H8#30: The Bill of Rights and Amendments to the Constitution

The Bill of Rights consists of the first 10 amendments and were all passed at once. The purpose of the amendments was to refine the Constitution, and also make it possible to add to the Constitution later in the future. There are twenty-seven amendments as of October thirteenth, year 2023.

I am going to summarize the content of the amendments. The first ten are the Bill of Rights. The first amendment adds to what had been previously said about free speech, and that Congress could not make laws prohibiting it. The second amendment is the famous amendment about the right to bear arms (carry weapons). The third amendment is the opposite of the quartering act that was passed by Britain. It states that soldiers shall not be allowed in one’s house without permission of the owner. Amendment four says that unreasonable searches shall be prohibited, and that your home can only be searched if there is a warrant for you. Amendment five says you cannot be forced to answer unless in court or concerning “public danger”. Amendment six gives every American the right to a fair and “speedy” trial. Amendment seven goes as follows: “In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.” Amendment eight says this: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.” Amendment nine says that there are certain rights that the law cannot deny. Amendment ten says that any powers not given to the Constitution shall be reserved to the local government”. As previously stated, those first ten amendments make up the Bill of Rights and were passed by Congress on September twenty-fifth, 1789.

Amendment eleven was passed on February seventh, 1795, and states that if an incident that needs to be taken to court occurs in any state, it shall be dealt with by that state’s local government.

Amendment twelve was passed on June 15, 1804 and it established the election system.

Amendment thirteen abolished slavery and was passed on December 6, 1865.

Amendment fourteen established citizenship and all the rules that go along with it. It was passed on July ninth, 1868.

Amendment fifteen gave people of different races the same privileges as white men. It was passed on February third, 1870.

Amendment sixteen established the income tax, and was passed in 1913. I disagree with this amendment.

Amendment seventeen established senatorial elections, that would let senators be elected to their positions. It was passed on April eighth 1913.

Amendment eighteen prohibited liquor from being manufactured, sold, and transported. It was passed January sixteenth, 1919. It was then repealed by the Twenty-First amendment on December fifth, 1933.

The nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote. It was passed August eighteenth, 1920.

The twentieth amendment updated when the Congress would meet, when the terms of office would begin and end, and stated what would occur when a president died in office. It was passed January Twenty-Third, 1933.

Amendment twenty-one repealed amendment eighteen.

Amendment twenty-two updates rules for presidency, one of which was making it so that no president can serve more than two four-year terms. It was passed February twenty-seventh, 1951.

Amendment twenty-three moved the seat of government to Washington D.C., where it is located at this current time. This amendment was passed on March twenty-ninth, 1961.

The twenty-fourth amendment abolished poll taxes, so you didn’t have to pay to vote anymore. This was passed on January 23, 1964.

The twenty-fifth amendment revisited presidential succession, and was passed on February tenth, 1967.

The twenty-sixth amendment stated that the age at which people became allowed to vote would be eighteen. This amendment was passed on June thirtieth, 1971.

The final amendment was the twenty-seventh amendment, and it stated that a group of representatives must vote on pay raises fro Congress members.

The purpose of the amendments was to alter the Constitution without changing the actual text of the original document. The influence of the amendments was great. The many amendments changed the lives of many people, particularly slaves that were now set free. Overall, the amendments to the Constitution are one of the most important documents, and probably always will be.