USCIS Civics Practice Test 2025 – Complete Guide for Exam Prep

The Constitution is the foundational legal document of the United States that outlines the rights of citizens. Specifically, the Bill of Rights, which comprises the first ten amendments to the Constitution, enumerates individual rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, as well as rights related to the legal process and protections against government overreach. This framework of rights is essential to American democracy and serves as a protection for citizens against possible abuses by the government.

While the Federalist Papers provide important insights and arguments concerning the adoption of the Constitution, they do not serve as a governing document themselves. The Articles of Confederation, which preceded the Constitution, primarily established a loose confederation of states and lacked a centralized authority, leading to various weaknesses in governance, including not adequately protecting individual rights. The Magna Carta, while a significant historical document that influenced the development of democratic principles and the rule of law, is not an American document and does not explicitly outline the rights of U.S. citizens as defined by the Constitution.