U.S. Constitution 101
The first 10 amendments (the Bill of Rights) were addressed in a previous article in this series. What follows is a brief summary of the remaining 17 amendments, presented in chronological order.
A quick guide to the 27 Amendments
By Reif & Hunsaker, P.C.
The U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification in 1788. The amendment process requires approval by two-thirds of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states, a deliberately high bar ensuring only broadly supported reforms become constitutional law. Together, these 17 amendments and the Bill of Rights reflect the ongoing effort to strengthen American democracy. The first 10 amendments (the Bill of Rights) were addressed in a previous article in this series. What follows is a brief summary of the remaining 17 amendments, presented in chronological order.
11th Amendment (1795) – Sovereign Immunity Bars federal courts from hearing suits brought by citizens of one state against a different state.
12th Amendment (1804) – Presidential Elections Requires electors to cast separate ballots for President and Vice President, eliminating the confusion exposed by the 1800 election.
13th Amendment (1865) – Abolition of Slavery Formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States, except as criminal punishment.
14th Amendment (1868) – Equal Protection & Due Process Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and guaranteed equal protection and due process against state action - a cornerstone of civil rights law.
15th Amendment (1870) – Voting Rights by Race Prohibited denying the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
16th Amendment (1913) – Federal Income Tax Authorized Congress to levy a federal income tax.
17th Amendment (1913) – Direct Election of Senators Shifted the election of U.S. Senators from state legislatures to a direct popular vote of the citizens of each state.
18th Amendment (1919) – Prohibition Banned the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors - later repealed, making it the only amendment ever to be fully nullified.
19th Amendment (1920) – Women’s Suffrage Guaranteed that the right to vote cannot be denied on the basis of sex, extending full electoral participation to women.
20th Amendment (1933) – Lame Duck Reform Moved the start of presidential and congressional terms to January, reducing the period during which defeated officeholders remain in power.
21st Amendment (1933) – Repeal of Prohibition Repealed the 18th Amendment, ending national Prohibition — the only time one amendment has directly nullified another.
22nd Amendment (1951) – Presidential Term Limits Limited the President to two terms in office, codifying into constitutional law the tradition established by George Washington.
23rd Amendment (1961) – D.C. Presidential Vote Granted residents of Washington, D.C. the right to vote in presidential elections through the allocation of electoral votes.
24th Amendment (1964) – Abolition of Poll Taxes Prohibited the use of poll taxes as a condition of voting in federal elections.
25th Amendment (1967) – Presidential Succession Established procedures for presidential succession and the filling of a Vice Presidential vacancy, and addressed situations of presidential disability.
26th Amendment (1971) – Voting Age Lowered to 18 Lowered the national voting age from 21 to 18.
27th Amendment (1992) – Congressional Pay Prevents any change to congressional compensation from taking effect until after the next House election — originally proposed by James Madison in 1789 and finally ratified over 200 years later.
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