Amendment Twenty Seven and It's Meaning

Amendment Twenty Seven

"No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened."

The 27th amendment took the longest to be ratified since it got proposed. It took 20 years for it to be ratified by the states. The 27th was ratified finally in 1992, it deals with pay raises and decreases for Congress and it's members. It states that Congress cannot give itself a pay raise and if it was to make changes in the pay it would not take effect until after another election happens (it cannot take effect until the next term).
My opinions on this amendment are up and down. I do agree that they shouldn't be able to give themselves a pay raise, but then again, who even controls that when they ARE the government? I just think its good that they at least acknowledged the fact and have made it an amendment to clarify how their pay works.

This is just a quick recap on the amendment and how it was finally passed. It clarified for me that they could not get a pay raise until the next term came into office so I chose it because it helped me better understand. I do think he got the date wrong at the beginning, he said it was passed in 1997, but I believe it was 1992. Anyways, I enjoyed his awkwardness and also the fact that he cleared up a few things for me.

I got this picture from http://www.keyword-suggestions.com/Mjd0aCBhbWVuZG1lbnQ/
I chose it because it does kind of scare me that they can just propose to give themselves a raise for the next term they serve. But then again, if I don't think they deserve that raise I can just use my right to vote and hopefully get them out of office for a second term!! I don't know the entire context of this picture as I do not know who Mike is, but I just like the words he is saying as it puts things into a different perspective.

Amendment Twenty Six and It's Meaning

Amendment Twenty Six

"Section 1

The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

Section 2

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."


Amendment 26 is important because it states that anyone over the age of 18 may vote. Before, it was 21 years of age, which made no sense because they were drafting 18 year olds to war. That is all there is to this amendment. I am thankful for it and believe that it is an appropriate age to be able to vote.

This was a super good video. It is short and gives useful facts regarding the amendment. It shows the history of all the voting amendment and what year each became proposed and ratified. The 26th was proposed in June of 1970 and ratified and put into Constitution in July of 1971. I never knew it was so recent that this became an amendment so that was something new I learned as well.

I think this video would have been a good video to use for back in the 70s when some of the states did not agree with the voting age going down to 18. It uses a quote "old enough to die, old enough to vote" which I thought was very powerful for just eight words. The video shows soldiers who are young fighting in war, some against their own will, to protect the country. They had no voice, but were forced to fight and die in war. So I enjoyed this video as it would've been good "propaganda" for the people against the new amendment.

Amendment Twenty Five and It's Meaning

Amendment Twenty Five

"Section 1

In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Section 2

Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Section 3

Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Section 4

Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office."

Amendment 25 has four sections, each with different standings dealing with the president in a case if he were to die, if the VP were to die, if he (the president) were undergoing a situation where he feels unfit to be in charge, and if the VP feels the president is unfit to be president.

Section one states that if the president were to die, the vice president would take over, this assures that no one else from the opposing party becomes president, rather the VP of the same party will take the throne as president.

Section two states that if the VP were to die, or if the  VP position was vacant, the president is allowed to choose a different VP who has to be voted and approved by Congress before assuming the position as VP.

Section three states that the president can allow the VP to take the roles as president if he (the president) feels unfit to be in charge at the moment, such as undergoing medical complications. The president must write this out on a piece of paper and sign it for it to be official.

Finally, Section four states that the vice president along with members of the cabinet can, at any time, vote the president unfit at doing his job. The president can then oppose this with a declaration sent to Congress. In turn, the cabinet and VP can do the same and if they get a 2/3 majority vote from Congress they may take him out of office.

I think this a very important amendment to our Constitution as the first three sections have been used many times in history. It clears out all confusions if an event were to take place that may result in the president or VP from being in office.

I got this picture from https://www.haikudeck.com/kason-aaron-uncategorized-presentation-qT4z0jFAYX

I chose this picture because it is a very known event that happened in history, but I never knew what amendment actually stated these rules. When Kennedy got assassinated, Johnson immediately took over as president. This shows how important this amendment is because without it, the world would be a confusing mess of who will be president next.

