POSC 401 Final (Amendments)

First Amendment

First Amendment

• Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment

• Protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms 

Fourth Amendment

• Protects individuals against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government, establishing the right to privacy in persons, houses, papers, and effects

Fifth Amendment

• Provides protection for individuals in legal proceedings, including the right to a grand jury for capital crimes, protection against double jeopardy and self-incrimination, the right to due process of law, and compensation for taking private property

Sixth Amendment

• Guarantees fundamental rights to individuals accused of crimes in the United States. Ensures the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, the right to counsel, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to know accusations and evidence

Eighth Amendment

• Prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments. It limits the unduly harsh penalties on criminal defendants before and after conviction

Ninth Amendment

• The enumeration of specific rights in the Constitution does not mean that other unenumerated rights retained by the people are denied or disparaged. It ensures that rights not explicitly listed in the Bill of Rights – such as the right to privacy – are still protected 

Tenth Amendment

• Reserves all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government to the individual states or to the people. It establishes the principle of federalism, limiting federal authority and protecting state sovereignty

Twelfth Amendment

• Requires electors to cast separate, distinct votes for President and Vice President, rather than two votes for President. This reform addressed electoral ties and ensured that the President and Vice President ran on party tickets. Preventing opposing parties from sharing the executive branch

Thirteenth Amendment

• Officially abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime, upon its ratification on December 6, 1865. It was the first of three Reconstruction Amendments passed after the Civil War, fundamentally transforming the U.S. Constitution to ensure national freedom.

Fourteenth Amendment

• Redefined American citizenship, granted formerly enslaved people citizenship, and prohibited states from denying equal protection or due process of law. It established birthright citizenship, incorporated the Bill of Rights against state governments, and established the “one person, one vote” principle.

Fifteenth Amendment

• Prohibits federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude". As the final Reconstruction Amendment, it aimed to secure voting rights for African American men, though its impact was limited by discriminatory state practices for nearly a century

Seventeenth Amendment

• The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

Nineteenth Amendment

• prohibits the federal government and states from denying U.S. citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex. It officially brought women's suffrage to the entire nation after decades of protests, lobbying, and legal challenges.

Twenty-Second Amendment

• limits a president to being elected to office only twice, codifying the two-term tradition established by George Washington. It was passed following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s election to four terms, aiming to prevent a long-term dictatorship.

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

• prohibits Congress and the states from imposing poll taxes or other taxes as a requirement for voting in federal elections. This amendment aimed to eliminate financial barriers that disproportionately disenfranchised African Americans and low-income voters in the South.

Twenty-Fifth Amendment

• clarifies presidential succession and establishes procedures for handling presidential disability or incapacity. It ensures a seamless transfer of power if a president dies, resigns, is removed, or is unable to fulfill their duties.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment

• lowered the national voting age from 21 to 18, prohibiting federal and state governments from denying the right to vote to any citizen 18 or older on account of age. Driven by the Vietnam War-era slogan "old enough to fight, old enough to vote," it was ratified in record time.

Equal Rights Amendment

• a proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution designed to explicitly prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, ensuring equal rights under the law regardless of gender