Amendment 27: Limiting Changes to Congressional Pay

"No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened."

The final amendment mandates that all laws that increase the pay of legislators cannot go into effect until after an election.  It was created to prevent legislators from taking advantage of their high positions by attempting to get themselves more money.

This man carting a wheelbarrow full of money gently makes fun of what the twenty-seventh amendment is prohibiting.  Any laws legislators pass to increase their own paychecks will not take effect until after their term is done.

"Part-Time Congress Could Accomplish More with Less"

The above news article published by Yahoo News discusses the advantages if representatives from Congress worked part-time.  In addition to tremendous operating cuts, this would allow the members to focus more on the issues that really matter as opposed to trivial matters.  This applies to the 27th amendment because it would reduce congressional pay from full-time employees to part-time.

Amendment 26: Voting Age Set to 18 Years

"1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

The twenty-sixth amendment requires citizens of the United States to be at least eighteen years older in order to vote.

Rock the Vote

The above link directs to the Rock the Vote foundation.  Over the last two decades, Rock the Vote has registered more young people to vote than any other organization or campaign.  The link provides information on who young voters are and how to better involve them so their voices are heard.

This humorous clip from the Onion News Network talks about election results being leaked before voting even takes place.  One remark, "this country is based on the fantasy that the government is the voice of the people," mocks many false illusions the general public has about how their votes do not make a difference.  In fact, each individual vote does make a difference because it brings the public one step closer to what they want.

Amendment 25: Presidential Disability and Succession

"1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

4. Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.

Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office."

This amendment describes what must take place if the president is disabled or passes away.  There is protocol on who succeeds.  In total, there are seventeen individuals in line to take over if something was to happen to the president.

The twenty-fifth amendment was implemented when past President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office because the vice president is first in line for succession.  With this amendment, chaos in the nation was somewhat regulated because a plan was already in place in case of such a tragedy.

Executive Orders by Tom Clancy is a novel about the protagonist being next in line for succession after the President and the majority of his cabinet are killed in a terrorist attack.  Although slightly unrealistic, this literary work accurately portrays the line of presidential succession as dictated by the twenty-fifth amendment.

Amendment 24: Poll Tax Barred

"1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

The twenty-fourth amendment states that no tax can be charged to vote for any federal office.

The above is a copy of a poll tax receipt.  This was given to each voter after they voted.  

This clip discusses how poll taxes are prohibited so voting is not limited to the wealthy.  However, the amount of time it takes to vote serves as a pseudo poll tax.  For instance, voting takes anywhere from two to six hours, depending on the location.  Not many jobs are happy to allow their employees to take this much leave just to vote.  This discourages many voters from voting because they do not have the time to do so.

Amendment 23: Presidential Vote for District of Columbia

"1. The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

This amendment gives the Washington D.C. the right to three electors in Presidential elections.  Washington D.C. can only have the same number of electors as the minimum held by any state in the United States.  Currently, the smallest number of electors is for Rhode Island and they have three, giving Washington D.C. three votes.

The above photograph is an example of a sign a resident of Washington D.C. might hold before the twenty-second amendment was passed.  Being a citizen of the United States should guarantee that all votes are counted, despite which area you reside in.

Although Washington D.C. made progress with the twenty-second amendment by receiving three electoral votes for president, D.C. still does not have representation in the Senate.  Currently, there are plans to change this so the District of Columbia has a seat and a vote.

Amendment 22: Presidential Term Limits

"1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress."

This amendment defines how long a presidential term can be.  Each term is four years and no president can exceed two terms.

Each president is only allowed to stay in office for a maximum of two terms.  This encourages turnover so the nation does not stay under only one type of leadership and has the potential to expand from various perspectives.

In this interview with MSNBC, former President Bill Clinton asserted that presidents should be allowed to serve a third or even fourth term in office but only after they took time off following their second term.  He attributes this change to longer life expectancies and that some politicians have incredible leadership that the country can continue benefitting from.

Amendment 21: Amendment 18 Repealed

"1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

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.

3. The article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress."

With this amendment, the eighteen amendment is reversed.  Alcohol is allowed to be consumed in the United States legally.

This clip is from a news report.  Politician A.J. Smith expresses his sentiments about the eighteen amendment being repealed and asserts that prohibition of alcohol serves no purpose or place in the Constitution.

The above is a copy of a newspaper from when the twenty-first amendment was passed.  As seen in the picture, many individuals protested prohibition by carrying signs and picketing to lift the ban.

Amendment 20: Presidential, Congressional Terms

"1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3rd day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors 
shall then begin.

2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3rd day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission."

The twentieth amendment set new start dates for the terms of the Congress and the President, and clarifies how the deaths of Presidents before swearing-in would be handled.

