US History Essential Information Constitutional Amendments

1 st Amendment ► Protects the freedom of religion, speech, and the press, as well as the right to assemble and petition the government religionspeechthe press assemblepetition the governmentreligionspeechthe press assemblepetition the government

2 nd Amendment ► Protects the right to keep and bear arms right to keep and bear armsright to keep and bear arms

3 rd Amendment ► Prohibits the forced quartering of soldiers out of war time quartering

4 th Amendment ► Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause searches and seizures search warrantsprobable causesearches and seizures search warrantsprobable cause

5 th Amendment ► Sets out rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process, and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy indictmentgrand juryeminent domain due processself-incriminationdouble jeopardyindictmentgrand juryeminent domain due processself-incriminationdouble jeopardy

6 th Amendment ► Protects the right to have 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 fairspeedy publictrial by juryaccusationsconfront the accuserobtain witnesses counselfairspeedy publictrial by juryaccusationsconfront the accuserobtain witnesses counsel

7 th Amendment ► Provides for the right to trial by jury in certain civil cases, according to common law trial by jurycivil casescommon lawtrial by jurycivil casescommon law

8 th Amendment ► Prohibits excessive fines and excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment finesbailcruel and unusual punishmentfinesbailcruel and unusual punishment

9 th Amendment ► Asserts the existence of unenumerated rights retained by the people unenumerated rightsunenumerated rights ► Rights not specifically granted to the Federal government by the Constitution are reserved for the people

10 th Amendment ► Limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution federal governmentfederal government

11 th Amendment ► Immunity of states from suits from out-of- state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders. Lays the foundation for sovereign immunity sovereign immunitysovereign immunity

12 th Amendment ► Revises presidential election procedures presidential electionpresidential election ► Separate ballots for both president and vice- president

13 th Amendment ► Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime slaveryinvoluntary servitudeslaveryinvoluntary servitude

14 th Amendment ► Defines citizenship, contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post-Civil War issues citizenshipPrivileges or Immunities ClauseDue Process ClauseEqual Protection ClauseCivil WarcitizenshipPrivileges or Immunities ClauseDue Process ClauseEqual Protection ClauseCivil War

15 th Amendment ► Prohibits the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude suffrage ► Suffrage is the right to vote

16 th Amendment ► Allows the federal government to collect income tax income tax income tax

17 th Amendment ► Requires senators to be directly elected senators

18 th Amendment ► Establishes Prohibition of alcohol (Repealed by Twenty-first Amendment) Prohibition of alcoholTwenty-first AmendmentProhibition of alcoholTwenty-first Amendment

19 th Amendment ► Establishes women's suffrage women's suffragewomen's suffrage ► Suffrage is the right to vote

20 th Amendment ► Fixes the dates of term commencements for Congress (January 3) and the President (January 20); known as the "lame duck amendment" lame ducklame duck

21 st Amendment ► Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment Eighteenth AmendmentEighteenth Amendment ► Ends Prohibition

22 nd Amendment ► Limits the president to two terms, or a maximum of 10 years (i.e., if a Vice President serves not more than one half of a President's term, they can be elected to a further two terms)

23 rd Amendment ► Provides for representation of Washington, D.C. in the Electoral College Washington, D.C.Electoral CollegeWashington, D.C.Electoral College

24 th Amendment ► Prohibits the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of poll taxes poll taxespoll taxes

25 th Amendment ► Codifies the Tyler Precedent; defines the process of presidential succession Tyler PrecedentTyler Precedent ► President, Vice President, Speaker of the House, President Pro Temp of the Senate, Secretary of State….

26 th Amendment ► Establishes 18 as the national voting age

27 th Amendment ► Prevents laws affecting Congressional salary from taking effect until the beginning of the next session of Congress