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The Bill of Rights (Key Liberties)

  • 1st Amendment: Protects fundamental freedoms, including religion (Establishment and Free Exercise clauses), speech, press, assembly, and the right to petition the government.

  • 2nd Amendment: Protects the right to keep and bear arms.

  • 4th Amendment: Protects against "unreasonable searches and seizures" and is the basis for the Exclusionary Rule (evidence obtained illegally cannot be used in court).

  • 5th Amendment: Protects against self-incrimination (Miranda rights), double jeopardy, and ensures "due process of law" before the government can take life, liberty, or property .

  • 6th Amendment: Guarantees the right to a "speedy and public trial," an impartial jury, and the right to an attorney (legal counsel).

  • 8th Amendment: Prohibits "excessive bail" and "cruel and unusual punishments".

  • 9th Amendment: States that the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution does not mean other rights retained by the people do not exist (often used to support privacy rights).

The Civil War Amendments (Civil Rights)

  • 13th Amendment: Formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States.

  • 14th Amendment: Defines citizenship and contains the Due Process Clause (used for Selective Incorporation) and the Equal Protection Clause (the primary tool for fighting discrimination).

  • 15th Amendment: Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude".

Voting Rights & Elections

  • 19th Amendment: Granted women the right to vote (guarantees suffrage regardless of sex).

  • 23rd Amendment: Allows residents of Washington, D.C., to vote for representatives in the Electoral College.

  • 24th Amendment: Prohibited the use of poll taxes in federal elections, which were used to disenfranchise Black voters.

  • 26th Amendment: Lowered the legal voting age from 21 to 18