The start and end dates of each presidential term are specified in the amendments.  This video is  a commemorative souvenir of the presidential inauguration.  This prestigious event always occurs on January 20th, as indicated by the twentieth amendment.

As shown in the calendar, Congress is always in session on the third of January, unless they decide otherwise.  The Constitution requires Congress meet at least once each year and forbids either house from meeting outside the Capitol.

Amendment 19: Women's Suffrage

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

The nineteenth amendment guaranteed women the right to vote.  This eliminated gender as being a restriction in voting.

This illustration shows two women, advocating their rights to vote.  Many women held signs like the one above, showing others what they wanted.

Women's Right to Vote Timeline

The above link is a timeline of how women earned the right to vote.  It begins with the first women's right convention in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 and goes to the nineteenth amendment in 1920.

Amendment 18: Liquor Abolished

"1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress."

This legislation abolishes the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol to, from, and in the United States.  The eighteenth amendment was repealed fourteen years after it was instated.

The above is a commercial played during the 1920's encouraging individuals why alcohol should be banned.  The video, and prohibition itself, have strong influences from the church.

This humorous picture of Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean shows him confused why there is no more alcohol.  When the eighteenth amendment was passed, many were confused why alcohol was banned but it was done to try and protect the people.  By prohibiting alcohol, individuals thought they would be able to control reckless behavior and crime.

Amendment 17: Senators Elected by Popular Vote

"The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.

When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution."

The seventeenth amendment changed the choosing of Senators to the people of states rather than state legislatures.  This granted individuals more power.

History of Senatorial Votes

This document explains in a detailed manner why electing senators by popular vote is to the people's advantage and how the seventeenth amendment was brought about. This is written in favor of the amendment being passed.

This video provides insight to why the seventeenth amendment is to the people's disadvantage.  By reverting to old methods, the repeal would reduce the power of the federal government by empowering state legislatures to elect senators.

Amendment 16: Status of Income Tax Clarified

"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."

This amendment granted the United States the right to collect income tax without accounting for the population of the states.

Income Tax Guide

Provided by the Government Printing Office, the above link is a guide to the history of the sixteenth amendment, the purpose, and defines all details of income tax.  It is a very good reference guide if one has questions about this amendment.

This cartoon illustrates how costly income tax can be.  It encourages individuals to budget their money carefully to be able to pay this tax.

Amendment 15: Race No Bar to Vote

"1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

 The fifteenth amendment guaranteed all citizens the right to vote, regardless of their color.  This allowed black men to vote.  Voting privileges were still denied to women of any color at this point.

Actively fighting for their right to vote, these black men earned the right to vote through the fifteenth amendment.

Although black men earned the right to vote, women were still prohibited from doing so.  This sign was one many women activists carried around, stressing the importance to earn voting rights for themselves.

Amendment 14: Citizenship Rights

"1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President 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 twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."

This criterion ensured all citizens were privileged to rights on a federal and state level.  In regards to the census, the amendment stated slaves would no longer be counted as three-fifths.  It also included several guidelines designed to the guarantee the loyalty of legislators who participated on the Confederate side of the Civil War.

The video describes what it means to be a citizen and what rights are granted to citizens of the United States.

Without United States citizenship, an individual cannot hold office or vote.  The above is a sample of a citizenship certificate.



Amendment 13: Slavery Abolished

"1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

This amendment eradicated slavery in the United States and all associated territories.

This illustration depicts a black man asking for his freedom by defining himself as not only black, but also as a man and a brother.

Slavery Timeline

The above link shows a timeline of how slavery got started and the means it took for slavery to be abolished.  The timeline ranges from 1400 to 1888 and not only represents the United States, but also countries in South America and Europe.

Amendment 12: Choosing the President, Vice-President

"The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;

The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;

The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.

The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

These criteria are the qualifications for selecting a president and vice-president.  By clarifying the voting restrictions, there is little to no room for confusion in the election process.  This amendment also ensures that the president and vice president positions are to work together.

The twelfth amendment mandates that all electoral college voting must take place by ballots, as represented in the illustration above.

The map above illustrates which candidate won which states in the 2000 election.  As stated in the twelfth amendment, the candidate with the highest number of electoral votes will take the presidency position.

Amendment 11: Judicial Limits

"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."

This amendment grants immunity to the states from lawsuits by out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders. This lays the foundation for sovereign immunity.

The 11th Eleventh Amendment Defined

This link directs to an analysis of the eleventh amendment.  Court cases where it has been applied are listed and explained.  This provides a greater understanding of how sovereign immunity can be applied.

The host of this clip explains that the eleventh amendment prohibits the United States from extending lawsuits against states who are prosecuting citizens that reside in other states.  This limits the power of the federal government while giving more power to the states.