U.S. Constitution: Amendments, Civil Rights, and Government Principles

What is the main purpose of the Bill of Rights?

The Bill of Rights protects civil liberties and limits the federal government.

Name the five freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Religion, assembly, press, petition, and speech.

What does the Second Amendment protect?

The right to bear arms.

What protection does the Fourth Amendment provide?

Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures without probable cause.

Which amendment protects against self-incrimination and double jeopardy?

The Fifth Amendment.

What rights are guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment?

Speedy/public trial, impartial jury, informed of charges, confront accusers, right to counsel.

Which amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment?

The Eighth Amendment.

What does the Tenth Amendment say about powers not given to the federal government?

They are reserved to the states or the people.

Which amendment abolished slavery?

The Thirteenth Amendment.

What does the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee?

Citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law.

Which amendment gave African American men the right to vote?

The Fifteenth Amendment.

What were Jim Crow laws designed to do despite the Reconstruction Amendments?

Enforce racial segregation and limit African American rights.

Which amendment granted women the right to vote?

The Nineteenth Amendment.

What amendment lowered the voting age to 18?

The Twenty-Sixth Amendment.

What amendment banned poll taxes in federal elections?

The Twenty-Fourth Amendment.

What did the Twelfth Amendment change about presidential elections?

It required separate ballots for president and vice president.

Why was the Twelfth Amendment needed?

To prevent ties in electoral votes like the election of 1800.

What does the Twenty-Second Amendment do?

Limits the president to two elected terms.

What does the Twenty-Fifth Amendment establish?

Procedures for presidential succession and disability.

What did the Twenty-Third Amendment provide for Washington, D.C.?

Electoral votes in presidential elections.

What is the Electoral College?

A body of electors who formally elect the president and vice president.

What principle of government is reinforced by the Tenth Amendment?

Federalism.

What clause of the Fourteenth Amendment is most important in civil rights cases?

The Equal Protection Clause.

Why is the Bill of Rights considered essential to limited government?

It prevents government abuse and protects individual freedoms.

Why was the Twenty-Sixth Amendment passed during the Vietnam War?

"Old enough to fight, old enough to vote."

How do constitutional amendments demonstrate that the U.S. Constitution is a "living document"?

They adapt government to new challenges and expand rights over time.

Which amendment guaranteed due process protections against state governments?

The Fourteenth Amendment.

What historical problem was solved by the Thirteenth Amendment?

The abolition of slavery in the United States.

What problem did the Twenty-Fourth Amendment address?

Poll taxes that restricted poor and African American voters.

How did Reconstruction Amendments extend constitutional protections to African Americans?

By abolishing slavery, defining citizenship, ensuring equal protection, and granting voting rights.