Eleanor Finch
The United States Constitution has been amended numerous times since it was first put into operation on March 4, 1789. The process of amending the Constitution is outlined in Article Five, which requires amendments to be properly proposed and ratified before becoming operative. The last amendment to the Constitution was ratified on February 27, 1951, and pertained to the repeal of the 18th Amendment, which had prohibited the transportation or importation of intoxicating liquors into any state. This amendment was passed by Congress on March 21, 1947, and ratified by conventions in the several states within seven years, as required by the Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of last ratification | December 5, 1933 |
| Amendment number | 18 |
| Subject of the amendment | The transportation or importation of intoxicating liquors |
| Previous date of ratification | February 27, 1951 |
| Previous amendment number | N/A |
| Previous subject of the amendment | N/A |
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What You'll Learn
The Bill of Rights
The US Constitution was last amended by ratification in 1992, when Article 2 was ratified as the 27th Amendment, 203 years after it was first proposed.
The first ten amendments were ratified simultaneously on December 15, 1791. The amendments include the following:
- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
- Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.
- The right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
- The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.
- The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
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The 18th Amendment repealed
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which established the prohibition of alcohol, was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment on December 5, 1933. This made it the only constitutional amendment in American history to be repealed. The Eighteenth Amendment was the result of decades of efforts by the temperance movement, which argued that banning the sale of alcohol would eliminate poverty and social problems such as immoral sexual behaviour and violence. The amendment was proposed by Congress on December 18, 1917, and ratified by the requisite number of states on January 16, 1919.
The immediate impact of prohibition appeared positive, with a decline in crimes considered to be linked to alcohol consumption. However, as the 1920s progressed, illegal alcohol production increased to meet demand, and prices for illicit beverages dropped. The illegal alcohol industry also became increasingly tied to organised crime, with groups such as the Chicago Outfit under Al Capone using their influence to bribe businesses, political leaders, and police departments.
Public sentiment began to turn against Prohibition during the 1920s, and the Great Depression further hastened its demise, as opponents argued that the ban on alcohol denied jobs to the unemployed and much-needed revenue to the government. The nonpartisan Association Against the Prohibition Amendment (AAPA) also added to public disillusionment. In 1932, the Democratic presidential candidate Franklin D. Roosevelt included a plan to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment in his platform, and his victory in November 1932 led to the end of Prohibition.
The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, was passed by Congress on February 20, 1933, and ratified on December 5, 1933. It modified the Volstead Act to permit the sale of beer, and was ratified by state conventions rather than state legislatures, making it a one-state, one-vote referendum. The Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act were controversial as they gave the federal government the power to police activities that had previously been the domain of individual states.
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The 19th Amendment
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times, with the first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, being ratified simultaneously in 1791. The last amendment, the 27th Amendment, was added in 1992.
> 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. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
The road to achieving women's suffrage was long and difficult, requiring decades of agitation and protest. Women organised, petitioned, lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practised civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change to the Constitution.
Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of women's suffrage supporters worked tirelessly to achieve their goal. Strategies varied, with some pursuing the passing of suffrage acts in individual states, and others challenging male-only voting laws in court. By 1912, nine western states had adopted women's suffrage legislation. However, supporters often met fierce resistance, with opponents heckling, jailing, and even physically abusing them.
The entry of the United States into World War I helped shift public perception of women's suffrage. The National American Woman Suffrage Association, led by Carrie Chapman Catt, supported the war effort, arguing that women should be rewarded with the right to vote. In 1916, almost all major suffrage organisations united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment.
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The 22nd Amendment
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times, with the 22nd Amendment coming into force in 1951. This amendment limits the President of the United States to two terms in office.
Since its ratification, there have been numerous attempts to repeal the 22nd Amendment. Between 1956 and 2013, 54 joint resolutions were introduced to remove the two-term limit, all of which were unsuccessful. The amendment has also faced criticism from several presidents, including Harry S. Truman, who described it as "one of the worst amendments".
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The Reconstruction Amendments
While the Reconstruction Amendments promised to secure these rights, their effectiveness was eroded by state laws and federal court decisions throughout the late 19th century. For example, in 1876 and beyond, some states passed Jim Crow laws that limited the rights of African Americans. Important Supreme Court decisions that undermined these amendments included the Slaughter-House Cases in 1873 and Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, which gave federal approval to Jim Crow laws. It was not until the Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and the passage of laws such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that the full benefits of the Reconstruction Amendments were realised.
In total, there have been 27 amendments to the US Constitution, with the first 10, known as the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791. Amendments must be properly proposed and ratified before becoming operative, with the process detailed in Article Five of the Constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
27 amendments to the US Constitution have been ratified.
The US Constitution was last amended by ratification on February 27, 1951.
The last amendment to the US Constitution repealed the 18th article of amendment, which prohibited the transportation or importation of intoxicating liquors.
More than 11,000 amendments to the US Constitution have been proposed.
