Constitution of the US – Amendments
Here’s a list of U.S. Constitutional Amendments:
List of U.S. Constitutional Amendments |
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Amendment | Year | Description |
First Amendment | 1791 | prohibits laws “respecting an establishment of religion” and protects freedoms of religion, speech, and the press and the rights to assemble peaceably and petition the government |
Second Amendment | 1791 | protects the people’s right to “keep and bear arms” |
Third Amendment | 1791 | prohibits the involuntary quartering of soldiers in private homes during peacetime |
Fourth Amendment | 1791 | forbids unreasonable searches and seizures of individuals and property; requires probable cause for search warrants; prohibits nonspecific search warrants |
Fifth Amendment | 1791 | protects the criminally accused by requiring indictment by a grand jury, prohibiting double jeopardy and forced self-incrimination, and forbidding deprivation of “life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”; bars the taking of private property for public use without “just compensation” |
Sixth Amendment | 1791 | further protects the criminally accused by establishing the rights to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, to be informed of criminal charges, to confront hostile witnesses, and to have the assistance of counsel |
Seventh Amendment | 1791 | establishes rules governing civil trials |
Eighth Amendment | 1791 | prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and “cruel and unusual punishments” |
Ninth Amendment | 1791 | establishes that the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution does not “deny or disparage” other rights “retained by the people” |
Tenth Amendment | 1791 | reserves to the states those powers not delegated to the federal government or prohibited to the states by the Constitution |
Eleventh Amendment | 1795 | establishes the principle of state sovereign immunity |
Twelfth Amendment | 1804 | repeals and revises presidential election procedures established in the original Constitution |
Thirteenth Amendment | 1865 | outlaws slavery |
Fourteenth Amendment | 1868 | grants citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African Americans and slaves who were emancipated after the American Civil War |
Fifteenth Amendment | 1870 | guarantees that the right to vote cannot be denied based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude” |
Sixteenth Amendment | 1913 | permits a federal income tax |
Seventeenth Amendment | 1913 | provides for the direct election of U.S. senators by the voters of the states |
Eighteenth Amendment | 1919 | imposes the federal prohibition of alcohol |
Nineteenth Amendment | 1920 | extends to women the right to vote |
Twentieth Amendment | 1933 | changes the beginning and ending dates of presidential and congressional terms |
Twenty-first Amendment | 1933 | repeals the Eighteenth Amendment |
Twenty-second Amendment | 1951 | limits to two the number of terms a president of the United States may serve |
Twenty-third Amendment | 1961 | permits citizens of Washington, D.C., the right to choose electors in presidential elections |
Twenty-fourth Amendment | 1964 | prohibits the federal and state governments from imposing poll taxes before a citizen can participate in a federal election |
Twenty-fifth Amendment | 1967 | sets succession rules relating to vacancies and disabilities of the office of the president and of the vice president |
Twenty-sixth Amendment | 1971 | extends voting rights to citizens age 18 or older |
Twenty-seventh Amendment | 1992 | requires any change to the rate of compensation for members of the U.S. Congress to take effect only after the subsequent election to the House of Representatives |
Constitution of United States
Constitution of the US: The current government of the United States started in 1789. The country was originally made up of thirteen colonies that belonged to Great Britain. In 1776, these colonies on the Atlantic Coast rebelled against Britain and became independent in 1783. During that time, the rebellious colonies created the “Articles of Confederation” as their first set of rules in 1777. However, this system didn’t last long because there was no separate leader, and there was no independent court system. The urgent need was for a strong central government.
To address this, a meeting was held in Philadelphia in 1787 to create a new constitution. The delegates signed the constitution on September 17, 1787, and it went into effect in 1789. In this article, we will take a deep look at the Constitution of the United States. We will learn about its history and formation along with some interesting facts about it.
Let’s get started!
Table of Content
- Constitution of the US: Overview
- Constitution of the US: Preamble
- Constitution of the US: History
- Constitution of the US: Main Authors
- Constitution of the US: Amendments
- Constitution of the US: Interesting Facts
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