Amendments

1st Amendment

protects freedoms of speech, petition, press, religion, assembly, and peaceful protest

2nd Amendment

protects the right to keep and bear arms

3rd Amendment

protects against civilians having to house soldiers during peacetime.

4th Amendment

protects against unlawful searches and seizures.

• searches and seizures require probable cause along with a judicial warrant signed by a judge.

5th Amendment

• protects against double jeopardy and self-incrimination

• no one shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without the due process of law

• right to remain silent

6th Amendment

• right to speedy and public trial by impartial jury of peers

• right to be informed of charges held against you

• right to confront witnesses

• right to obtain witnesses in your favor

• right to lawyer for your defense

7th Amendment

• guaranteed a trial by jury

8th Amendment

protects against excessive bail and fines and cruel or unusual punishment

9th Amendment

the listing of rights in the Constitution does not mean rights by the people are limited exclusively to those rights.

10th Amendment

any powers not delegated to the US by the Constitution nor are prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the states or the people.

11th Amendment

limits the power of federal courts to hear cases in which:

• citizens of other states or foreign countries sue a state government

12th Amendment

an elector of the Electoral College votes separately for one President and one Vice President, rather than both being on the same ballot.

13th Amendment

banned slavery and involuntary servitude (besides as punishment for a crime in which the party has been duly convicted)

14th Amendment

• grants citizenship to those who are born and naturalized in the US (regardless of previous state of slavery)

• guarantees equal protection and treatment under the law

  • life, liberty, and property cannot be taken by states without due process

15th Amendment

states that the federal government and state governments cannot deny a citizen the right to vote based on their race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

(note: this was only for men)

16th Amendment

gave Congress the legal authority to impose federal income taxes

17th Amendment

allowed for the direct election of US senators

18th Amendment

instituted prohibition

• this prevented the manufacture, transport, and selling of alcohol

19th Amendment

gave women the right to vote

(note: the women’s suffrage movement began in Seneca Falls in 1848)

20th Amendment

changed presidential inaugurations to take place on January 20th and congressional terms to take place on January 3rd.

21st Amendment

ruled back on prohibition

• basically undid the 18th Amendment

22nd Amendment

limited presidential terms to two terms (8 years)

23rd Amendment

gave residents of Washington DC the right to vote for President and Vice President

24th Amendment

prohibits poll tax

25th Amendment

• if the president dies, resigns, or is removed, the VP will become president.

• if the VP office is vacant and the president nominates a VP, that VP must be confirmed by a majority vote by both houses of Congress

• the president can voluntarily declare the VP ‘Acting President’ until the president is fit to return to office.

26th Amendment

lowered the legal voting age from 21 y/o to 18 y/o.

• this was done so US WWII propaganda could say as a slogan, “old enough to fight, old enough to vote.”

27th Amendment

prevents members of Congress from giving themselves a pay raise that takes effect immediately.