Unit 4 - Creation of Government Lesson 23: Amendments

Review The US Constitution was a detailed document to establish a strong national government. Many people believed that a bill of rights was needed to added to protect the individual rights of the people. In 1791, the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. The document contains a clause that allows the Constitution to be amended, or changed or added to.

Amending the Constitution

Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights refers to the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. These ten amendments were added to the Constitution in 1791, which guaranteed to some of the ratifying conventions, in order to get final approval from some state legislatures. The Bill of Rights was designed to protect the individual rights of the people.

Bill of Rights

1st Amendment This amendment prevents Congress from passing any laws that will take an individual’s freedom of religion, freedom of speech or press, or freedom to assemble or petition government.

2nd Amendment The 2nd amendment gives the people the right to bare arms for the security of a free state. This amendment is highly debated due to the original reason for this right, which was to prevent the government from repeating the actions of the British by attempting to take weapons away from colonial militias.

3rd Amendment This amendment prevents the national government from forcing citizens to provide quarters, or food and shelter, to soldiers during time of peace or war. Once again, this amendment was created with the actions of the British during the Revolutionary War in mind.

3rd Amendment

4th Amendment Another amendment created to prevent the behaviors of the British during the Revolutionary War, the 4th amendment protects all property of the people from search and seizure. In order for the government to lawfully search property there must be a warrant that describes what is to be searched and what persons or things can be seized, or taken.

5th Amendment The 5th amendment protects people accused of crimes. An individual cannot have their right of life, liberty, or property taken away by government without due process of law. Government must follow legal procedures for trial and other actions taken against individuals.

5th Amendment An individual does not have to provide information for a crime unless indicted by a Grand Jury. This amendment also protects someone from being tried for the same offense twice. It also protects individuals from being charged for crimes that are found while they are a witness for another trial, without due process of law.

6th Amendment The 6th amendment gives individuals the right to a fair and speedy trial by a impartial jury of the state or district that the crime was committed. This amendment also states that a defendant has the right to legal counsel, and if the defendant cannot afford a lawyer, then the government must provide one to him or her.

7th Amendment Any lawsuits that have a value of more than twenty dollars involved will use the right to trial by jury. It also states that any lawsuits tried by a jury cannot be retried or reexamined by any court of the United States.

8th Amendment This is the amendment that prevents cruel and unusual punishment. It also states that excessive bail or fines are not allowed. Cruel and unusual punishment is often debated because of the issue of what each individual believes is cruel and unusual.

9th Amendment The 9th amendment prevents the government from limiting the rights of the people to only those listed in the Bill of Rights.

10th Amendment The 10th amendment protects states and people from the federal government taking complete control of the nation. It states that any powers not given to the national government by the Constitution belongs to the states or to the people.

11th Amendment The 11th amendment sets judicial limits on cases of one state against another state. It also states that citizens of one state can not file case against a state they do not live in. - February 1795

12th Amendment The 12th amendment changed the way we select the Vice President. Instead of having 2nd place of the presidential election become vice president, the electoral college chooses from a list of VP candidates. - June 1804

12th Amendment

13th Amendment The 13th amendment stated that slavery was no longer allowed, unless as a punishment due to being convicted of a crime. December 1865

14th Amendment The 14th amendment gave the same rights to all people of America, except for untaxed Native Americans. It also took the right to run for office and collect debts incurred during rebellion from those who assisted in rebellion against the United States, unless 2/3 of Congress votes to remove this penalty from an individual. - July 1868

15th Amendment The 15th amendment states that the right to vote can not be denied based on the race, color, or previous condition of servitude (slave). - February 1870

16th Amendment The 16th amendment gave Congress the power to collect income tax, or taxes on the money you make from working. - February 1913

17th Amendment The 17th amendment changed how Senate would be elected. Senators will be chosen by popular vote of the people, instead of by the House of Representatives. - April 1913

18th Amendment The 18th amendment made the production, consumption, and sale of alcohol illegal. This time in United States history was called the Prohibition - January 1919

19th Amendment The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote. August 1920

20th Amendment The 20th amendment changed the start day of a presidential term from March 4th to January 20th at noon of the year following election. It also changed the start day of Congressional term to January 3rd of the year following election and Congress must meet at least once a year on January 3rd. - January 1933

21st Amendment The 21st amendment repealed the 18th amendment, getting rid of the prohibition of alcohol December 1933

22nd Amendment The 22nd amendment limits a person from serving as president for more than 2 terms, unless the first term was less than 2 years. - February 1951

23rd Amendment The 23rd amendment gave Washington, D.C. the right to vote for president. They will be given the number of electoral votes that they would receive if they were to be a state, as well as, no more than the smallest state. - March 1961

24th Amendment The 24th Amendment eliminated all poll taxes. In some states, you had to pay a poll tax in order to vote. This was considered as part of the Civil Rights Movement. - January 1964

25th Amendment The 25th Amendment states that the Vice President will take over for the President if the President is removed from office, dies, or is unable to serve as president temporarily. The President is able to regain his position when he is deemed capable of continuing his duties. - February 1967

26th Amendment The 26th amendment changed the voting age to 18 years old instead of 21. - July 1971

27th Amendment The 27th amendment states that if Congress gives themselves a raise, it does not take effect until they are re-elected at the end of their term. - May 1992

Proposed Amendments Expired Amendments Government discrimination based on sex would be illegal (35 states ratified); 1972 Give Washington, DC full representation in both houses of Congress (16 states ratified); 1978

Proposed Amendments How seats in House of Representatives would be proportioned (11 states ratified, only amendment of original 12 amendments of Bill of Rights not ratified); 1789 Deny citizenship to anyone claiming to be foreign nobility (12 states ratified); 1810

Proposed Amendments Federal government not allowed to abolish or interfere with domestic institutions within states, including slavery. Last ditch effort to prevent Civil War. (3 states ratified); 1861 Congress would regulate, limit, or prohibit labor of those under 18 years old (28 states ratified); 1924

Conclusion The amendment process was included in the Constitution to allow for changes to be made to the government as they were needed due to changes of society. The process was made to be difficult so frequent changes or additions would not be made. The amendments that have been passed represent how much the United States has changed over the last 200-plus years.

Assignments Answer the four review questions for this lesson. Review the 27 amendments and take the Amendment Quiz. You will have a Unit 4 test after you complete Lesson 23