Amendments

1st Amendment

Protects five key freedoms: religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. It prevents the government from interfering with these basic individual rights.

2nd Amendment

Protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. This amendment is often debated in the context of gun ownership and regulation.

3rd Amendment

Prevents the government from forcing citizens to house soldiers in their homes during peacetime without consent.

4th Amendment

Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. Law enforcement must have a warrant based on probable cause.

5th Amendment

Grants protections including:

  • No double jeopardy (being tried twice for the same crime)

  • No self-incrimination (you can’t be forced to testify against yourself)

  • Right to due process

  • Government must compensate for taking private property (eminent domain)

6th Amendment

Guarantees a speedy and public trial, the right to an impartial jury, to be informed of charges, to confront witnesses, to have compulsory witnesses, and to have legal counsel in criminal cases.

7th Amendment

Guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil cases (disputes between individuals) where the value in controversy exceeds twenty dollars.

8th Amendment

Prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment.

9th Amendment

States that people have rights beyond those listed in the Constitution. Just because a right isn’t mentioned doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

10th Amendment

Says that powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved to the states or the people.

11th Amendment

Limits the ability of individuals to sue states in federal court, especially by citizens of another state or foreign country.

12th Amendment

Revises the Electoral College process, requiring separate votes for president and vice president to avoid ties and confusion (especially after the election of 1800).

13th Amendment

Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.

14th Amendment

Defines U.S. citizenship, guarantees equal protection under the law, and requires due process from state governments—not just the federal government.

15th Amendment

Prohibits governments from denying the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude (gave formerly enslaved men the right to vote).