The Articles of Confederation was the United States' first constitution. It was known for being very weak and giving little to no power to the government. With the Articles, the government could not draft soldiers, regulate trade, create and enforce laws properly, and other important matters.
People who were in favor of the Articles were called Anti-Federalists. They were scared that the government would take away their rights, so they wanted to keep the powers in their own hands. People who wanted to amend the Articles and have a strong government were called Federalists, they thought that having a strong government meant having a strong country.
Eventually, the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was called in order to amend the Articles. Even though this was the original goal, the Articles ended up getting scrapped and the United States Constitution was created instead.
The Anti-Federalists were not happy about this and quickly started to worry about their rights and if they were going to be taken away. The Federalists believed that the United States Constitution was sufficient and they did not need a Bill of Rights, but the Anti-Federalists thought differently. They demanded to have a Bill of Rights, in order to make sure their rights were protected.
The Bill of Rights added a number of amendments, including ones that protected freedom of speech, press, and assembly. Also the right to bear arms, the right so the government can't seize their homes, and other very important rights. This limited the power that the federal government had and also granted all of the powers that weren't given to the government to the citizens.
