AP U.S. Constitutional Amendments Review

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the U.S. Constitutional Amendments, including their provisions, historical causes, and legal impacts.

1st Amendment (1791)

Protects freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition; serves as the foundation of civil liberties and center of debates over dissent.

2nd Amendment (1791)

Protects the right to bear arms; originated from concerns over standing armies and a desire for state militias.

3rd Amendment (1791)

Prohibits the forced quartering of soldiers in private homes, a reaction to British practices before the American Revolution.

4th Amendment (1791)

Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires warrants; serves as the basis for privacy rights and rulings like Mapp v. Ohio.

5th Amendment (1791)

Ensures due process and protects against double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and arbitrary eminent domain; foundational to criminal procedure protections.

6th Amendment (1791)

Guarantees the right to a speedy trial, a jury, a lawyer, and witnesses; later expanded by cases such as Gideon v. Wainwright.

7th Amendment (1791)

Guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil cases to preserve the role of juries in civil law.

8th Amendment (1791)

Prohibits cruel and unusual punishment as well as excessive bail or fines; central to modern debates over the death penalty.

9th Amendment (1791)

States that rights not specifically listed in the Constitution are still retained by the people; supports implied rights such as privacy.

10th Amendment (1791)

Provides that powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people; the basis for federalism debates.

11th Amendment (1795)

Limits federal judicial power by preventing individuals from suing states in federal court without consent; a reaction to Chisholm v. Georgia.

12th Amendment (1804)

Requires electors to cast separate votes for president and vice president; created to prevent electoral deadlocks like the tie in the Election of 1800.

13th Amendment (1865)

Abolished slavery in the United States; born from the Civil War and the abolition movement.

14th Amendment (1868)

Grants citizenship and ensures due process and equal protections; a critical amendment for civil rights used in Brown v. Board of Education.

15th Amendment (1870)

Prohibits denying the vote based on race, color, or previous servitude; though undermined by Jim Crow, it was later reinforced by the Voting Rights Act (1965).

16th Amendment (1913)

Authorizes a federal income tax, which expanded federal power and established modern fiscal policy.

17th Amendment (1913)

Established the direct election of senators by the people, aiming to reduce corruption in Senate elections.

18th Amendment (1919)

Prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol; driven by the temperance movement.

19th Amendment (1920)

Guaranteed women's right to vote (suffrage), marking a major expansion of democratic participation.

20th Amendment (1933)

Shortened the time between election and inauguration to address inefficiencies during transitions, such as those seen in the Great Depression.

21st Amendment (1933)

Repealed the 18th Amendment, ending Prohibition; it is the only amendment to repeal another.

22nd Amendment (1951)

Limits presidents to serving two terms; a backlash to Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) being elected to four terms.

23rd Amendment (1961)

Granted electoral votes to Washington, D.C., providing representation for its residents.

24th Amendment (1964)

Eliminated poll taxes in federal elections, expanding voting rights for African Americans and poor citizens.

25th Amendment (1967)

Clarifies the procedures for presidential succession and disability to ensure the continuity of executive power.

26th Amendment (1971)

Lowered the legal voting age to 18; motivated by the Vietnam War and the sentiment 'old enough to fight, old enough to vote.'

27th Amendment (1992)

Delays congressional pay raises from taking effect until the next election; originally proposed in 1789.