Final Exam Review Sheet - Amendments to the US Constitution

Summarize all 27 of the amendments: the first ten (aka The Bill of Rights) and others

The 1st Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Concerns Religion, Speech, Assembly, and Petition

The 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Concerns the Militia and the Right to Bear Arms

• 2-finger hand gesture that looks like a gun

The 3rd Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Deals with The Quartering of Soldiers

• 3-finger ok gesture as if holding a quarter

The 4th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Pertains to Searches and Seizures

• using both hands, mime a box to represent walls of house

The 5th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Addresses Grand Juries, Self-Incrimination, Double Jeopardy, Due Process, and Eminent Domain

• cover your mouth with one hand using all 5 fingers to represent silence

The 6th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Deals with Criminal Court Procedures

• extend your 5 fingers in one hand and using the pointer finger of the other, point to an invisible wrist watch on the opposite hand to represent time. This is the right to a speedy trial

The 7th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Concerns Trial by Jury in Civil Cases

• Hold up 7 fingers; the hand with 5 fingers represent a jury and the hand with 2 fingers represents you and a lawyer

The 8th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Addresses Bail, Cruel and Unusual Punishment

• Cuff your wrists with the opposite hand to represent both the number 8 and handcuffs

The 9th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Concerns The Rights Retained by the People

The 10th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is part of the Bill of Rights

• Concerns Reserved Powers of the States

The 11th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1795

• Addresses Suits against States

• 1.1 (one v. one) = between an individual and a state

The 12th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1804

• Concerns Election of the President

• Places 1,2 = #1 position to be President and #2 position becomes Vice President

The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1865

• Deals with Prohibition of Slavery

• Unlucky number 13 = ends unluckiness with slavery

The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1868

• Deals with Citizenship, Due Process, and Equal Protection of the Law

• 1-4-all = equality

The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1870

• Deals with The Right to Vote

The 16th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1913

• Deals with Income Taxes

• Sweet 16 = reaching adulthood, you can begin working, and you’d pay taxes

The 17th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1913

• Deals with popular (public) Election of Senators

• 1 lucky Seven = one lucky se-nator to fill the vacancy

The 18th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1919

• Dealt with Prohibition

• NO ALCOHOL if your 18 years old

The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1920

• Deals with Women’s (Suffrage/) Right to Vote

• Draw a stick in front of the female gender symbol. The line looks like a number 1 and the symbol kind of looks like the number 9

The 20th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1933

• Deals with the president’s term

• 20 → Jan. 20 marks the end of the president and vice president’s term

The 21st Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1933

• Deals with The Repeal of Prohibition

• 21 → the age at which you can consume alcohol

The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1951

• Deals with Limitations on Presidential Term

• 2+2 = 4 to signify that a president can serve 2 terms of 4 years

The 23rd Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1961

• Deals with Presidential Electors for the District of Columbia

• Rhyme the “3” in 23 with “DC” (or recall that D.C. gets 3 electors)

The 24th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• was ratified in 1964

• Addresses The Anti-Poll Tax

• 24 → 2-4-free as in “buy one, get two for free” meaning you don’t have to pay, in this case, you don’t pay to vote

The 25th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1967

• Addresses Disability and Vice-Presidential Vacancies

• 25 rhymes with “president dies”

The 26th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Ratified in 1971

• Pertains to The Eighteen-Year-Old Vote

• 26 → 2+6 = 8 [TEEN] = you have to be at least 18 to vote

The 27th Amendment to the US Constitution…

• Is still the most recent amendment as of 2025

• Ratified in 1992

• Addresses Congressional Pay

• 27 → 2 lucky se-nators can get a salary raise only until the next election