27 Amendments Flashcards
Amendment 1
Freedom of speech, press, expression, religion, assembly, and petition.
Amendment
Protects the rights of individual citizens to keep and bear arms. Establishes a militia that is necessary for a free state.
Amendment 3
Prohibits soldiers from temporarily residing (quartering) in private homes during peacetime without getting the consent of the owner.
Amendment 4
Protects people’s rights to privacy, prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures by the government.
Amendment 5
No person tried without the grand jury indictment or punished twice for the same offense.
Amendment 6
Rights of accused in criminal cases, including legal representation and a fair and speedy trial
Amendment 7
Guarantees a trial by jury.
Amendment 8
Insures that punishments for crimes are not excessive, cruel, or unusual.
Amendment 9
People retain rights not listed in the Constitution.
Amendment 10
Power given to the federal government is given to the people or states (very important for a state government).
Amendment 11
Individual cannot sue a state in federal courts.
Amendment 12
Repeals part of Article 2, Section 1, of the Constitution. The Electoral College must cast separate ballots for the president and vice president. In 1800, there was difficulty when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received the same amount of votes in the Electoral College, even though the electors meant Burr’s votes to be for the position of vice president. The election had to go to the House of Representatives, where Thomas Jefferson won, thanks to the support of Alexander Hamilton. This helps explain why Hamilton and Burr later dueled, and Hamilton was killed.
Amendment 13
Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
Amendment 14
All persons born or naturalized in the United States enjoy full rights. This was done to protect the rights of freed slaves and minorities after the Civil War, but it applies equally to all Americans. This amendment also made specific rules concerning the southern states after the Civil War.
Amendment 15
Protects the rights of Americans to vote in elections. States cannot prevent a person from voting because of race, creed, or color. The right to vote is known as suffrage
Amendment 16
Establishes Congress’s rights to impose a federal income tax.
Amendment 17
Provides for popular election of United States senators. Repeals part of Article 1, Section 3. In the past, senators were elected by state legislatures.
Amendment 18
Prohibition. No alcoholic beverages bought or sold in the United States (to be later repealed).
Amendment 19
Women suffrage. Some states had already given women the right to vote in some elections. This amendment provides all women, who are U.S. citizens, the right to vote in all elections.
Amendment 20
Changed the date the president takes office from March 4th to January 20th. It also changed the start of Congress to January 3rd and ended the old second session.
Amendment 21
Voided the 18th amendment.
Amendment 22
No person shall be elected to the office of president more than twice.
Amendment 23
Gave residents of Washington D.C., the right to vote in presidential elections.
Amendment 24
Anti-poll tax amendment. Forbids taxing voters before they vote in national elections.
Amendment 25
Established the process by which an ailing president may pass the duties of the office to the vice president and fill the vice president’s office, when vacant. Any vacancy in the vice presidency is filled by appointment made by a majority of both houses of Congress.
Amendment 26
18-year-olds are allowed to vote in federal and state elections.
Amendment 27
Prohibits Congress from voting itslef mid-term pay raises.
