Isabella Carter
The United States Constitution has 27 amendments, the first 10 of which are collectively known as the Bill of Rights. Amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 states since 1959) to become part of the Constitution. The first 10 amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791. Since 1789, approximately 11,848 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress. The amendments cover a range of topics, including fundamental freedoms, the right to bear arms, searches and seizures, rights in criminal prosecutions, civil trial rights, and the election of the president.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
| First 10 Amendments | Known as the Bill of Rights |
| Amendments 13, 14, and 15 | Known as the Reconstruction Amendments |
| Amendment Ratification | Requires three-fourths of states' approval (38 since 1959) |
| Amendment XXI | Repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, ending prohibition |
| Amendment XI | Passed by Congress on March 4, 1794, and ratified on February 7, 1795 |
| Amendment XII | Passed by Congress on December 9, 1803, and ratified on June 15, 1804 |
| Amendment XIV, Section 2 | Modified by Section 1 of the 26th Amendment |
| Amendment XV | Passed by Congress on February 26, 1869, and ratified on February 3, 1870 |
| Amendment XXVII | Proposed on September 25, 1789, and ratified on May 7, 1992 |
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What You'll Learn
The first 10 amendments form the Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the US Constitution form the Bill of Rights. On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. Ten of these proposed amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791.
The first ten amendments were designed to limit government power and protect individual liberties. James Madison wrote the amendments, which include the right to speak and worship freely, the right to bear arms, and protections such as due process and trial by jury.
The First Amendment prohibits Congress from making laws that establish a religion or prohibit the free exercise of religion, abridge the freedom of speech or the freedom of the press, or infringe on the right of the people to assemble peacefully and petition the government. The Second Amendment guarantees the right to keep and bear arms, stating that "a well-regulated militia [is] necessary to the security of a free state".
The Third Amendment prohibits the quartering of soldiers in civilian homes without consent, while the Fourth Amendment protects citizens' right to privacy and security of their persons, homes, papers, and property from unreasonable searches and seizures, requiring warrants based on probable cause.
The Ninth Amendment states that the listing of specific rights in the Constitution does not deny or disparage other rights retained by the people, and the Tenth Amendment affirms that powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people.
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The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are the Reconstruction Amendments
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution, also known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were ratified between 1865 and 1870. These amendments were essential to reuniting the country during the Reconstruction period following the Civil War.
The 13th Amendment, passed in 1865, outlawed slavery and involuntary servitude within the United States and its jurisdictions. It granted Congress the power to enforce this through appropriate legislation. This amendment formed the basis for the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which ensured citizenship for Black Americans.
The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, affirmed the rights of all persons born or naturalized in the United States as citizens with guaranteed privileges and immunities. It ensured due process and equal protection under the law, and prohibited states from abridging the rights to life, liberty, or property. This amendment eliminated the three-fifths rule and punished states that did not permit male citizens over 21 to vote.
The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, protected the voting rights of all male citizens by prohibiting the denial or abridgment of suffrage based on "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment ensured that African American men gained the right to vote, though it did not outlaw literacy tests, poll taxes, and other barriers that prevented many poor citizens from voting.
Together, these Reconstruction Amendments ended slavery, ensured birthright citizenship, guaranteed due process and equal protection under the law, and expanded voting rights by prohibiting discrimination based on race. They provided the constitutional framework for enforcing Reconstruction policies and addressing the growing violence and intimidation faced by freed African Americans in the South.
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Amendment XI modified Article III, section 2
The Eleventh Amendment (Amendment XI) to the United States Constitution was passed by Congress on March 4, 1794, and ratified by the states on February 7, 1795. This amendment modified Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution, which gives diversity jurisdiction to the judiciary to hear cases "between a state and citizens of another state."
The Eleventh Amendment restricts the ability of individuals to bring suits against states of which they are not citizens in federal court. The text of the amendment states that the "judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State."
The amendment was adopted following the Supreme Court's ruling in Chisholm v. Georgia (1793), where the Court held that federal courts had the authority to hear cases brought by private citizens against states and that states did not have sovereign immunity from such suits. The Eleventh Amendment clarified that federal courts do not have the authority to hear cases brought by private parties against a state of which they are not citizens.
However, the Supreme Court has interpreted the Eleventh Amendment as reflecting a broader principle of sovereign immunity for states. In Hans v. Louisiana (1890), the Court ruled that the amendment prevents federal courts from hearing suits against a state by its own citizens as well. This interpretation has been disputed, with some arguing that the states surrendered their sovereign immunity when they ratified the Constitution.
The Eleventh Amendment established an important limit on the power of federal courts and affirmed the principle of state sovereignty in the United States constitutional system.
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Amendment XIV, section 2 was modified by the 26th amendment
The United States Constitution has 27 amendments, beginning with the Bill of Rights, which comprises the first 10 amendments. The 14th Amendment, passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, changed a portion of Article I, Section 2. This amendment states that:
> All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed.
However, it's important to note that a portion of the 14th Amendment, specifically Amendment XIV, Section 2, was later modified by the 26th Amendment. This modification ensured that the right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote cannot be denied or abridged by the United States or any State based on age. The 26th Amendment, originally proposed on September 25, 1789, was ratified on May 7, 1992.
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The Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment
The Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, which had enforced a nationwide prohibition on alcohol. The Eighteenth Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919, after years of advocacy by the temperance movement. The subsequent enactment of the Volstead Act established federal enforcement of the nationwide prohibition on the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol.
However, as many Americans continued to drink despite the amendment, a profitable black market for alcohol emerged, fueling the rise of organised crime. By the 1930s, public sentiment towards prohibition had flipped from positive to negative, and a political movement for its repeal grew. On February 20, 1933, Congress initiated the Blaine Act and proposed a new amendment to end prohibition. The Twenty-first Amendment was proposed by the 72nd Congress and was ratified by the requisite number of states on December 5, 1933, ending national prohibition.
The Twenty-first Amendment is unique among the 27 amendments of the U.S. Constitution for being the only one to repeal a prior amendment. It is also unique in that it was ratified by state ratifying conventions, specifically selected for the purpose, rather than by state legislatures. Section 1 of the Twenty-first Amendment expressly repeals the Eighteenth Amendment, while Section 2 bans the importation of alcohol into states and territories that prohibit its consumption.
Despite the repeal of nationwide prohibition, several states continued to be ""dry states"" in the years after the Twenty-first Amendment, and some continue to closely regulate the distribution of alcohol today.
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Frequently asked questions
There are 27 amendments to the US Constitution.
The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 states since 1959).
Notable amendments include the 13th amendment (abolition of slavery), the 15th amendment (right of citizens to vote regardless of race), the 18th amendment (prohibition of alcohol), and the 21st amendment (repeal of the 18th amendment).
