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First Amendments Proposed
After the creation of the U.S. Constitution, 12 Amendments were written by James Madison to be presented to the First Congress. These were meant to create limits on the government and provide rights to citizens. These would later be called the Bill of Rights. -
Fourth Amendment
This amendment prevents the government from being able to unjustly search and seize the property of U.S. citizens. This ensures that the government must have a warrant and probable cause in order to search and seize. -
Bill of Rights
10 of the 12 proposed amendments were ratified by the First Congress and added to the U.S. Constitution. These 10 amendments made up the Bill of Rights. -
First Amendment
This amendment grants people the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the government. -
Second Amendment
This amendment grants citizens the right to bear arms. -
Fifth Amendment
This amendment provides citizens the right to not testify in court if they believe their testimony may incriminate them. This amendment also grants citizens due process and prevents them from being tried for the same crime twice. -
Eighth Amendment
This amendment protects citizens from cruel and unusual punishment. Along with this, people are prohibited from receiving excessive bail and excessive fines. -
Third Amendment
This amendment protects citizens from the government being able to place troops in their homes. -
Sixth Amendment
This amendment guarantees that people receive a speedy trial by jury and the right to an attorney. -
Seventh Amendment
This amendment grants those in civil cases a trial by jury in addition to criminal trials. -
Ninth Amendment
This amendment suggests that people are guaranteed rights that are not enumerated in the Constitution. This includes rights such as; the right to vote and the right to privacy. -
Tenth Amendment
This amendment gives all of the powers that are not specifically given to the government in the Constitution, to the people or the states. -
Thirteenth Amendment
This amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude. -
Fifteenth Amendment
This amendment granted all men the right to vote regardless of their race, color, or whether they had at one point been a slave. -
Eighteenth Amendment
This amendment prohibited the making and drinking of alcohol, essentially making alcohol illegal. -
Nineteenth Amendment
This amendment granted women the right to vote, known as women's suffrage. -
Twenty-first Amendment
This amendment repealed the 18th amendment, effectively legalizing alcohol. -
Twenty-second Amendment
This amendment set a limit on the number of terms the president is allowed to serve. As a result, the president is limited to a maximum of 2 terms or 10 years. -
Twenty-sixth Amendment
This amendment set the national voting age to 18 years old.