Which document declares the rights of citizens in the United States?

The Bill of Rights is the document that specifically declares the rights of citizens in the United States. Ratified in 1791, it consists of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution and explicitly outlines fundamental rights and freedoms that are guaranteed to all American citizens. These rights include freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right to a fair trial, and protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, among others.

This essential document was created to ensure that individual liberties would be protected from government infringement, addressing concerns that were raised during the ratification of the Constitution. In contrast, while the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Independence are significant historical documents, they do not serve the same purpose of explicitly outlining citizens’ rights within the framework of American law. The Articles of Confederation primarily focused on the structure of government and did not enumerate individual rights. Thus, the Bill of Rights stands as the cornerstone of rights protection for citizens in the United States.