The first ten of these amendments are together called the bill of rights. The belief was strong that a well regulated militia such as the national guard, in modern times was. The constitution of the united states is the oldest federal constitution now in use. The first 10 amendments to the united states constitution are called the bill of rights. The bill of rights amendments for more information, see. Amendments to the united states constitution, unlike ones made to many constitutions worldwide, are appended to the end of the document. It forbids congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individuals religious practices it guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting congress from restricting the press or the rights of individuals to speak freely. The twentyfirst amendment was proposed by congress on february 20, 1933, and was ratified by the requisite number of states on december 5, 1933. They propose the amendment to the states they send the amendment to the states to be ratified. Numbers three through twelve were adopted by the states to become the bill of rights in 1791. Twentyfirst amendment to the united states constitution. List of constitutional amendments to the united states. Since 1787, changes have been made to the united states constitution 27 times by amendments changes. List of amendments to the united states constitution facts.
Carry copies of the entire constitution as a handy foldable booklet, or refer to one article or amendment at a time. The constitution of the united states national archives. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for president and vicepresident of the united states, representatives in congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being twentyone years of age, and citizens. Constitution protects the freedom of speech, religion and the press. The constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. Congress may submit a proposed constitutional amendment to the states, if the proposed amendment language is approved by a twothirds vote of both houses. An amendment is a change or addition to the constitution. The first ten amendments to the constitution of the united states are known as the bill of rights. The first amendment guarantees freedoms concerning religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. The united states constitution is often referred to as a living document that grows and changes as society moves forward. Constitution included a provision whereby the document may be amended, generally though not solely by a twothirds majority of each house of congress followed by ratification by legislatures in threefourths of the states. Twentyseven of these, having been ratified by the requisite number of states 38, since 1959, are part of the constitution. List of amendments to the united states constitution wikipedia.
Constitution of the united states of america amendments. Thirtythree amendments to the united states constitution have been proposed by the united states congress and sent to the states for ratification since the constitution was put into operation on march 4, 1789. For more information about each amendment, click on the links in the box at the right of. Constitution was adopted on july 9, 1868 as an integral part of the reconstruction amendments. Bill of rights xi xii xiii xiv xv xvi xvii xviii xix xx xxi xxii xxiii xxiv xxv xxvi xxvii. Rights to religion, speech, press, assembly, petition.
Twothirds of both the united states senate and the united states house of representatives approve the amendment. Legislative power vested see explanation section 2. Interactive constitution the national constitution center. The transportation or importation into any state, territory, or possession of the united states for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. It went into effect in june 1788 when ratified by nine.
The eighteenth article of amendment to the constitution of the united states is hereby repealed. House of representatives see explanation section 3. The constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the. Since the constitution went into effect on march 4, 1789, twentyseven amendments have been added to the constitution. And the articles hardcover april 3, 2018 by thomas jefferson author 4. The first ten amendments were adopted and ratified. Under americas first national government, the articles of confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. The bill of rights only had ten of the twelve articles ratified and these were then renumbered. From a patriotically illustrated bill of rights bookmark to a parchmentlook version of the constitution, you can easily reference the fundamental laws and governing documents of the united states of america. Article iii, section 2, of the constitution was modified by amendment 11.
It is comprised of four main sections, with a fifth section that authorizes congress to enforce the provisions therein. The constitutions of the states are their highest law for that state but the united states constitution is higher. The constitution of the united states of america see explanation preamble we the people see explanation article i the legislative branch see explanation section 1. The other way to amend the nations founding documenta constitutional convention initiated by twothirds of state legislatureshas never happened. Every bill which shall have passed the house of representatives and the senate, shall, before it become a law, be presented to the president of the united states. Among the amendments is a list of the rights of the people. The judicial power of the united states shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the united states by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state. Guarantees freedom of speech, religion, and press, and the right to assemble peaceably and petition the government for redress of grievances to ask it to fix something that its responsible for. Usually, for an amendment to be approved and added to the constitution, there are two steps. This page is a list of the amendments to the united states constitution.
The founding fathers believed it should not be easy to amend the u. For more information about each amendment, click on the links in the box at the right of this page. Constitution of the united states we the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this. It guarantees freedom of expression by prohibiting congress from restricting the press or the rights of. And no matter a persons view on constitutional interpretation, theres no doubt that amendments to the constitution have changed the course of the american legal system. The bill of rights amendments 1 10 national center for. Emergency in the constitutional law of the united states in the following report i shall concentrate on the law as pronounced by the united states supreme court, which has, within the sphere of judicial competence, the last say on the interpretation of the constitution. Constitution of the united states of america constitution of the united states of america. Section 2 the transportation or importation into any state, territory, or possession of the united states for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
The national constitution center in philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across america and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the u. The first 10 united states amendments are called the bill of rights. Constitution, along with links to articles on each, is provided in the table. The original text of the thirteenth amendment of the constitution of the united states. Of the others only the th, 14th, 15th, and 16th articles of amendment had numbers assigned to them at the time of ratification. Emergency in the constitutional law of the united states. The united states constitution was drafted by the committee of detail, who used bits and pieces from original virginia plan, the decisions of the constitutional convention on modifications to that plan, along with other sources including the articles of confederation, to produce the first full draft from august 6 to september 10, the report of the committee of detail was discussed, section.
The transportation or importation into any state,territory, or possession of the united states for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited. The following text is a transcription of the constitution as it was inscribed by jacob shallus on parchment the document on display in the rotunda at the national archives museum. Mar 16, 2020 the constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. There have been 27 ratified in total, but one of these, the 18th, was prohibition and another, the 21st, was the repeal of prohibition. It was proposed on september 17, 1787, by the constitutional convention in philadelphia, pennsylvania. List of amendments to the united states constitution. United states constitution amendments bill of rights. The constitution of the united states, which entered into force in 1789, is the oldest written national constitution in use.
Constitution preamble articles of the constitution i. Constitution of the united states of america amendments to. The first ten amendments to the constitution of the united states and two others, one of which failed of ratification and the other which later became the 27th amendment were proposed to the legislatures of the several states by the first congress on september 25, 1789. It also protects the right to peaceful protest and to petition the government. Additional amendments of the constitution full text. The first ten amendments adopted were part of a package introduced into congress by james madison in response to antifederalist criticism of the constitution and reservations expressed by state legislatures regarding the lack of explicit limits on the powers of the new national government. The constitution of the united states preamble note. This page gives just a short summary of each of these amendments.
Article v of the united states constitution outlines basic procedures for constitutional amendment. Additional amendments pdf version amendment xi 1798 the judicial power of the united states shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the united states by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state. United states constitution preamble article i article ii article iii article iv article v article vi article vii amendments. The twentyfirst amendment amendment xxi to the united states constitution repealed the eighteenth amendment to the united states constitution, which had mandated nationwide prohibition on alcohol. Amendments to the united states constitution encyclopedia. More on the subject index bill of rights additional amendments printer friendly version constitution for the united states of america we the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do. Constitution of the united states of america constitution of the united states of america amendments to the u. To date, congress has submitted 33 amendments, 27 of which were ratified by the states. Amendments on september 25, 1789, congress transmitted to the state legislatures twelve proposed united states amendments of which the first two dealt with congressional representation and congressional pay. We the people of the united states, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this constitution for the united states of america. It forbids congress from both promoting one religion over others and also restricting an individuals religious practices. The united states bill of rights consists of 10 amendments added to the constitution in 1791, as supporters of the constitution had promised critics during the debates of 1788. The united states constitution now has 25 functioning amendments. The united states constitution is the fundamental law of the united states of america.