Changes to the Constitution Amendments 11-27

Amendment 11 Lawsuits Against States 1798 A state government cannot be sued in federal court by a private citizen or a foreign country. It became effective in 1798 and it reversed Article III Section 2, which granted the Judicial Branch such powers.

Amendment 12 Election of Executives 1804 Prior to 1804, the candidate with the most votes became President and the candidate who came in second would win the Vice-Presidency. The Twelfth Amendment states that the vice-president is elected separately.

Amendment 13 Slavery Abolished 1865 Slavery abolished. Congress passed separate legislation to enforce the law.

Amendment 14 Civil Rights 1868 Stated that all people having been born in the United States were citizens and defined naturalized citizenship. Changed the “Three-Fifths Compromise”. Representation and taxation would be based on “counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed”.

Amendment 14 Civil Rights 1868 Provided “equal protection under the law”. Basis for many civil rights laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Amendment 15 Right to Vote 1870 States that everyone has the right to vote regardless of color. Created to protect voting rights of African-Americans.

Amendment 16 Income Tax 1913 Gives Congress the power to collect income tax, or taxes based on the money you earn. Although the Constitution had the power to tax, it didn’t have the power to collect taxes directly from the taxpayer.

Amendment 17 Direct Election of Senators 1913 This amendment gave the citizens the right to choose their representatives. Prior to 1913, senators were chosen by the state legislatures.

Amendment 18 Prohibition 1919 Banned the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in the United States.

Amendment 19 Woman Suffrage 1920 Gave women the right to vote.

Amendment 20 “Lame Duck” Sessions 1933 Defines the end of terms of elected officials. Describes when Congress is to assemble. Outlines what happens if the president-elect is to die before being sworn into office.

Amendment 21 Repeal of Prohibition 1933 Repealed the 18 th amendment, making the production and sale of alcohol in the United States legal again.

Amendment 22 Limit on Presidential Terms 1951 Limited the number of times, or terms, a person could be president to 2.

Amendment 23 Voting in the District of Columbia 1961 Treats Washington D.C., also known as the District of Columbia, as a separate political unit, like a state, for voting purposes.

Amendment 24 Abolition of Poll Taxes 1964 Abolished, or banned, poll taxes. Poll taxes were created from keeping poor people, mainly African-Americans, from voting.

Amendment 25 Presidential Disability, Succession 1967 The vice-president becomes president in the event the President is removed, dies, or resigns from office.

Amendment year-old Vote 1971 Changed the voting age from 21 to 18.

Amendment 27 Congressional Pay 1992 Congress cannot give themselves raises until an election is over.