U.S. Constitutional Amendments 1–27

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing each of the 27 U.S. Constitutional Amendments along with their mnemonic cues for easier study.

First Amendment

Guarantees freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition (Pointing finger = making a point).

Second Amendment

Protects the right to keep and bear arms (Peace sign can look like holding a gun).

Third Amendment

Forbids quartering soldiers in private homes without the owner’s consent ("Three’s a crowd" in your house).

Fourth Amendment

Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures; requires warrants based on probable cause (Four walls of privacy).

Fifth Amendment

Provides due-process protections, bans double jeopardy & self-incrimination, ensures just compensation (Five fingers covering your mouth = remain silent).

Sixth Amendment

Ensures a speedy, public, and fair criminal trial with counsel and impartial jury (Six o’clock = time for trial).

Seventh Amendment

Grants the right to a jury trial in civil cases over $20 (Lucky seven = jury).

Eighth Amendment

Bans excessive bail/fines and cruel or unusual punishment (Sideways 8 = handcuffs).

Ninth Amendment

States that people retain rights not specifically listed in the Constitution (Nine is mine).

Tenth Amendment

Reserves powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people (Two hands making 10, pushing apart).

Eleventh Amendment

Limits federal jurisdiction in lawsuits against states; upholds state sovereign immunity (1 vs 1 facing off).

Twelfth Amendment

Separates Electoral College votes for president and vice president (1 president, 2nd in command).

Thirteenth Amendment

Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude (Broken chain; 13 unlucky for slavery).

Fourteenth Amendment

Defines citizenship, requires due process, and guarantees equal protection of the laws (Looks like an equal sign).

Fifteenth Amendment

Prohibits denying voting rights based on race, color, or previous servitude (Voting hand holding ballot).

Sixteenth Amendment

Authorizes Congress to levy a federal income tax (Sweet sixteen = jobs = income).

Seventeenth Amendment

Establishes direct election of U.S. senators by the people (Senators as ‘teens’).

Eighteenth Amendment

Imposes Prohibition—ban on manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol (18-shaped stop sign).

Nineteenth Amendment

Grants women the right to vote (Women’s suffrage at 19).

Twentieth Amendment

Moves presidential inauguration to January 20 and shortens ‘lame-duck’ period (January 20).

Twenty-First Amendment

Repeals Prohibition, allowing legal alcohol (Cheers at age 21).

Twenty-Second Amendment

Limits the president to two elected terms (Two 2’s = two terms).

Twenty-Third Amendment

Gives Washington, D.C. three electoral votes in presidential elections (D.C. gets ‘2-3’ votes).

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

Bans poll taxes in federal elections (24 hours in a day—no fee to vote).

Twenty-Fifth Amendment

Clarifies presidential succession and procedures for filling a vice-presidential vacancy and dealing with presidential disability (25 keeps the president alive).

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Lowers the voting age from 21 to 18 (2 + 6 = 8-teen).

Twenty-Seventh Amendment

Prevents congressional pay raises from taking effect until after the next election (Last one lasts).