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U.S Supreme Court Case Chisholm v. Georgia
In 1972 Alexander Chisholm attempted to sue the State of Georgia in the U.S Supreme Court over payments that were due to him for good supplied to Georgia during the Revolutionary War. Georgia refused to pay him stating they could not be sued as a sovereign state without consenting to the suit. -
11th Amendment
The 11th amendment restricts the ability of individuals to bring suit against states in federal court was ratified on February 7, 1795
This amendment was adopted to overrule the U.S Supreme Court’s decision in Chisholm v Georgia -
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Election of 1800
Thomas Jefferson ties with Aaron Burr who is running on the same ticket causing an issue with the electoral process -
12th Amendment
The 12th amendment provides for a separate Electoral College votes for President and Vice President was passed on June 15, 1804.
This amendment was made to correct the weakness in the previous electoral system which allowed for the controversial President Election in 1800 where Jefferson and Burr had a tie vote. -
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Woman Suffrage Movement
The woman's Suffrage movement cased the 19th amendment to be passed. -
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Women's Rights Movement
This was the fight for the idea that women should have equal rights with men. This also had the positive effect on getting the 15th amendment passed. -
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Civil War
The Civil War cased amendments 13, 14 and 15 to be adopted. These amendments have be referred to as the Civil War Amendments. -
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President Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation
When President Lincoln signed the proclamation it abolished slavery -
13th Amendment
The 13th amendment abolishing slavery in the United States was passed on December 6, 1865.
Lincoln knew that the Emancipation Proclamation needed to be followed up with a constitutional amendment to guarantee the abolishment of slavery. -
14th Amendment
The 14th amendment which granted citizenship to all people “born or naturalized in the United States” including formally enslaved people, along with providing all citizens “equal protection under the laws” extending the Bill of Rights to the states was passed on July 9, 1868.
The amendment was created to protect the civil rights of freed slaves after the Civil War. -
15th Amendment
The 15th amendment guaranteeing the right to vote could not be denied based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude” was passed February 3, 1870.
This amendment protected African American men’s right to vote while still denying the right to vote for all women no matter what color appeared to signify the fulfillment of all promises made to African Americans. -
16th Amendment
The 16th amendment allowing Congress’s the right to impose a Federal income tax was passed February 3,1913.
This amendment was created because Congress had expected that all income taxes be set among states based on their populations and Congress did not have the power to levy income taxes. -
17th Amendment
The 17th amendment gave people the right to vote for their senators instead of the state legislators, also allowing governors to pick a new senator if the seat was not filled passed April 8, 1913.
This amendment corrected the problem of hung state legislatures along with freeing the Senate from the influence of corrupt state legislatures. -
18th Amendment
The 18th amendment imposing the federal prohibition of alcohol was passed on January 16,1919
This amendment was due to religious coalitions lobbied that alcohol was linked to immorality, criminality and with WW1 going on unpatriotic citizenship. -
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Prohibition
After the passing of the 18th amendment which caused the prohibition era making it illegal to make, possess and transport alcohol. This law was hard to enforce due to the many moonshiners and bootleggers still making and transporting alcohol. Prohibition ended when the 21st amendment was passed. -
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment ensuring that American citizens could no longer be denied the right to vote because of their sex was passed on August 18,1920. This amendment which granted women the right to vote represented a significant victory to the women’s rights movement within the United States. -
20th Amendment
The 20th amendment was designed to remove the excessive period of time a President or member of Congress who lost the election could serve after not being reelected was passed on January 23,1933
This amendment now sets the start and end dates for elected House and Senate members as Jan 3 and President and Vice President as Jan 20th on the year following the election. It used to start March 4th the following year after the election. This set the Presidential Inauguration to January 20th -
21st Amendment
The 21st amendment ending prohibition in the United States and allowing the sale, manufacturing and transportation of liquors for beverage purposes was passed on December 5, 1933.
This amendment ratified the 18th amendment which called for prohibition after three states voted to repeal it. -
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World War II
Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president at the time the United States entered WW2. He ultimately was elected and served 4 terms as President which brought about the passing of the 22nd amendment. -
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Civil Rights Movement
The Civil Rights Movement was helpful in getting the 14th amendment passed. It also played a roll in the passing of the 23rd amendment. -
22nd Amendment
The 22nd amendment was created to limit the number of terms a President can run for office at two, but also sets some additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors was passed on February 27,1951. President F. D Roosevelt won his third term in office was do to the United States entering WW2 and was also to win a fourth election in 1944 which led to the creation of the amendment over concerns over the concept of long term presidents. -
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Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War the push for having the legal voting age dropped to 18 was another reason why the 26th amendment was passed. -
23rd Amendment
The 23rd amendment which allows American citizens residing in the District of Columbia to vote for presidential electors, who in turn vote in the Electoral College for President and Vice President was passed on March 29,1961.
This amendment granted D.C a number of votes in the Electoral College. This was brought on in part by the Civil Rights Movement. -
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President John F. Kennedy Assassination
When John F. Kennedy was assonated in Dallas on Nov 22, 1963 there was a brief moment of chaos with in the Federal Government as to what the procedure would be to grant the power of President to the Vice president. This was one of the factors leading to the passing of the 25th amendment. -
24th Amendment
The 24th amendment outlawing the poll tax was passed on January 23,1964.
This amendment changed the laws that were created in the post-reconstruction south, which charged people a tax that when paid gave them the right to vote in that election. This was often a cause for black voters being not allowed to vote in elections. -
25th Amendment
The 25th amendment which refines that process of declaring a president incapable of fulfilling the duties of office and filling a Vice Presidential vacancy was passed on February 10, 1967.
This amendment was created after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which created moments of chaos in the federal government that afternoon. The amendment lays out how a change would take place. -
26th Amendment
The 26th amendment which granted citizens age 18 and above the right to vote was passed on July 1, 1971.
During the Vietnam war the pressure to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 was a push that caused the amendment. -
27th Amendment
The 27th amendment which prohibits any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress from taking effect until the start of the next set of terms of office for representatives was passed on May 7, 1992.
This change was brought on by proponents who believed that legislators would be more likely to be cautious about pay increases if they had no personal stake in the vote.
