All 27 U.S. Constitutional Amendments

Vocabulary flashcards detailing all 27 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and their legal meanings based on the lecture notes.

Bill of Rights

The first 10 amendments (Amendments 1–10) to the U.S. Constitution.

1st Amendment

Guarantees freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.

2nd Amendment

Protects the right to keep and bear arms.

3rd Amendment

Prohibits the government from forcing individuals to house soldiers in peacetime.

4th Amendment

Provides protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.

5th Amendment

Provides protection against self-incrimination, double jeopardy, and deprivation of life, liberty, or property without due process, applying due process restrictions to the federal government.

6th Amendment

Guarantees the rights of people accused of crimes, including the right to a lawyer and a speedy, public jury trial.

7th Amendment

Guarantees the right to a jury trial in certain federal civil cases.

8th Amendment

Prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment.

9th Amendment

Establishes that the people have rights beyond those specifically listed in the Constitution.

10th Amendment

Establishes that powers not given to the federal government or forbidden to states are reserved to the states or the people.

11th Amendment

Limits federal lawsuits against states.

12th Amendment

Requires the president and vice president to be elected through separate Electoral College votes.

13th Amendment

Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime after conviction.

14th Amendment

Addresses citizenship, due process, and equal protection of the laws, applying due process and equal protection restrictions to state governments.

15th Amendment

Guarantees that voting rights cannot be denied based on race, color, or previous servitude.

16th Amendment

Empowers Congress to tax income without apportioning the tax among states.

17th Amendment

Establishes that voters directly elect U.S. senators instead of state legislatures choosing them.

18th Amendment

Prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol for beverage purposes; no longer in force because it was repealed by the 21st Amendment.

19th Amendment

Guarantees that voting rights cannot be denied based on sex.

20th Amendment

Changes when presidential and congressional terms begin and end, establishing that the president takes office on January 20.

21st Amendment

Repeals the 18th Amendment, ending federal alcohol prohibition.

22nd Amendment

Limits a person to being elected president twice.

23rd Amendment

Gives Washington, D.C., electoral votes for president.

24th Amendment

Prohibits poll taxes in federal elections.

25th Amendment

Establishes rules for presidential succession, vacancies, and inability to serve.

26th Amendment

Establishes that the voting age is 18 or older.

27th Amendment

Requires that congressional pay changes cannot take effect until after an intervening House election.