This video goes more into depth on when the actual amendment was proposed and also gives facts on how many deaths there have been in the office before the amendment. It proposes that without the 25th amendment, the U.S. could turn into a dictatorship (not sure how or why), but in a sense I guess that could happen if someone wanted to take control without permission if it weren't written in the constitution.

Amendment Twenty Four and It's Meaning

Amendment Twenty Four

"Section 1

The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay poll tax or other tax.

Section 2

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."


The 24th amendment was created because there used to be poll taxes required to vote because they effectively prevented African Americans from voting because they would not have enough money. It was unfair and that is why this amendment was created. Although they had the right to vote, it was harder for them to do so because of this tax.
I am all for this amendment because it leads to more equality for all and was done so for the right reasons. There shouldn't have ever even been a tax to vote, because that is a RIGHT.

Yet again another crumby video, but it'll do for me! It is short and simple and easy to understand. It points out the pros of the amendment and also how it was a big step forward for the civil rights activist movement- Africans Americans were paid less than white people and could not afford to vote.

.I got this picture from http://imgarcade.com/1/amendment-24-poll-tax/

I chose this picture because it really stood out to me. I was looking through google for some pictures of the 24th amendment and a bunch of poll tax receipts came up. On each one they have to put their color and I noticed that every one I looked at was a white person which goes to show that it really did limit African Americans from voting. I also thought this was pretty interesting just to see. The price went up over the years as well when I looked at one is was just $1 and this one is $1.75.  

Amendment Twenty Three and It's Meaning

Amendment Twenty Three

"Section 1

The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as Congress may direct:
A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment.

Section 2

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."



The 23rd amendment is mostly all about representation in Washington DC. As the District of Columbia is not technically a state of the U.S., the citizens of DC used to not have the right to vote or anyone to represent them. The amendment was passed in 1961 allowing citizens the right to vote for their electoral college voters and to be represented. DC has no Senators or House representatives, but they do get electoral voters. The rule with this is that they get as many as the lowest populated state, at the moment this is three electoral votes.
I personally think this amendment was a great idea because it is not fair that anyone who is a citizen of America not have the right to vote, and I also think it is fair that they have just electoral voters and no Senator or House representative.

This video helped me understand the amendment better. It follows a woman wondering if she has the right to vote for president and the man shows her the 23rd amendment that states she can do so now because of the amendment. It's short and to the point so I really enjoyed that about it since I was able to gather some more information on the amendment.

This video is a little rough with some spelling errors, but I chose it because it taught me something that I didn't understand completely before. "Taxation without representation" which is where the citizens of DC had to pay taxes but were not allowed the right to vote. It also shows a picture of the states that ratified the amendment and shows that the South was widely against it since DC is prominently African American. It does surprise me that people really believed they shouldn't have the right to vote.

Amendment Twenty Two and It's Meaning

Amendment Twenty Two

"Section 1

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Section 2

This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress."


Amendment 22 states and clarifies that the no person can be elected as President more than two terms (4 years each). I think that the 22nd amendment being created was/is a great idea because I don't think it would be good for the country to have the same president for more than 8 years as it isn't fair and it also would limit change occurring. Therefore, it would be bad for the country.

This picture is hilarious, and true in the context of three terms for president. I am not totally against a third term for Obama, but when I look to the future and if there was to be another president I do not like (*cough* Trump) then I would be all for the 22nd amendment. That's why I believe that two times is enough and then it is on to the next to make different changes throughout the world.

This video is a little biased as Miss GiGi does not agree with the abolishment of 22nd amendment. I would side with her on this one. I liked this video because I didn't know that anyone was trying to actually abolish it; along with Obama wanting to serve three terms.. They also go to say someone is trying to keep the 22nd along with adding a limit to terms served by the House and the Senate (which I would not really agree with because that seems like too much extra).

Amendment Twenty One and It's Meaning

Amendment Twenty One

"Section 1

The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2

The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or Possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Section 3

This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress."

Amendment 21 is another prohibition amendment. When the 18th was looked down on and citizens started to do unlawful crimes, they made the 21st amendment to put more laws on alcohol. With this amendment the 18th was repealed and it allowed for states to make their own laws regarding alcohol. Dry laws were used when the 21st amendment overturned prohibition, they allowed states to set their own laws for liquor licensing and alcohol consumption.

