admin There are 27 Amendments to the US Constitution. There has been only one ‘change’ in the Amendments, and that involves the 18th and 21st Amendments. The first enacted Prohibition, the latter repealed it. The first ten amendments were passed together and are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.
The original Constitution1 of the United States of America was approved on September 17, 1787. It happened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at the Federal Convention. Since then 27 changes, which are usually called “amendments”2 have been made to the U.S. Constitution.
James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, proposed the first ten amendments. They constituted the Bill of Rights. These amendments were ratified in 1791. The other seventeen amendments were put into function subsequently. The last one was endorsed on May 7, 1992. Though there are 27 amendments to the Constitution of the USA, only 26 of them are in function. The point is that the 21st amendment annulled the 18th one.
The procedure of amending is described in Article V of the U.S. Constitution. The procedure consists of two different parts. First, an amendment proposal must be supported by 2/3 majority of both Houses of the Congress. Second, 3/4 of the states must approve it. An amendment proposal should be ratified in a seven years period. If it fails to be approved within this time, it is called “expired”.
List of amendments to the United States Constitution
| Number | Amendments | Proposal date | Enactment date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Protects the freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press, as well as the right to assemble and petition the government | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 2nd | Protects an individual’s right to bear arms | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 3rd | Prohibits the forced quartering of soldiers out of war time | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 4th | Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 5th | Sets out rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process, and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 6th | Protects the right to a fair and speedy public trial by jury, including the rights to be notified of the accusations, to confront the accuser, to obtain witnesses and to retain counsel | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 7th | Provides for the right to trial by jury in certain civil cases, according to common law | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 8th | Prohibits excessive fines and excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 9th | Protects rights not enumerated in the constitution. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 10th | Limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 |
| 11th | Immunity of states from suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders. Lays the foundation for sovereign immunity | March 4, 1794 | February 7, 1795 |
| 12th | Revises presidential election procedures | December 9, 1803 | June 15, 1804 |
| 13th | Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime | January 31, 1865 | December 6, 1865 |
| 14th | Defines citizenship, contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post-Civil War issues | June 13, 1866 | July 9, 1868 |
| 15th | Prohibits the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude | February 26, 1869 | February 3, 1870 |
| 16th | Allows the federal government to collect income tax | July 12, 1909 | February 3, 1913 |
| 17th | Establishes the direct election of United States Senators by popular vote | May 13, 1912 | April 8, 1913 |
| 18th | Establishes Prohibition of alcohol (Repealed by Twenty-first Amendment) | December 18, 1917 | January 16, 1919 |
| 19th | Establishes women’s suffrage | June 4, 1919 | August 18, 1920 |
| 20th | Fixes the dates of term commencements for Congress (January 3) and the President (January 20); known as the “lame duck amendment” | March 2, 1932 | January 23, 1933 |
| 21st | Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment | February 20, 1933 | December 5, 1933 |
| 22nd | Limits the president to two terms, or a maximum of 10 years (i.e., if a Vice President serves not more than one half of a President’s term, he or she can be elected to a further two terms) | March 24, 1947 | February 27, 1951 |
| 23rd | Provides for representation of Washington, D.C. in the Electoral College | June 16, 1960 | March 29, 1961 |
| 24th | Prohibits the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of poll taxes | September 14, 1962 | January 23, 1964 |
| 25th | Codifies the Tyler Precedent; defines the process of presidential succession | July 6, 1965 | February 10, 1967 |
| 26th | Establishes the official voting age to be 18 years old. | March 23, 1971 | July 1, 1971 |
| 27th | Prevents laws affecting Congressional salary from taking effect until the beginning of the next session of Congress | September 25, 1789 | May 5, 1992 |
