Constitutional Amendments
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First Amendment
Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government.
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Second Amendment
Right to bear arms
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Third Amendment
No quartering soldiers in private homes without owner consent.
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Fourth Amendment
No unreasonable searches and seizures, must have a warrant based on probable cause.
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Fifth Amendment
Cannot self-incriminate, protects against double jeopardy, ensures due process of law.
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Sixth Amendment
Right to a fair and speedy trial, including legal counsel, confrontation of witnesses, and a public trial.
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Seventh Amendment
Right to a jury trial in civil cases involving disputes over property or money exceeding $20.
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Eighth Amendment
No cruel and unusual punishment, excessive bail, or fines.
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Ninth Amendment
The rights of the people not specified in the Constitution are still protected and cannot be taken away by the government.
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Tenth Amendment
The federal government is only allowed the powers granted to it by the Constitution, all other powers belong to the states or the people.
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Eleventh Amendment
Limits the jurisdiction of federal courts by prohibiting lawsuits against states by citizens of another state or foreign country.
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Twelfth Amendment
Changes the process of electing the President and Vice President, separate electoral votes are required for each office.
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Thirteenth Amendment
Slavery and involuntary servitude are abolished, except as punishment for a crime.
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Fourteenth Amendment
Grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and guarantees equal protection under the law.
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Fifteenth Amendment
Voting rights cannot be denied based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
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Sixteenth Amendment
Congress can levy an income tax without approportioning it among the states.
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Seventeenth Amendment
The people of each state elect their US Senators rather than state legislatures selecting them.
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Eighteenth Amendment
Prohibits the manufacture, sale, transportation, or consumption of alcoholic beverages.
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Nineteenth Amendment
Women have the right to vote, suffrage cannot be denied based on gender.
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Twentieth Amendment
The beginning and ending terms for the president, vice president, and Congress are shifted, reducing the time that members who were voted out of office could continue to legislate.
Also addresses presidential succession if the president dies-- Vice President, Speaker of the House of Reps, president of the Senate, Secretary of State, then remaining members of the Cabinet.
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Twenty-first Amendment
The 18th Amendment was repealed, allowing for the legal manufacture, sale, transportation, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
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Twenty-Second Amendment
The president can serve a maximum of two terms in office.
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Twenty-Third Amendment
Residents of Washington DC can vote in presidential elections and DC has 3 electoral votes (same as that of the least populous state).
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Twenty-Fourth Amendment
Banned the poll tax in federal elections to prevent discriminatory voting practices that affected minorities.
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Twenty-Fifth Amendment
The vice president becomes acting president in the case of the president’s death or resignation, the president must nominate a vice president if there is a vacancy, the vice president and majority of the cabinet can declare the president disabled and allow the vice president to assume the president’s duties until the disability ends.
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Twenty-Sixth Amendment
The voting age is lowered from 21 to 18.
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Twenty-Seventh Amendment
Members of Congress cannot grant themselves pay raises, pay raises will take effect in the next term.