27 Amendment Notes

Directions: Record the rights and importance of each amendment in the spaces below

1st Amendment

A - Freedom of religion

B - Freedom of speech

C - Freedom of the press

D - Right to petition the government

E - Freedom of assembly

2nd Amendment

A - Right to bear arms

B - Keep state militia

3rd Amendment

A - prohibits the government from forcing citizens to house troops

4th Amendment

A - Protection from unreasonable search a seizure

B - Government may not conduct a search without a warrant

5th Amendment

A - Cannot subject citizens to criminal prosecution and punishment without a trial, Indicted by a grand jury

B - Pleading the 5th-protected from self-incrimination

C - cannot be tried for the same crime twice (Double jeopardy)

D - Eminent domain - private property can be seized by the government

E - Due Process - treated equally by the law

6th Amendment

A - right to a speedy trial/fair

B - right to a trial with a jury of one’s peers

C - right to be informed of what crimes one is being charged with

D - right to confront + obtain witnesses brought forward by the government - cross-examine

E - right to a legal representative

7th Amendment

A - provides that civil cases preserve the right to trial by jury

B - right to trial by judge

Right to a trial by jury when the amount in dispute exceeds $20

Civil trials

8th Amendment

A - prohibits excessive bail

B - prohibits excessive fines

C - prohibits cruel and unusual punishment

9th Amendment

A - Listed (enumerated) rights in the Constitution do  not infringe on unlisted individual rights

10th Amendment

A Reserved state powers,

B Creates federalism in a general sense

11th

Prohibits a citizen of one state or a citizen of another country from suing another state in federal court.

Defines the jurisdiction - Supreme court can just take

12th

Requires members of the Electoral College to cast two separate ballots: one for president and one for vice-president

13th

Abolishment of slavery

14th

Former slaves were now American Citizens and should be treated equally. Removed the 3/5ths compromise

15th

Former slaves had the right to vote (men).

(Effective) - not really because of Jim Crow laws, literacy tests, poll tax

16th

Congress can collect a tax on people’s income without regard to the population

17th

People instead of the state legislature elect U.S senators. Prior state legislature elected senators

Anti-corruption amendment

Governor may fill the senate vacancy until the new election

18th

Prohibition

19th

Women get the right to vote

20th

Changes the date of the inauguration to January 20. Called lame duck amendment because it refers to an elected official's attitude after losing an election

21st

Repealed the Prohibition

22nd

No president can’t be elected more than twice

Two terms or 10 years

23rd

Grants the District of Columbia the right to vote in presidential elections

Total number of electoral votes = 538

100 senators

24

the Poll taxes are illegal

25th

If the president can’t be in power, the Vice president takes

If the president is sick, he can temporarily give power to the Vice President

26th

Lowered the voting age from 21 to 18

27th

Congress can't vote itself a pay raise - any pay raise only counts for the next Congress