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1st Amendment
The first Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights which was passed on December 15th 1791. The 1st Amendments allows us the freedom of speech and press. Its also makes it illegal to stop people from practicing their religion and establishing a religion. We can also demonstrate peacefully and assemble peacefully. The actual words from the Bill are located in the picture.
http://kids.laws.com/first-amendment -
5th Amendment
The fifth Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights which was passed on December 15th 1791. This Amendment protects us from being held for committing a crime unless proven. This assures that the state and country respect our legal rights. When people say 'I'll tke the fifth" it means they aren't going to speak against himself. This amendment also keeps you from being accused twice of the same crime.
http://kids.laws.com/fifth-amendment http://www.ducksters.com/history/us_bill_of_rights.php -
8th Amendment
The eighth Amendment is part of the Bill of Rights which was passed on December 15th 1791. This Amendment states that all punishments must be fair. They can't be cruel and extremly large fines can't be set either. This is also where the saying "no cruel and unusual punishment" comes from. Thats keeps us from being punished in cruel ways.
http://kids.laws.com/eighth-amendment
http://www.ducksters.com/history/us_government/eighth_amendment.php -
10th Amendment
The tenth Amendment is the last Amendment in the Bill of Rights.It sates that any power not given to the federal government is given to the people or the states. Its insures that the government power stays limited. It is very simliar to the earlier part of the Articles of Confederation. Saying that every state would keep their freedom, independence, jurisdiction, rights, and sovereignty.
http://kids.laws.com/tenth-amendment
http://www.ducksters.com/history/us_government/tenth_amendment.php -
13th Amendment
The 13 Amendment made slavery illegal in the U.S. in 1865. Technically the Emancipation Proclamation didn't end slavery for good. It only declared that slaves in rebel states were free. So in a way this was the ground work for the Amendment/ This meant that a more powerful declaration was needed and that was to make it and Amendment.
http://kids.laws.com/13th-amendment
http://www.ducksters.com/history/us_government/thirteenth_amendment.php -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment protects our rights to vote for our leaders. No American can be denied based on race, color or being a former slave. Its is important because it gave African Americans the right to vote. This then led to African Americans being elected in public office. Which went on to grow for more chances for African Americans.
http://kids.laws.com/15th-amendment -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920. Although the 15th Amendment was supposed to give everyone the right to vote it didn't include women. The 19 Amendment changed that by making it illegal , regardless of gender, to be denied the right to vote. Before this women were denied the right to vote. Key figures in the movement were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
http://kids.laws.com/19th-amendment -
22nd Amendment
The 22nd Amendment limits the president to only two terms in office. Before that it was traditional to only serve to terms. But eventually Franklin D Roosevelt broke this radiation and served four terms. Once he died people started to realize having the president serve more than eight terms was bad for the country. This then lead to the 22nd Amendment.
http://kids.laws.com/22nd-amendment -
25th Amendment
The 25th Amendment says that if the president dies in office the Vice President takes over. Before the Amendment that wasn't always the case. It was unclear if the vice president takes over for the president. The 25th Amendment assures that the Vice President is first in line to take over. The Amendment was adopted by the states in 1967.
http://kids.laws.com/25th-amendment -
26th Amendment
The 26th Amendment set the national voting age at 18. 18 year olds started demanding the right to vote around the time of the Vietnam war. They thought that if they could be forced to fight they should be able to vote too. They wanted to choose the representatives that sent them to fight. At first it was considered uncostitinal but was eventually accepted.
http://kids.laws.com/26th-amendment
