The Declaration, signed on August 2, 1776, notified the world that the 13 Colonies were separating from Great Britain in order to protect “certain unalienable Rights, [and] that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” The Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788, created a new framework for government that would offer “a more perfect union” than the Articles of Confederation. The Bill of Rights, ratified and added as 10 amendments to the Constitution on December 15, 1791, protected specific individual rights of citizens, such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion.…