bill of Rights changed? A concise timeline and explanation

Short answer: the new bill of rights, has the text been changed?

One-sentence answer

The first ten amendments, called the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791, and the text of those original amendments has not been altered since that ratification, according to the National Archives transcript National Archives transcription of the Bill of Rights.

Quick evidence summary

While the wording of the original Bill of Rights remains the same, later constitutional amendments and Supreme Court decisions have changed how those protections operate in practice; the Fourteenth Amendment in particular provided the constitutional basis for applying many federal protections to state governments Fourteenth Amendment text and background.

Those ten amendments cover core protections such as freedom of speech and religion, rules about quartering soldiers, protections for defendants in criminal cases, and limits on excessive fines and cruel punishments. Readers who want the precise phrasing should consult the National Archives transcription to read each amendment as it was recorded at ratification National Archives transcription of the Bill of Rights or the site guide to the full text Bill of Rights full text guide.

The National Archives Charters of Freedom site hosts high-quality transcriptions and images of the founding documents, including the Bill of Rights, which is the primary source for the original text and ratification date The Bill of Rights (National Archives).

How the Constitution can be changed and why that matters for any new bill of rights

Formal amendment procedures

The Constitution can be changed only through the Article V amendment process, which requires either a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress followed by ratification in three-quarters of the states, or a constitutional convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures; that formal process is why textual change to the Bill of Rights is procedurally demanding, as described in legal overviews of amendment rules Incorporation Doctrine overview and related constitutional process.

Because altering existing amendment text needs that formal route, most significant legal changes affecting rights have come from adding later amendments or from judicial interpretation rather than by editing the original Bill of Rights wording.

The Article V routes exist to ensure broad consensus before the Constitution is altered; a proposed change becomes binding only after the required state ratifications are complete, which is why proposals for a so-called new bill of rights must either be proposed properly or remain proposals until a formal amendment is adopted Legal overview of constitutional amendment and interpretation.

How courts changed the practical scope of the Bill of Rights, incorporation and key cases

The role of the Fourteenth Amendment

The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified July 9, 1868, created a constitutional basis for applying many federal protections to state governments, which over time allowed courts to make federal rights enforceable against states in many areas Fourteenth Amendment text and background. For accessible classroom-level background on the Fourteenth Amendment’s role, see a curriculum overview LibreTexts: Rights Guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

That judicial process is known as incorporation, and it proceeded selectively rather than all at once; courts examined each right and decided whether the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process or equal protection clauses required applying that right to the states, a development discussed in legal overviews of incorporation and in our constitutional rights hub (see CRS product on application to the states).

Landmark cases that applied rights to the states

One early example is Gitlow v. New York in 1925, when the U.S. Supreme Court treated free speech protections as among those that could be applied against state governments, marking a significant step in selective incorporation Gitlow v. New York (Oyez).

In the decades that followed, the Court continued to decide which parts of the Bill of Rights are protected from state action, and a recent notable example is McDonald v. City of Chicago in 2010, where the Court held that the Second Amendment limits state and local governments in certain respects McDonald v. City of Chicago (Oyez).

Later constitutional amendments and their interaction with the Bill of Rights

Examples of amendments that changed rights’ reach

Later amendments to the Constitution, especially the Fourteenth Amendment, changed how rights are enforced and against whom they operate, without altering the original wording of the first ten amendments; observers should note the distinction between adding a new amendment and changing existing amendment text Fourteenth Amendment text and background.

Reading later amendment texts directly is the best way to understand how the framework of constitutional rights evolved after 1791, and primary sources for those amendment texts are available from official archives and federal resources.

The effect of a later amendment is not the same as editing the original Bill of Rights wording; a new amendment adds to the constitutional framework while the original first ten remain as they were ratified, so changes in legal effect often reflect new provisions plus judicial interpretation rather than textual revisions of Amendments I through X Legal overview of incorporation and amendment interaction.

Proposals and debates about a new bill of rights: what proponents suggest and what is realistic

Types of ‘new bill’ proposals seen in academic and policy debates

Scholars, advocacy groups and policy writers have proposed various conceptions of a new bill of rights that would expand or recast rights for modern concerns, but as of 2026 none of those proposals has become a constitutional amendment or changed the original text of the first ten amendments Bill of Rights context from Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Political and legal hurdles for a sweeping revision

Because any change to constitutional text must follow the Article V process, proposals for a sweeping new bill face steep political hurdles including supermajority votes and state ratifications, which makes large-scale textual revision difficult in practice Legal overview of constitutional amendment requirements.

Until a proposal becomes a properly ratified amendment, it remains a policy recommendation or a public debate item rather than a change in constitutional law, so readers should treat omnibus proposals as proposals pending formal adoption.

Common misunderstandings and how to check claims about changes to the Bill of Rights

Myth vs fact examples

A common misunderstanding is to equate judicial incorporation with having edited the text of the Bill of Rights; incorporation changes who is bound by federal protections but does not rewrite the original amendment language, a distinction discussed in legal summaries about incorporation Incorporation Doctrine overview.

Another frequent error is treating policy proposals for modern rights lists as actual constitutional changes; a textual change requires the Article V steps, which many proposals have not achieved.

How to verify claims

To verify a claim that the Bill of Rights was changed, check the National Archives transcription for the original text, review cited Supreme Court opinions for interpretive changes, and consult reputable legal overviews that summarize incorporation and amendment history National Archives transcription of the Bill of Rights.

A short verification checklist is: read the primary amendment text, locate the relevant court opinion, and confirm whether a formal Article V amendment was proposed and ratified; if those steps are not documented, the claim should be treated with caution.

Conclusion: So when was the new bill of rights changed, and what does that mean today?

Bottom line recap

The first ten amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791, and their wording has not been changed since that date, according to the National Archives transcription of the Bill of Rights Bill of Rights: A Transcription.

Since 1791 the practical scope and application of those rights have evolved through later constitutional amendments and Supreme Court interpretation, including the use of the Fourteenth Amendment and selective incorporation that began in cases such as Gitlow v. New York and continued through decisions like McDonald v. City of Chicago Incorporation Doctrine overview.