Constitution vs Bill Of Rights: Difference and Comparison

Both the terms constitution and bill of rights explain the human rights and the power given to a citizen in the country, but they are very different.

Key Takeaways

1. A constitution is a document that establishes the fundamental principles and rules by which a government operates.
2. A bill of rights, on the other hand, is a document that lists the specific rights and freedoms that are guaranteed to citizens by the government.
3. While a constitution is a more general document that outlines the basic framework of a government, a bill of rights is more specific and deals with individual liberties and freedoms.

Constitution vs. Bill Of Rights

The difference between the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is that the Constitution describes the new government’s whole formation. On the other hand, the Bill of Rights is part of the Constitution, which guarantees our freedom, like the right to bear arms and speech.

The constitution is the rights that give limited power to the local, state, or federal level government to change the law and put restrictions on a business, extend rights, and protect the public.

Different types of laws are written for different purposes. There is also some law that protects against crime.

The Bill of Rights is considered the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution.

These amendments guarantee civil liberties and essential rights like the right to bear arms, speech, and the right to the people and the states.

Comparison Table

Parameter of Comparison	Constitution	Bill of rights
Meaning	The constitution is a right that gives limited power to the state, federal, and local governments.	The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United Constitution.  This act gives guarantee of our freedom.
Function	It tells how government arms follow, the rules that civil officials follow, and the rules, rights, and limitations for the citizens.	It tells the right that every citizen has, and the government and other people should protect it.
Position	The Constitution is an independent documentary about different rules.	The Bill of Rights comes under the constitution act.
Limitation	The constitution builds government and the whole citizenry.	The Bill of Rights tells about the rights of every citizen in the country.

What is Constitution?

According to the sources, a constitution is defined as a body that consists of fundamental principles and established precedents that an organization, state, or other entity knowledge to be followed.

The constitution is also called the body of a system or law of rules and law. The constitution builds the country’s structure and the function of the arm of the government or each arm of the land.

 In a country like the United States, the constitution set up the system of federalism, which governs the relations between the states and the federal government.

The constitution also gives the central government powers and sets out the difference between the state and central governments.

The constitution set up the federal government as the supreme power over the country and put the state government in a country with a government system, respectively. 

 If the constitution is not there, then the country will become ruleless. There would not be any rule of law, and not a single person would ask what have to be done and whatnot.

Some functions of the constitution are providing for the common defense, provision of scope for good governance, establishing justice, establishing a perfect union, promoting the general welfare of the citizen, and ensuring domestic tranquility.

What is the Bill Of Rights?

A bill of rights is an assertion or formal declaration of the citizen’s legal and civil rights, which any county, state, or federal government enjoys.

The Bill of Rights is called a Declaration of rights or Charter of Rights.

It is entrenched in many cases, but only in extreme needs; it can make it unentrenched, just like when the person’s normal behavior is regarded as a threat to others.

The main purpose of the Bill of Rights is to protect and uphold the rights of each citizen against infringement from the private citizen, public official, or government.

The Bill of Rights also explains to the citizens their rights and what they observe regarding their country’s people, as well as their rights, and protects them.

The rights in the Bill of Rights are the right to privacy, life, human dignity, freedom of speech and expression, equality and freedom from discrimination, and freedom of religion, opinion, conscience, and belief.

Other rights are also based on an application, like taxpayers, academics, and veterans. If there are rights violations, it is protected by the constitution under the Bill of Rights, which leads to the proceeding before the court of law.

Main Difference Between Constitution and Bill Of Rights

1. The Constitution and Bill of Rights tell about the citizens’ rights and the local, state, and federal governments.
2. The constitution is a right that gives limited power to the state, federal, and local governments. On the other hand, the Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the United Constitution. This act gives a guarantee to our freedom.
3. It tells how government arms follow, the rules that civil officials follow, and the rules, rights, and limitations for the citizens. On the other hand, It tells the right that every citizen has, and the government and other people should protect it.
4. The Constitution is an independent documentary about different rules. On the other hand, the Bill of Rights comes under the constitution act.

References

1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/796690
2. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/temple66&section=22