Time Line

  • 1st Amendment

    1st Amendment
    The First Amendment provides that Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The Second Amendment gives citizens the right to bear arms.
  • 2nd Amendment

    2nd Amendment
    protects the right of Americans to bear arms and keep weapons for self-defense, the protection of their rights, and their property
  • 3rd Amendment

    3rd Amendment
    soldiers cannot be quartered in private homes without the owner's consent during peacetime
  • 4th amendment

    4th amendment
    protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government
  • 5th Amendment

    5th Amendment
    protects American citizens from self-incrimination, guarantees due process, and more
  • 8th amendment

    8th amendment
    protects citizens from excessive bail, fines, and cruel and unusual punishments
  • 9th amendment

    9th amendment
    the rights listed in the Constitution do not take away or diminish any other rights that the people have
  • 7th Amendment

    7th Amendment
    protects the right to a jury trial in certain civil cases and prevents judges from overturning a jury's findings
  • 10th amendment

    10th amendment
    powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people
  • 11th amendment

    11th amendment
    limits the ability of non-citizens to sue states in federal court
  • 12th Amendment

    12th Amendment
    outlines the procedure for electing the President and Vice President
  • 13 Amendment

    13 Amendment
    abolished slavery in the United States
  • 14 Amendment

    14 Amendment
    addresses citizenship rights, equal protection under the law, and due process
  • 15 Amendment

    15 Amendment
    prohibits the federal government and states from denying a citizen's right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude
  • Chinese Exclusion Act

    Chinese Exclusion Act
    a federal law passed by Congress and signed into law by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882
  • Boxer Rebellion

    Boxer Rebellion
    an anti-foreign, anti-Christian, and anti-imperialist uprising in China that took place from 1899 to 1901
  • Foraker Act

    Foraker Act
    was a US federal law that established a civilian government in Puerto Rico after the Spanish-American War
  • US Steel founded

    US Steel founded
  • 16th Amendment

    16th Amendment
    allows Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states based on population
  • 17th amendment

    17th amendment
    Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
    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.
  • 18th Amendment

    18th Amendment
    prohibited the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol for consumption in the United States. It was ratified on January 16, 1919, and led to the Prohibition Era
  • 19th Amendment

    19th Amendment
    granted women the right to vote
  • Great Depression

    Great Depression
    a worldwide economic crisis that lasted from 1929 to the beginning of World War II in 1939
  • 20 Amendment

    20 Amendment
    changed the dates for the start and end of presidential and congressional terms
  • 21th Amendment

    21th Amendment
    repealed the 18th Amendment, which had prohibited the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States
  • 22nd Amendment

    22nd Amendment
    limits the number of terms a person can serve as President to two
  • 23rd Amendment

    23rd Amendment
    gives citizens of the District of Columbia the right to vote in presidential elections
  • 24 Amendment

    24 Amendment
    prohibits the federal and state governments from requiring poll taxes or other taxes to vote in federal elections
  • 25th Amendment

    25th Amendment
    presidential succession and disability
  • 26th Amendment

    26th Amendment
    lowered the minimum voting age to 18 for all elections
  • 6th Amendment

    6th Amendment
    It gives citizens a series of rights in criminal trials. They include the rights to a fast and public trial by an impartial jury, to be aware of the criminal charges.