Amendments to the Constitution

First Amendment

5 freedoms: speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition #OccupyWallStreet (assembly) https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/ (petition) Peter Zenger (libel and slander) KKK (religion)

Speech is horse of a different color “clear and present danger” – threats on the President War and peacetime is different Political speech? Flag burning?

Second Amendment

Intention of the amendment?What is a true militia?What does it mean to “bear arms”?Gun control Debate

Third Amendment

Why the need to add this amendment?

Fourth Amendment

Illegal searches and seizuresNumerous Supreme Court cases (Mapp vs.

Ohio) (TLO vs. New Jersey) Probable Cause?What about getting pulled over?

Fifth Amendment

What does indictment mean?What does “pleading the 5th mean”?Double jeopardyWhat exactly is due process?

Sixth Amendment

Right to a speedy and fair trialImpartial jury of peersRight to witnessesRight to attorney

Miranda v. Arizona 1966Gideon v. Wainwright 1963

Seventh Amendment

Has to do with lawsuitsCan’t be under $20

Note: 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th amendments all go together

Have to do with rights of the accused

Eighth Amendment

Excessive Bail Cruel and unusual punishment

Where does death penalty lie?How has the definition of “cruelty” changed

over time?

Ninth Amendment and Tenth Amendment

9: Power to the people You have rights that are not listed in the constitution.

What are some examples?

10: Power to the states If a power is not specifically given to the national

govt, that power automatically goes to the states and to the people.

Can you think of any powers so far that are like this?

11th Amendment

Supreme Court hears all lawsuits involving state v. state

Citizens cannot sue the government

12th Amendment

Election of the President President and Vice President are now on same ticket Election of 1796 Election of 1800 If no one received popular vote, the House of

Representatives chooses the President President is inaugurated on March 4

13th Amendment

Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, free at last!-MLK

14th Amendment

Citizens rights for blacks

15th Amendment

Blacks get the right to vote Race, color, or servitude

13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are all known as the Reconstruction Amendments

16th Amendment

Income tax!!!!!!! How is America going to get money if we

don’t pay taxes? Constitution mentions Congress has the

ability to tax, but did not mention HOW

17th Amendment

Direct election of senators Before, state legislators chose SenatorsDoes this represent the people?

18th Amendment

Prohibition

Since women did not have the right to vote yet, they wanted morality to at least take over

Only lasted 13 years

19th Amendment

Hail to the Women!Out west, most states already allowed women

to votehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnSDylHaF

ZE

20th Amendment

AKA “Lame Duck”Reduced the time between the incumbent

and president-electUsed to be inaugurated on March 4, now

January 20th

21st Amendment

Prohibition Repealed!Only Amendment to ever be repealed Govt had NO MONEY during the Great

DepressionNeeded the tax money to help govt

What about marijuana?Is marijuana as bad as alcohol? Side effects?

22ND Amendment

President is only allowed to serve 2 terms FDR is the only president to serve more than

2 (only did this because it was wartime)

Goes back to George Washington

23rd Amendment

Washington DC gets 3 electoral votes and is governed officially by Congress

Before, they didn’t get any electoral votes? Is this popular sovereignty?

24th Amendment

Civil Rights AmendmentCannot pay poll taxes Goes along with lots of Jim Crow laws

(grandfather clauses etc)

25th Amendment

Presidential Succession After Nixon resigned, this was passed

because there had to be a clear order of who would take over

26th Amendment

Used to have to be 21 to vote, now it’s 18! Theory: if you can serve in Vietnam at 18, you should

be able to vote too What about alcohol?

27th Amendment

Congress cannot raise their own pay One of James Madison’s proposed original

amendments, did not get passed until 1992