Simone Lawson
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was first ratified in 1789. An amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution, and there is a two-step process to adding one: first, it must be proposed, and then it must be ratified (or approved). The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and protect many basic freedoms, including the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the right to peaceful assembly. Later amendments include the 13th, which abolished slavery; the 19th, which gave women the right to vote; and the 21st, which repealed the 18th amendment and made alcohol legal again.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
| First 10 Amendments | Called the Bill of Rights |
| 11th Amendment | Set limits on when a state can be sued |
| 12th Amendment | Revised the presidential election procedures |
| 13th Amendment | Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude |
| 14th Amendment | Defined what it means to be a US citizen and ensured equal protection under the law |
| 15th Amendment | Gave all men the right to vote regardless of race |
| 16th Amendment | Gave the federal government the power to collect income tax |
| 17th Amendment | Established that senators would be directly elected |
| 18th Amendment | Prohibited alcohol |
| 19th Amendment | Gave women the right to vote |
| 20th Amendment | Provided details on the terms of office for Congress and the President |
| 21st Amendment | Repealed the 18th Amendment, ending prohibition |
| 22nd Amendment | Limited the president to a maximum of two terms |
| 23rd Amendment | Provided that Washington, DC, would have representatives in the Electoral College |
| 24th Amendment | Abolished poll tax as a requirement for voting |
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What You'll Learn
The First Amendment: Freedom of speech, religion, and assembly
The First Amendment to the US Constitution is one of the most famous and important parts of the law in the country. It gives people several important rights and freedoms. These include the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the freedom to gather in groups as long as they are peaceful.
The First Amendment says that the government cannot tell people what to say or what religion to practice. This means that everyone in the country has the right to say what they think and practice their beliefs without the government interfering. This also means that people are allowed to gather in peaceful protests and ask the government to address their complaints.
The First Amendment has two main parts when it comes to religion: the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment Clause stops the government from establishing or sponsoring a religion. So, the government can't create a state religion like the Church of England and they can't favour one religion over another. The Free Exercise Clause gives people the right to practice their religion as they wish, as long as it does not go against "public morals" or the government's interests.
The First Amendment was passed by Congress on September 25, 1789, and ratified on December 15, 1791, along with the Bill of Rights, which includes the first ten amendments to the Constitution. These amendments were added because some people thought that the original Constitution did not do enough to protect the rights of citizens. So, the First Amendment makes sure that everyone in the US has certain important freedoms and rights.
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The Thirteenth Amendment: Abolition of slavery
The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is all about ending slavery. Before this amendment, slavery was allowed in the United States. This means that some people were owned by other people and had to work for them and do what they were told. This was very unfair!
In 1863, President Lincoln said that all slaves should be free. This was called the Emancipation Proclamation. But it didn't end slavery everywhere in the country. So, after the Civil War ended, the Thirteenth Amendment was passed by Congress on January 31, 1865. It officially became part of the Constitution on December 6, 1865, when three-fourths of the states agreed to it.
The Thirteenth Amendment says: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This means that slavery is not allowed anywhere in the United States or places controlled by the United States. It also means that people can't be forced to work unless they have been punished for doing something wrong.
The Thirteenth Amendment was very important because it made sure that everyone in the United States was free and had the same rights. It also helped to give rights to people who were treated unfairly because of the colour of their skin, even many years later.
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The Nineteenth Amendment: Women's right to vote
The U.S. Constitution was written in 1787. It set up the government, but many people thought it did not do enough to protect certain rights of the people. Lawmakers soon passed the first 10 amendments to address that problem. These 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment is the most well-known. It gives people several important rights, like the right to gather in groups as long as they are peaceful, the right to speak freely, and the right to ask the government to address complaints. It also says that the government cannot tell people what religion to practice.
The Nineteenth Amendment is also a very important amendment. It was passed in 1920 and gave women the right to vote. This amendment was the result of a long and difficult campaign by generations of activists. Women had been organizing, petitioning, and picketing to win the right to vote since the 1800s. It was first introduced in Congress in 1878 but was rejected in 1887. In the 1890s, suffrage organizations focused on getting a national amendment while still working at the state and local levels. Finally, on June 4, 1919, Congress approved the 19th Amendment, and it was ratified on August 18, 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to agree.
The Nineteenth Amendment says, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." This means that women now had the same right to vote as men. However, it is important to note that this amendment did not ensure that all women could vote right away. Many women of colour, especially in the South, still faced discrimination and were unable to vote because of racist laws and practices. It would take several more decades and the civil rights movement of the mid-20th century for the promise of the 19th Amendment to become a reality for most women of colour.
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The Eighteenth Amendment: Prohibition of alcohol
The US Constitution was written in 1787. It set up the government, but some people thought it didn't do enough to protect certain rights of the people. So, lawmakers passed the first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, to address this problem. These amendments gave people several important rights, such as the right to gather in groups as long as they are peaceful, the right to speak freely, and the right to vote.
The Eighteenth Amendment is about prohibiting alcohol, also known as Prohibition. It was passed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified on January 16, 1919. This amendment made it illegal to make, buy, or transport alcoholic drinks. It also stopped people from bringing alcohol drinks into the United States or sending them to other countries.
The Eighteenth Amendment came about because many people in the United States were worried about drinking too much alcohol. This was called the temperance movement. They wanted to stop people from drinking alcohol because they thought it was bad for people's health and well-being. The people who supported this idea were part of a group called the Anti-Saloon League, and they worked hard to make the Eighteenth Amendment happen.
The Volstead Act, which was part of the Eighteenth Amendment, said that people couldn't produce, sell, transport, or possess drinks with alcohol in them. This included not just strong drinks like whiskey or gin but also beer and light wines. However, it was still allowed to use alcohol for special purposes like medicine or religious ceremonies.
Even though the Eighteenth Amendment was meant to help people, not everyone agreed with it. Some people thought it took away their freedom to choose what to do in their personal lives. Also, it gave the federal government more power to tell states what to do, which was usually a role for state and local governments. Because of these disagreements, the Eighteenth Amendment was later cancelled by the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933.
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The Twenty-Fourth Amendment: No poll tax for voting
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution is all about making sure that people don't have to pay money to vote. Voting is a really important part of a country's democracy, and that means everyone should have a chance to take part.
In the US, there used to be something called a "poll tax". This meant that people had to pay money to be able to vote. This was unfair because not everyone could afford to pay the tax, and it meant that not everyone could vote. The Twenty-Fourth Amendment changed that. This amendment says that the government can't make people pay a tax to vote in elections for the President or Vice President, or for Senators or Representatives in Congress.
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment was passed in 1964, but even before then, some people were saying that the poll tax was unfair and should be stopped. In fact, the poll tax was often used to stop African Americans from voting. After the American Civil War, when African Americans were given their freedom, some states tried to stop them from voting by bringing in laws like the poll tax. This was unfair because it meant that not everyone was treated equally.
The Twenty-Fourth Amendment was an important step in making sure that everyone in the US had the right to vote, no matter their race or how much money they had. It was part of a bigger movement to give people more rights and treat everyone fairly.
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Frequently asked questions
An amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution.
Amendments are made in two steps. First, an amendment is proposed by either a two-thirds vote in Congress or a national convention made up of two-thirds of the states. Second, the amendment is ratified, or approved, by either three-fourths of the state legislatures or state conventions in three-fourths of the states.
There are 27 amendments to the Constitution. The first 10 are called the Bill of Rights and were ratified in 1791.
Some notable amendments include the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery; the 15th Amendment, which gave all men the right to vote regardless of race; the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote; and the 22nd Amendment, which limited the president to a maximum of two terms.
