This documentation set is adapted from the National Constitution Center. Every amendment page is a 1:1 mirror of the canonical text published there.
27 Amendments · 1791–1992
The living document: liberty expanded, era by era.
The U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1788, from the Bill of Rights through the Reconstruction Amendments to modern reforms.
Bill of Rights
The first 10 amendments, ratified December 15, 1791, are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. They safeguard individual liberties and place limits on federal power.First Amendment
Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition.
Second Amendment
Right to Bear Arms.
Third Amendment
Quartering of Soldiers.
Fourth Amendment
Search and Seizure.
Fifth Amendment
Grand Jury, Double Jeopardy, Self Incrimination, Due Process, Takings.
Sixth Amendment
Right to a Speedy Trial by Jury, Witnesses, and Counsel.
Seventh Amendment
Jury Trial in Civil Lawsuits.
Eighth Amendment
Excessive Fines, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
Ninth Amendment
Non-Enumerated Rights Retained by the People.
Tenth Amendment
Powers Reserved to the States or the People.
Pre-Civil War Amendments
Eleventh Amendment
Suits Against States. Ratified 1795.
Twelfth Amendment
Election of President and Vice President. Ratified 1804.
Reconstruction Amendments
Passed after the Civil War, the Reconstruction Amendments abolished slavery, guaranteed equal protection, and protected voting rights.Thirteenth Amendment
Abolition of Slavery. Ratified 1865.
Fourteenth Amendment
Citizenship Rights, Equal Protection, Apportionment, Civil War Debt. Ratified 1868.
Fifteenth Amendment
Right to Vote Not Denied by Race. Ratified 1870.
Progressive Era Amendments
Sixteenth Amendment
Income Tax. Ratified 1913.
Seventeenth Amendment
Popular Election of Senators. Ratified 1913.
Eighteenth Amendment
Prohibition of Liquor. Ratified 1919.
Nineteenth Amendment
Women’s Right to Vote. Ratified 1920.
Modern Era Amendments
Twentieth Amendment
Presidential Term and Succession, Assembly of Congress. Ratified 1933.
Twenty-First Amendment
Repeal of Prohibition. Ratified 1933.
Twenty-Second Amendment
Two-Term Limit on the Presidency. Ratified 1951.
Twenty-Third Amendment
Presidential Vote for the District of Columbia. Ratified 1961.
Twenty-Fourth Amendment
Abolition of Poll Taxes. Ratified 1964.
Twenty-Fifth Amendment
Presidential Disability and Succession. Ratified 1967.
Twenty-Sixth Amendment
Right to Vote at Age 18. Ratified 1971.
Twenty-Seventh Amendment
Congressional Compensation. Ratified 1992.