28 Amendments

Question 1

1st Amendment

Answer 1

(Safeguards of Liberty) (December 15, 1791) - The 1st Amendment protects the people’s right to practice religion, to speak freely, to assemble (meet), to address (petition) the government, and of the press to publish.

Question 2

2nd Amendment

Answer 2

(Safeguards of Liberty) (December 15, 1791) - The 2nd Amendment protects the right to own guns. There is debate whether this is a right that protects the state, or a right that protects individuals.

Question 3

3rd Amendment

Answer 3

(Safeguards of Liberty) (December 15, 1791) - The 3rd Amendment guarantees that the army cannot force homeowners to give them room and board.

Question 4

4th Amendment

Answer 4

(Safeguards of Justice) (December 15, 1791) - The 4th Amendment protects the people from the government improperly taking property, papers, or people, without a valid warrant based on probable cause (good reason).

Question 5

5th Amendment

Answer 5

(Safeguards of Justice) (December 15, 1791) - The 5th Amendment protects people from being held for committing a crime unless they are properly indicted, that they may not be tried twice for the same crime, that you need not be forced to testify against yourself, and from property being taken without just compensation. It also contains due process guarantees.

Question 6

6th Amendment

Answer 6

(Safeguards of Justice) (December 15, 1791) - The 6th Amendment guarantees a speedy trial, an impartial jury, that the accused can confront witnesses against them, and that the accused must be allowed to have a lawyer.

Question 7

7th Amendment

Answer 7

(Safeguards of Justice) (December 15, 1791) - The 7th Amendment guarantees a jury trial in federal civil court cases. This type of case is normally no longer heard in federal court.

Question 8

8th Amendment

Answer 8

(Safeguards of Justice) (December 15, 1791) - The 8th Amendment guarantees that punishments will be fair, and not cruel, and that extraordinarily large fines will not be set.

Question 9

9th Amendment

Answer 9

(Unenumerated Rights and Reserved Powers) (December 15, 1791) - The 9th Amendment is simply a statement that other rights aside from those listed may exist, and just because they are not listed doesn’t mean they can be violated.

Question 10

10th Amendment

Answer 10

(Unenumerated Rights and Reserved Powers) (December 15, 1791) - The 10th Amendment is the subject of some debate, but essentially it states that any power not granted to the federal government belongs to the states or to the people. See the Federalism Topic Page for more information.

Question 11

11th Amendment

Answer 11

(Governmental Authority) (December 15, 1791) Passed by Congress March 4, 1794. Ratified February 7, 1795 Note: Article III, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by amendment 11 - The 11th Amendment more clearly defines the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court concerning a suit brought against a state by a citizen of another state.

Question 12

12th Amendment

Answer 12

(Government Processes and Procedures) Passed by Congress December 9, 1803. Ratified June 15, 1804 Note: A portion of Article II, section 1 of the Constitution was superseded by the 12th amendment - The 12th Amendment redefines how the President and Vice-President are chosen by the Electoral College, making the two positions cooperative, rather than first and second highest vote-getters. It also ensures that anyone who becomes Vice-President must be eligible to become President.

Question 13

13th Amendment

Answer 13

(Safeguards of Civil Rights) Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865 Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the Constitution was superseded by the 13th amendment - The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the entire United States.

Question 14

14th Amendment

Answer 14

(Safeguards of Civil Rights) Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868 Note: Article I, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of the 14th amendment - The 14th Amendment ensured that all citizens of all states enjoyed not only rights on the federal level, but on the state level, too. It removed the three-fifths counting of slaves in the census. It ensured that the United States would not pay the debts of rebellious states. It also had several measures designed to ensure the loyalty of legislators who participated on the Confederate side of the Civil War.

Question 15

15th Amendment

Answer 15

(Safeguards of Civil Rights) Passed by Congress February 26, 1869. Ratified February 3, 1870 - The 15th Amendment ensures that race cannot be used as a criteria for voting.

Question 16

16th Amendment

Answer 16

(Governmental Authority) Passed by Congress July 2, 1909. Ratified February 3, 1913 Note: Article I, section 9, of the Constitution was modified by amendment 16 - The 16th Amendment authorizes the United States to collect income tax without regard to the population of the states.

Question 17

17th Amendment

Answer 17

(Government Processes and Procedures) Passed by Congress May 13, 1912. Ratified April 8, 1913 Note: Article I, section 3, of the Constitution was modified by the 17th amendment - The 17th Amendment shifted the choosing of Senators from the state legislatures to the people of the states.

Question 18

18th Amendment

Answer 18

(Governmental Authority) Passed by Congress December 18, 1917. Ratified January 16, 1919. Repealed by amendment 21 - The 18th Amendment abolished the sale or manufacture of alcohol in the United States. This amendment was later repealed (erased).

Question 19

19th Amendment

Answer 19

(Safeguards of Civil Rights) Passed by Congress June 4, 1919. Ratified August 18, 1920 - The 19th Amendment ensures that gender cannot be used as a criteria for voting.

Question 20

20th Amendment

Answer 20

(Government Processes and Procedures) Passed by Congress March 2, 1932. Ratified January 23, 1933 Note: Article I, section 4, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of this amendment. In addition, a portion of the 12th amendment was superseded by section 3 - The 20th Amendment set new start dates for the terms of the Congress and the President, and clarifies how the deaths of Presidents before swearing-in would be handled.

Question 21

21st Amendment

Answer 21

(Governmental Authority) Passed by Congress February 20, 1933. Ratified December 5, 1933 - The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment.

Question 22

22nd Amendment

Answer 22

(Government Processes and Procedures) Passed by Congress March 21, 1947. Ratified February 27, 1951 - The 22nd Amendment set a limit on the number of times a President could be elected - two four-year terms. It has one exception for a Vice-President who assumes the Presidency after the death or removal of the President, establishing the maximum term of any President to 10 years.

Question 23

23rd Amendment

Answer 23

(Safeguards of Civil Rights) Passed by Congress June 16, 1960. Ratified March 29, 1961 - The 23rd Amendment grants the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.) the right to three electors in Presidential elections.

Question 24

24th Amendment

Answer 24

(Safeguards of Civil Rights) Passed by Congress August 27, 1962. Ratified January 23, 1964 - The 24th Amendment ensured that no tax could be charged to vote for any federal office.

Question 25

25th Amendment

Answer 25

(Government Processes and Procedures) Passed by Congress July 6, 1965. Ratified February 10, 1967 Note: Article II, section 1, of the Constitution was affected by the 25th amendment - The 25th Amendment clarifies even further the line of succession to the Presidency, and establishes rules for a President who becomes unable to perform his duties while in office.

Question 26

26th Amendment

Answer 26

(Safeguards of Civil Rights) Passed by Congress March 23, 1971. Ratified July 1, 1971 Note: Amendment 14, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 1 of the 26th amendment - The 26th Amendment ensures that any person 18 or over may vote.

Question 27

27th Amendment

Answer 27

(Government Processes and Procedures) Originally proposed Sept. 25, 1789. Ratified May 7, 1992 - The 27th Amendment requires that any law that increased the pay of legislators may not take effect until after an election