Isabella Carter
The US Constitution, which begins with the words We the People, has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1788. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and include the fundamental freedoms of the First Amendment and the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were also significant. The 21st Amendment, which repealed the prohibition of alcohol, is the only amendment to explicitly repeal an earlier one. Amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the states to become part of the Constitution.
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What You'll Learn
The first 10 amendments are the Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are collectively known as the Bill of Rights. They were ratified on December 15, 1791, and form the basis of individual liberties and rights in the country.
The Bill of Rights was proposed by James Madison, who introduced the constitutional amendments, and was written to address the objections raised by Anti-Federalists during the 1787–88 debate over the ratification of the Constitution. The amendments add specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, such as freedom of speech, the right to assemble, practice religion, possess firearms, and other natural and legal rights.
The Third Amendment, for example, states that "no Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." The Fourth Amendment protects individuals from unreasonable searches and seizures, requiring warrants to be issued only upon probable cause and with specific descriptions of the places to be searched and items to be seized.
The Fifth Amendment provides several protections for people accused of crimes. It includes the right against self-incrimination, protection from double jeopardy, and the guarantee of due process of law. The Sixth Amendment further protects those accused of crimes, ensuring the right to a speedy and public trial, an impartial jury, and the right to confront witnesses, among other rights.
The Ninth Amendment clarifies that the listing of specific rights in the Constitution does not deny individuals other rights not explicitly mentioned. The Tenth Amendment reinforces federalism by stating that the Federal Government only has the powers delegated to it by the Constitution, with all other powers being reserved for the states or the people.
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The 13th, 14th, and 15th are the Reconstruction Amendments
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the US Constitution are collectively known as the Reconstruction Amendments. They were adopted between 1865 and 1870, in the five years immediately following the American Civil War. These three amendments were part of a large movement to reconstruct the United States that followed the Civil War.
The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery and involuntary servitude (except as punishment for a crime), was proposed in 1864 and ratified in 1865. Once the war was over, white Southerners passed laws, known as Black Codes, to keep freed slaves from exercising their rights, so Congress responded by passing the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the 14th Amendment to ensure citizenship for formerly enslaved people. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law for all persons. It also eliminated the three-fifths rule and punished states that did not permit male citizens over 21 to vote.
The 15th Amendment, which was ratified in 1870, prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, colour, or previous condition of servitude". This amendment was passed to protect the voting rights of African Americans, who were targeted with violence and intimidation by white Southerners and organisations like the Ku Klux Klan when they began to exercise political power.
The Reconstruction Amendments provided the constitutional basis for the enforcement and implementation of Reconstruction and the passage of federal legislation such as the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 and the Enforcement Acts of 1870-71. They were essential to reuniting the United States during Reconstruction, and Confederate states were required to ratify the 13th and 14th Amendments to be readmitted to the Union.
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The Eighteenth Amendment established prohibition
The Eighteenth Amendment, which established Prohibition in the United States, was the result of decades of campaigning by the temperance movement, which argued that banning alcohol would eliminate poverty and other societal problems such as immoral sexual behaviour and violence. The Anti-Saloon League, founded in 1893 in Oberlin, Ohio, was a key player in this movement, starting a campaign in 1906 to ban the sale of alcohol at the state level. The League argued that prohibition would inspire new forms of sociability, create happier families, reduce workplace accidents, and improve the world. Other groups, such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, also campaigned to ban the sale, manufacture, and distribution of alcoholic beverages. Churches were highly influential in gaining support for the movement, with many state legislatures enacting statewide prohibition before the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment.
The Eighteenth Amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919. The Amendment established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States, banning its manufacture, sale, distribution, and transportation. However, it did not outlaw the consumption, possession, or production of alcohol for private, personal use. To define the language used in the amendment, Congress enacted the National Prohibition Act, better known as the Volstead Act, on October 28, 1919. The Act set the starting date for nationwide prohibition as January 17, 1920, the earliest date allowed by the Eighteenth Amendment.
While the Eighteenth Amendment led to a decline in alcohol consumption in the United States, it also had some unintended consequences. Nationwide enforcement of Prohibition proved difficult, particularly in cities, and alcohol smuggling (known as rum-running or bootlegging) and illicit bars (speakeasies) became common. Criminal organisations increased their involvement in illegal alcohol production, with Al Capone being one of the most famous examples, making millions of dollars in underground alcohol sales. Gambling and prostitution also increased during the Prohibition Era, and public sentiment began to turn against Prohibition in the 1920s.
The Eighteenth Amendment was eventually repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933, making it the only constitutional amendment in American history to be repealed.
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The Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on January 16, 1919, after years of advocacy by the temperance movement. The movement aimed to reduce alcohol consumption and prevent the negative consequences of drunkenness and alcoholism. The subsequent enactment of the Volstead Act established federal enforcement of the nationwide prohibition on alcohol. However, Prohibition proved to be highly unpopular, with many Americans continuing to drink, leading to the rise of organised crime and a profitable black market for alcohol.
As opposition to the Eighteenth Amendment grew, a political movement advocating for its repeal emerged. The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, was proposed by the 72nd Congress on February 20, 1933, and ratified by the requisite number of states on December 5, 1933. It is the only amendment to have been ratified by state ratifying conventions and the only one that explicitly repeals a prior amendment.
The Twenty-first Amendment brought an end to national prohibition and gave states the authority to regulate their own prohibitory practices. Section 1 of the amendment expressly repeals the Eighteenth Amendment, while Section 2 bans the importation of alcohol into states and territories that maintain laws prohibiting the consumption or importation of alcohol. Several states continued to be "dry states" even after the repeal, and some still closely regulate alcohol distribution today.
The decision to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment was unprecedented and marked a shift away from the idealism of the temperance movement towards a more pragmatic approach that acknowledged the ineffectiveness and negative consequences of Prohibition.
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The Twenty-seventh Amendment concerns Congressional Compensation
The Twenty-seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, addresses the issue of Congressional compensation. It states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress can only come into effect after the next election of the House of Representatives. This amendment aims to reduce corruption in the legislative branch by allowing the public to remove members of Congress from office before their salaries increase.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment's history spans over two centuries, from the Colonial Era to the 1990s. During the 1787 Federal Convention, there was a debate about who should determine the compensation for Members of Congress: the Constitution, the Members themselves, or the state legislatures. Ultimately, it was decided that the national government would set the compensation through congressional legislation.
The amendment was first proposed by the 1st Congress on September 25, 1789, along with eleven other amendments. However, it was not ratified by enough states initially and was largely forgotten until 1982. Gregory Watson, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper arguing that the amendment was still relevant and could be added to the Constitution. This sparked a campaign that gained traction, and eventually, enough states ratified the amendment.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was finally ratified on May 7, 1992, and it is unique for the long time span between its proposal and ratification. Despite being one of the first proposed amendments, it is the most recently adopted amendment. The amendment's unusual circumstances have raised questions about the process of amending the Constitution.
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