Simone Lawson
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1788. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791. These amendments encompass many of the rights we hold dear today, such as the freedom of religion, the right to free exercise of religion, and the prohibition of laws respecting an establishment of religion. Other amendments include the Seventeenth Amendment, which changed the way U.S. Senators are elected, and the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18. The most recent amendment, the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, was proposed in 1789 but not ratified until 1992, and it addresses congressional compensation.
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What You'll Learn
The First Amendment outlines fundamental freedoms
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was first ratified in 1788. The first ten amendments, passed in 1789 and ratified in 1791, form what is known as the Bill of Rights.
> "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
This means that the government cannot promote or favour any one religion over another, nor can it prevent people from practising their religion. The First Amendment also protects the freedom of speech and the press, ensuring that individuals are free to express themselves without interference from the government. Additionally, it guarantees the right of citizens to assemble peacefully and to petition the government, which means that people have the right to gather and collectively address their concerns to those in power.
These freedoms are considered fundamental to a democratic society and have been instrumental in shaping American law and culture. They have also served as a model for other countries in enshrining civil liberties and protecting the rights of citizens. The First Amendment continues to be a cornerstone of American democracy, influencing legal decisions and shaping public discourse on a range of issues.
The Fourth Amendment: Protecting Privacy, Preventing Unreasonable Searches
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The Second Amendment is the right to bear arms
The Constitution of the United States has been amended 27 times. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791.
The Second Amendment, also known as "The Right to Keep and Bear Arms", is one of the most well-known and controversial amendments. It states: "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The right to bear arms was ratified on December 15, 1791, and it protects the right of Americans to possess weapons for self-defence, the defence of their rights, and their property.
The notion of average citizens possessing their own weapons predates the Constitution. In the English Bill of Rights of 1689, all Protestant English citizens were allowed to "have arms for their defence suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law." This was later commented on by Sir William Blackstone, who described the possession of weapons as an "auxiliary right" designed to support the right to self-defence and resistance to oppression.
The Second Amendment was originally applied only to the federal government. However, over time, its purpose shifted from being a defence against foreign invasion and federal overreach to focusing on the general safety and protection of life, liberty, and property. In the 19th century, the increasing centralisation of military power in the federal government raised concerns among Anti-Federalists about potential government usurpation of individual rights. These concerns were dismissed by Federalists, who argued that militias would remain functional and that citizens would still have the right to possess weapons.
In modern times, the Second Amendment has been the subject of intense political and social debate. In 2008, the Supreme Court case District of Columbia v. Heller affirmed that the amendment protected the right of individual citizens to possess weapons for self-defence, rather than solely for state-run militias.
Amending the Constitution: What Does it Mean?
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The Fourth Amendment covers searches and seizures
The Constitution of the United States has been amended 27 times since its ratification in 1788. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791.
The Fourth Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, covers searches and seizures. It states that:
> "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
The Fourth Amendment requires the government to obtain a warrant based on probable cause to conduct a legal search and seizure. This means that police cannot search a person or their property without a warrant or probable cause. It also applies to arrests and the collection of evidence.
The Fourth Amendment is often viewed as consisting of two clauses. The first clause protects the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. The second clause states that no warrants shall be issued without probable cause, and warrants must specifically describe the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.
The Supreme Court has carved out numerous exceptions to the warrant requirement, and it has issued many landmark decisions regarding the Fourth Amendment and its effect on criminal procedure.
Amendments: Congress' Power to Change the Constitution
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The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery
The Constitution of the United States has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1788. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791.
The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States and its territories. Passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, and by the House of Representatives on January 31, 1865, it was ratified on December 6, 1865, by the required 27 of the then 36 states. The Thirteenth Amendment states:
> "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."
The Thirteenth Amendment was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted following the American Civil War. It was preceded by President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, which declared that "all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." However, the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery nationwide since it only applied to areas of the Confederacy in rebellion, and not to the "border states" that remained in the Union. Lincoln recognised that a constitutional amendment was necessary to guarantee the abolishment of slavery.
The Thirteenth Amendment had an immediate impact, making the pre-war system of chattel slavery in the US illegal. It also restricted several other forms of bound labour and servitude, including indentured servitude and peonage. The enforcement clause in Section Two of the amendment has been used to fight racial discrimination and empower Congress to make laws against modern forms of slavery, such as sex trafficking.
Documenting Constitutional Amendments: A Step-by-Step Guide
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The Twenty-Seventh Amendment concerns Congressional compensation
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times, with the first 10 amendments being ratified on December 15, 1791, and known as the Bill of Rights.
The Twenty-Seventh Amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, concerns Congressional compensation. It states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress can only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives. The 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 were debates about whether compensation for Members of Congress should be determined by the Constitution, the Members themselves, or the state legislatures. Ultimately, it was decided that the national government would compensate Members of Congress, with the amounts set by congressional legislation.
The amendment was initially proposed on September 25, 1789, along with 11 other proposed amendments (Articles I-XII). However, it was not ratified until May 7, 1992, more than 200 years later. During this period, it was largely forgotten until 1982 when Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper arguing that the states could still ratify the amendment. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, more than 30 state legislatures ratified the amendment, responding to public opposition to congressional pay increases.
The Twenty-Seventh Amendment is unique in that it took over two centuries to be ratified, raising important questions about the process of amending the Constitution outlined in Article V.
Amending the Constitution: A Single Pathway to Change
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Frequently asked questions
Amendments are changes or additions to a legal document, in this case, the United States Constitution.
There have been 27 amendments to the US Constitution since it was ratified in 1788.
The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1789 and ratified in 1791. The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the US. The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, ensured citizens' right to vote regardless of race, colour, or previous servitude status. The 26th Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18.
