The 27 Amendments

Amendment 1 (1789) (Free Speech)

• Freedom of

• religion, (Excercise and Establisment Clause)

• speech,

• press,

• petition

• and assembly

Amendment 2 (1789)

• Right to keep and bear arms

Amendment 3 (1789)

• prohibits housing soldiers during times of peace

Amendment 4 (1789) (Searches)

• Prohibits unreasonable searches

• Must have search warrant based on probable cause

Amendment 5 (1789) (Court)

• Right to Jury and Due Process (Trial)

• Bans

  • Self- incrimination (I plead the 5th)

  • Double-jeopardy (Being charged for the same crime 2x)

• Eminent Domain - The government can’t take private property for public use without compensation (corporations use this a lot)

Amendment 6 (1789) (Court pt. 2)

• Right to speedy trial

• Right to lawyer

• Confrontation of accusers and right to obtain witnesses

Amendment 7 (1789) (civil cases)

• Right to trial by jury in civil trials (citizen v. citizen) accordign to common law.

Amendment 8 (1789) (Basically criminals still have rights)

• prohibits excessive fines/bail and cruel and unusual punishment

Amendment 9 (1789)

• Prohibits denying rights not enumerated in teh constitution

Amendment 10 (1789)

• “Reserved powers”/”Police Powers” - Powers not granted to the federal government go directlly to the states

Amendment 11 (1794)

• Lawsuits against states - Federal judicial power does not extend to lawsuits brought against individual states. - Only people from the state can sue the state

Amendment 12 (1803)

• Election procedure

  • P. and VP. on the same ticket

    • So different parties aren’t in office together

    • Also determines what happens in a electoral college tie

Amendment 13 (1865)

• Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude

Amendment 14 (1866)

• Grants Citizenship at birth/States can’t infringe on citizens rights/All citizens are equal under the law

Amendment 15 (1869)

• Right to vote can’t be denied based on race/color/or previous servitude

Amendment 16 (1909)

• Permanant income tax

Amendment 17 (1913)

• direct election of US Senators (elected by the people)

Amendment 18 (1919)

• Temperance (Was taken away so doesn’t really matter)

Amendment 19 (1920) YAY WOMEN

• Grants women the right to vote

Amendment 20 (1933) (Lame-Duck)

• The terms of president and vice-president end on January 20, and of Congress on January 3, instead of in March. Modified some of the 12th Amendment process of choosing a president.

Amendment 21 (1933)

• Repeals 18th Amendment (YAY GET CRUNKED)

Amendment 22 (1951)

• Limits presidency to 2 terms

Amendment 23 (1961)

• Washington DC gets Electoral College Delegates equal to least populus state

Amendment 24 (1964)

• Poll Tax(Paying to vote) unconstitutional

Amendment 25 (1967)

Establishes presidential line of succession (This was after 7 presidents died in office)

Amendment 26 (1971)

• Citizens 18 and older can vote

Amendment 27 (1992)

• Prevents laws affecting congressional salaries from taking effect until the next session

2 ways a constitutional amendment can be proposed

• 2/3 vote by both chambers of our federal congress (usual method 27 times)

• National Convention called by fed. congress with the request of 2/3 of states (Never happened)

2 ways a constitutional amendment can be ratified

• ¾ of state legislatures ratify amendment (Usual method, 26 times)

• ¾ of state's’ conventions ratify the amendment ( Happened once with the 21st amendment