Preserved archival file — bill-of-rights-original.pdf
Unmodified archival response body from https://www.archives.gov/files/founding-docs/bill-of-rights.pdf
PDF · 1.3 MB
Download ↓1789-09-25 (congressional proposal); 1791-12-15 (ratification of articles 3–12)
Engrossed Bill of Rights
The preamble identifies prevention of misconstruction or abuse of governmental power as a purpose of the amendments. The search-and-seizure provision requires probable cause, oath or affirmation, and particular descriptions for warrants.
About this source
Preamble; Article the sixth in the 1789 proposal, which became the Fourth Amendment in 1791. Articles the eleventh and twelfth became the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. Keep proposal date, ratification date, and original article numbering separate. The parchment contains twelve proposed amendments, not merely the ten ratified in 1791. NAID corroborated by NARA; catalog body could not be read. Archival links: Archival citation and original transcription: https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/bill-of-rights Original parchment PDF: https://www.archives.gov/files/founding-docs/bill-of-rights.pdf NARA transcription: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/bill-of-rights-transcript Catalog record: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/14080
- Date
- 1789-09-25 (congressional proposal); 1791-12-15 (ratification of articles 3–12)
- Credits
- First Congress of the United States
- Reference collection
- National Archives
Archival identity, document boundaries and provenance reviewed; generated text PDF pages visually checked for layout and continuous source coverage. No independent human proofreading. Complete engrossed parchment facsimile and National Archives transcription of the twelve proposed articles and attestation. Proposal and ratification dates remain distinct.
View reference catalogue / source ↗Download this source
Reading copy — bill-of-rights-text.pdf
Modern reading derivative of the archival source identified on this record; not an original artifact. Layout visually reviewed. Complete engrossed parchment facsimile and National Archives transcription of the twelve proposed articles and attestation. Proposal and ratification dates remain distinct.
PDF · 0.0 MB
Download ↓Citation & reuse
National Archives. General Records of the United States Government. Congressional file copy of the joint resolution proposing twelve amendments; NARA reproduces the enrolled original and supplies its transcription.
Historical primary texts are public domain. Source institutions credited separately. Modern editorial annotations are not licensed for republication by this record.
Technical archive record ↓