SUFFRAGE AMENDMENTS- 15, 19, 23,

24, 26

15th Amendment- Allowed former slaves the

right to vote.

19th Amendment- By 1900 4 States had

given women the right to vote. Between
1910 and 1914 seven other States gave
women the right to vote (all in the west).
Finally proposed on June 4 1919 and ratified
on August 18 1920 women were given the
right to vote by Constitutional Amendment.

23rd Amendment- Gave voting rights and

presidential electors to the citizens of
Washington D.C. Proposed June 16 1960
and ratified March 29 1961.

24th Amendment- Eliminated a poll tax.

Proposed 9-14-62 ratified 1-23-64.

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26th Amendment- Made the national voting
age 18. Proposed March 23, 1971, ratified
July 1, 1971

PRESIDENTIAL AMENDMENTS

12TH Amendment- Set in place where both

president and vice president are voted on
independently in the electoral vote.
Previously each elector cast two votes for
President, the one with the most votes was
the president and the person with the second
most votes was vice president. Today each
set is informally voted together by parties.
Proposed 12-9-1803 ratified 6-15-1804.

20th Amendment- Changed the day the

president took office, moved it up so we
wouldn’t have a “lame duck” presidency for
an extended time. It also put in place a
process to replace the president if he died
before he took office. Proposed 3-2-1932
ratified 1-23-1933.
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22nd Amendment- Stipulated that no
president may serve more than two elected
terms. The maximum a person can serve is
two and just under half terms. Franklin
Roosevelt was actually elected to four terms
before this amendment took place.
Proposed 3-24-1947 ratified 2-27-1951.

25th Amendment- Cleared up Article 2 of the

constitution by stipulating the process of the
Vice-president taking office. Also provided
the process on how Vice-presidents can be
selected if they die or are removed during
the term. Proposed 7-6-1965 ratified 2-10-
1967.

CIVIL WAR AMENDMENTS 13, 14, 15

13TH Amendment- Slavery and Involuntary

Servitude

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There is debate on whether the
Emancipation Proclamation had the effect of
law because Lincoln had just based his
authority as commander in chief of the U.S.
military to be able to free the slaves. To
settle the controversy, The Thirteenth
Amendment was proposed by Congress on
Jan. 31, 1865 and ratified by 3/4s of the
States 8 months after the end of the Civil
War on Dec. 6, 1865. The amendment
forbids slavery in the United States and in
any area under its control. It forbids forms
of forced labor except as punishment for
crimes. It has been interpreted to allow
compulsory service such as jury duty and
selective service.

14th Amendment- Rights of Citizens

This amendment made African
Americans citizens of the United States and
of the States in which they lived. It forbade
States to deprive citizens of the rights of life,
liberty, and property without due process of
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the law, or to deny any citizen “the equal
protection of the laws.” It went further and
excluded former Confederate leaders from
holding public office, state or federal. It
provided for the reduction of Congressional
representation of the states that deprived
African Americans of their rights as citizens.
It also forbade southern states to repay
confederate war debts or to compensate
former slave owners for the loss of their
slaves.

15th Amendment- Right to Vote-Race,

Color, Servitude

The 15th Amendment was short and to

the point. “The right of citizens of the
United States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or any state on
account of race, color, or previous condition
of servitude.” The 15th Amendment was
ratified by three fourths of the States and
became part of the Constitution in 1870.
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Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia- the last
three southern States to return to the Union-
were required to ratify the amendment as a
condition for readmission. Women were not
included in the 14th or 15th Amendment.

HOUSEKEEPING AMENDMENTS 11,

16, 17, 18, 21, 27

11th Amendment- Established that a State

could not be sued in a federal court by a
resident of another state or foreign country.
The Supreme Court has also said that this
amendment does not allow a State to be sued
by a foreign country or a citizen of its own
in a federal court. Proposed 3-4-1794
ratified 2-7-1795.

16th Amendment- Give Congress the power

to directly tax income regardless of State
population.

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17th Amendment- Established popular
elections for Senators and the process for
replacing them.

18th Amendment- Outlawed the making,

selling, transporting, importing, or exporting
of alchoholic beverages in the United States.

21st Amendment- Repealed the 18th

amendment

27th Amendment- Delays pay increases for

legislators until after the next election.