To convince
the colonies to ratify
the constitution, they added a Bill of Rights. At the earliest convenience, these rights were immediately trampled on, discarded, and ignored. The Bill of Rights exists today as a set of things to have students memorize in civics class, but not entirely
understand, and for lawyers to use to make arguments that are then ignored by judges. Any other applications of rights, such as deterring Draconian legislation, are nonexistent.