What foundational document was adopted in 1791?

The foundational document adopted in 1791 is the Bill of Rights. This set of the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution was created to protect individual liberties and rights against potential government overreach. It was ratified on December 15, 1791, as a response to calls for greater constitutional protection for personal freedoms following the Constitution's initial adoption in 1787. The Bill of Rights includes vital protections such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, the right to bear arms, and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, among others.

Understanding the historical context is essential. While the United States Constitution was indeed adopted in 1787, it did not include specific protections for individual rights, which led to widespread demand for such amendments. The Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1781, was the first governing document of the United States but proved ineffective in uniting the states and was eventually replaced by the Constitution. The Federalist Papers, a collection of essays promoting the ratification of the Constitution, were written during the same period but are not official documents themselves. Thus, the Bill of Rights is the correct answer as it was specifically adopted in 1791 to enumerate and protect the rights of citizens.