Amendments to the US Constitution

Question 0

2nd Amendment

Answer 0

Protects the right to bear arms

Proposal date: September 25, 1789

Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 1

1st Amendment

Answer 1

Protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press, as well as the right to assemble and petition the government

Proposal date: September 25, 1789
Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 2

3rd Amendment

Answer 2

Prohibits the forced quartering of soldiers during peacetime

Proposal date: September 25, 1789

Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 3

4th Amendment

Answer 3

Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause

Proposal date:September 25, 1789

Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 4

5th Amendment

Answer 4

Sets out rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process, and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy

Proposal date: September 25, 1789

Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 5

6th Amendment

Answer 5

Protects the right to a fair and speedy public trial by jury, including the rights to be notified of the accusations, to confront the accuser, to obtain witnesses and to retain counsel

Proposal date: September 25, 1789

Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 6

7th Amendment

Answer 6

Provides for the right to trial by jury in certain civil cases, according to common law

Proposal date: September 25, 1789

Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 7

8th Amendment

Answer 7

Prohibits excessive fines and excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment

Proposal date: September 25, 1789
Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 8

9th Amendment

Answer 8

Protects rights not enumerated in the constitution

Proposal date: September 25, 1789
Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 9

10th Amendment

Answer 9

Limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution

Proposal date: September 25, 1789
Enactment date: December 15, 1791

Question 10

11th Amendment

Answer 10

Makes states immune from suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders; lays the foundation for sovereign immunity

Proposal date: March 4, 1794
Enactment date: February 7, 1795

Question 11

12th Amendment

Answer 11

Revises presidential election procedures

Proposal date: December 9, 1803

Enactment date: June 15, 1804

Question 12

13th Amendment

Answer 12

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

Proposal date: January 31, 1865
Enactment date: December 6, 1865

Question 13

14th Amendment

Answer 13

Defines citizenship, contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post-Civil War issues

Proposal date: June 13, 1866
Enactment date: July 9, 1868

Question 14

15th Amendment

Answer 14

Prohibits the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude

Proposal date: February 26, 1869
Enactment date: February 3, 1870

Question 15

16th Amendment

Answer 15

Allows the federal government to collect income tax

Proposal date: July 12, 1909
Date: February 3, 1913

Question 16

17th Amendment

Answer 16

Establishes the direct election of United States Senators by popular vote

Proposal date: May 13, 1912
Enactment date: April 8, 1913

Question 17

18th Amendment

Answer 17

Establishes prohibition of alcohol (repealed by Twenty-first Amendment)

Proposal date: December 18, 1917
Enactment date: January 16, 1919

Question 18

19th Amendment

Answer 18

Establishes women’s suffrage

Proposal date: June 4, 1919
Enactment date: August 18, 1920

Question 19

20th Amendment

Answer 19

Fixes the dates of term commencements for Congress (January 3) and the President (January 20); known as the “lame duck amendment”

Proposal date:March 2, 1932
Enactment date: January 23, 1933

Question 20

21st Amendment

Answer 20

Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and prohibits violations of state laws regarding alcohol

Proposal date: February 20, 1933
Enactment date: December 5, 1933

Question 21

22nd Amendment

Answer 21

Limits the number of times that a person can be elected president: a person cannot be elected president more than twice, and a person who has served more than two years of a term to which someone else was elected cannot be elected more than once

Proposal date: March 24, 1947
Enactment date: February 27, 1951

Question 22

23rd Amendment

Answer 22

Provides for representation of Washington, D.C., in the Electoral College

Proposal date: June 16, 1960
Enactment date: March 29, 1961

Question 23

24th Amendment

Answer 23

Prohibits the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of poll taxes

Proposal date: September 14, 1962
Enactment date: January 23, 1964

Question 24

25th Amendment

Answer 24

Codifies the Tyler Precedent; defines the process of presidential succession Proposal date: July 6, 1965 Enactment date: February 10, 1967

Question 25

26th Amendment

Answer 25

Establishes the right to vote for those age 18 years or older Proposal date: March 23, 1971 Enactment: July 1, 1971

Question 26

27th Amendment

Answer 26

Prevents laws affecting Congressional salary from taking effect until after the next election of the representatives. Proposal date: September 25, 1789 Enactment date: May 7, 1992