All the Constitutional Amendments - Summaries, Changes & Significance

Introduction

• The U.S. Constitution's framers anticipated the need for amendments.
• Amendments can be proposed by Congress or a constitutional convention and require ratification by three-fourths of states.
• Out of thousands of proposals, only 27 amendments have been ratified.

Bill of Rights (First 10 Amendments)

First Amendment (1791)

• Protects freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.
• Fundamental to the idea of popular government.

Second Amendment (1791)

• Right to keep and bear arms.
• Debate over individual vs. collective rights.

Third Amendment (1791)

• Prohibits quartering of soldiers in private homes without consent.
• Reaction to British laws affecting colonists.

Fourth Amendment (1791)

• Protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.
• Influenced by colonial experiences with British authorities.

Fifth Amendment (1791)

• Rights for defendants, including double jeopardy and self-incrimination.
• Guarantees due process and compensation for taken property.

Sixth Amendment (1791)

• Right to a speedy and public trial, impartial jury, and to counsel.
• Ensures ability to confront accusers and call witnesses.

Seventh Amendment (1791)

• Right to jury trials in federal civil cases.
• Federal judges cannot override a jury's factual findings.

Eighth Amendment (1791)

• Prohibits excessive bail, fines, and cruel and unusual punishment.
• Ongoing debates, particularly about capital punishment.

Ninth Amendment (1791)

• Protects rights not specifically enumerated in the Constitution.
• Basis for debates on privacy and other rights.

Tenth Amendment (1791)

• Powers not given to the federal government are reserved for states or the people.
• Basis for ongoing debates about federal vs. state power.

Later Amendments

11th Amendment (1795)

• Limits federal jurisdiction over lawsuits involving states.
• Reaction to Supreme Court ruling in Chisholm v. Georgia.

12th Amendment (1804)

• Revises the electoral process for President and Vice President.
• Response to the election of 1800.

13th Amendment (1865)

• Abolishes slavery.
• Result of Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation.

14th Amendment (1868)

• Grants citizenship and equal protection under the law.
• Overturns Dred Scott decision.

15th Amendment (1870)

• Prohibits racial discrimination in voting.
• Aims to protect African American suffrage post-Civil War.

16th Amendment (1913)

• Authorizes federal income tax.
• Response to Supreme Court decision against earlier income tax.

17th Amendment (1913)

• Establishes direct election of Senators by the people.
• Addresses concerns of Senate corruption.

18th Amendment (1919)

• Prohibition of the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol.
• Part of the temperance movement; later repealed.

19th Amendment (1920)

• Women's suffrage.
• Culmination of decades of suffrage activism.

20th Amendment (1933)

• Shortens the "lame duck" period between election and inauguration.
• Response to delays during the Great Depression.

21st Amendment (1933)

• Repeals the 18th Amendment.
• Ends Prohibition; ratified by state conventions.

22nd Amendment (1951)

• Limits presidents to two terms.
• Reaction to FDR's four-term presidency.

23rd Amendment (1961)

• Grants presidential voting rights to Washington D.C. residents.

24th Amendment (1964)

• Prohibits poll taxes in federal elections.
• Effort to eliminate voting discrimination.

25th Amendment (1967)

• Clarifies presidential succession and disability procedures.

26th Amendment (1971)

• Lowers voting age to 18.
• Prompted by Vietnam War draft concerns.

27th Amendment (1992)

• Delays laws affecting Congressional salaries until after the next election.
• Originally proposed by Madison, ratified over 200 years later.

Sources

• National Archives, Jack N. Rakove's book, Heritage Foundation, Constitution Center.