Amendments I-XV

1st Amendment (I) The freedoms of religion, speech, press, peaceably assemble and petition the govt. Establishment clause - govt. cannot establish an official religion or give preference to any type of religion ***You are free to worship whatever you want because of the 1st Amendment

Freedom of press: govt. cannot interfere with the printing of the news ***Libel - printing falsities about someone else to damage their character You do not have complete freedom of speech You cannot interfere with another person’s rights (yelling bomb on a plane will get you arrested) ***Slander - falsely speaking out against someone

2nd Amendment (II) States have the right to maintain a militia ***Militias are known as the National Guard; a state must have the permission from Congress to have one People have the right to keep and bear arms ***At the beginning when the nation is first founded, the people need weapons to help protect the country

3rd Amendment (III) No soldiers shall be quartered in any house without the owner’s consent ***The English do this during the Revolutionary War to save money ***US troops can do this during wartime, but they must have permission of the homeowner

4th Amendment (IV) Police cannot search or seize evidence or people without a proper warrant obtained with probable cause ***If you do not allow police to search, the police will get a search warrant; the probable cause will be issued by a judge (the warrant must specifically state what is being searched for and where the search is taking place ***A school principal can have reasonable suspicion, whereas Officer Berry must have probable cause

5th Amendment (V) No one can be tried for a federal crime unless indicted by a grand jury Double jeopardy - no one may be tried twice for the same crime All persons are protected from self-incrimination Eminent domain - the govt. can take private property for the good of the public, but it must pay fair market value for it

6th Amendment (VI) A person accused of a crime has the right to a speedy, public trial by an impartial jury They have the right to know the charges against them They have the right to confront the witnesses against them and provide witnesses for their defense They have the right to counsel (lawyer)

7th Amendment (VII) Any case heard in a federal court is guaranteed the right to trial by jury The amount involved must exceed $20 A civil case does not involve criminal matters

8th Amendment (VIII) No excessive bail or cruel and unusual punishment is allowed ***Bail – an amount of money that guarantees that you will show up in court ***Torture is not allowed as a punishment

9th Amendment (IX) Unenumerated rights People have other rights that may not be expressed in the Constitution ***An example of an unenumerated right if privacy; as long as what you are doing is not illegal and does not impede someone else’s rights then you can do it ***You have the right to travel anywhere

10th Amendment (X) The powers not granted to the federal govt. by the Constitution will belong to the states ***Some examples include education, marijuana laws, and speed limits

11th Amendment (XI) A state cannot be sued by one of its residents or by a foreign resident in a federal court

12th Amendment (XII) Splits the elector’s ballot for President and VP They cast one ballot for President and one for VP ***Political parties are not in existence when the US Constitution is originally written ***Before 1800, the person who receives the most votes becomes the president and the person who receives the second-most votes becomes the VP ***The House of Representatives gives their support to Thomas Jefferson in the election of 1800; Aaron Burr blames and kills Federalist Alexander Hamilton in a famous duel

13th Amendment (XIII) Abolishes slavery in the United States ***This occurs during the Civil War Era (1865)

14th Amendment (XIV) Defines citizenship and states that no citizen can be denied their rights without due process No state can deny basic rights to its people ***Naturalization is the process of becoming a citizen after being born ***Due process – the govt. must follow the rules when putting someone through the legal process

15th Amendment (XV) A citizen of the US shall not be denied their right to vote