I found this picture at: http://www.lostinthebeeraisle.com/2012/01/21st-amendment-allies-win-the-war.html

I chose it because I like that instantly as it was passed, people were ready to brew beer for the world. The 21st amendment is one that I agree with, even thought they have made some weird laws in certain states regarding liquor. For instance, I am 20 and cannot open or pour alcoholic beverages at work, but I can serve them with a liquor license (doesn't make much sense). Anyways, this picture just gives a real example of the "surprising turn of events" regarding alcohol prohibition.

I enjoyed this video thoroughly and I hope you do too. It goes from the beginning when people protested against the 18th "we want booze" to when it was repealed in turn by the 21st amendment being created; it then goes to show a bunch of GI Joes (or whatever they are) getting drunk and exercising their new freedoms!

Amendment Twenty and It's Meaning

Amendment Twenty

"Section 1

The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3

If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section 4

The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5

Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6

This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission."



Amendment 20 in simple terms is just there to determine the dates that federal government elected offices end; it also clarifies who becomes president if the president dies. There isn't much else to say on this amendment, it really just makes sure that everything is fair and done in a timely fashion. The presidents used to end on March 4th and it is now January 20th. The new congress takes office on January 3rd and also meets once a year on the same date.

This video explains the amendment in great detail and sheds light on what each section of the amendment means, I summarized most of it up in my "explanation of the amendment".

I got this picture from: http://courtneyddye.blogspot.com/2014/04/amendment-20.html

This is a funny one since the amendment is referred to as the lame duck amendment. I think this was before he was elected for second term in office, so the man is telling him not to be offended by everyone else and just keep being president!

Amendment Nineteen and It's Meaning

Amendment Nineteen

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

Amendment nineteen, AKA the BEST amendment ever (in my opinion). It is the amendment that gave women the right to vote in 1920! Even though amendment 15 stated that no one shall be denied the right to vote, I guess women weren't considered citizens at the time (silly people). I am greatly thankful for this amendment as I am a woman.

I retrieved this picture from: http://pssigmyblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/19th-amendment.html

This picture makes me ashamed of our past as America that women had to be excluded from such an important thing. I could never imagine going through a time where I was technically not considered an important citizen enough to be able to vote, what a shame.. This woman is standing up for her rights as a citizen, after all that Mr.President wouldn't even be on the Earth without us women!

This video sheds light onto the two women who started the suffrage movement (they didn't live to see the amendment passed). I truly respect those women and because of them we have women involved in the political system now, and even a woman who made it to the general elections (and sadly did not win over her opposition).

Amendment Eighteen and It's Meaning

Amendment Eighteen:

"Section 1

After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

Section 2

The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Section 3

This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress."


Amendment 18 is all about the use of alcohol being banned and deemed illegal; whether that be selling, buying, drinking, or whatever else one may do with it. This amendment is the only amendment that has been repealed (thankfully). Obviously this amendment was a failure because a lot of Americans still sold and drank alcohol.
Section 1 of this amendment states that each state has a year to okay the amendment and after that year, the selling and drinking if liquor is prohibited and illegal.
Section 2 of this amendment states that Congress can do whatever needs to be done to enforce it, such as making laws regarding it.
Section 3 states that it has to be ratifies by the states in seven years for it to be invalid.

I DO NOT like this amendment; although I do agree alcohol can lead to many poor and unwanted behaviors that can lead to negative outcomes.

This video goes into the details of the problems of the prohibition amendment. It shows that the American people really did not care, and continued to indulge in the fun activities associated with liquor, along with the illegal selling. It is a pretty funny video I would say, and I enjoyed it for sure. It even goes to claim that the use of alcohol was more prominent in this era than before it was prohibited.

I retrieved this picture from: https://www.haikudeck.com/amendment-18-project--education-presentation-cMRQDBhsX3
Okay, now this is just funny. I totally agree with these ladies (maybe some men). I am also a little confused where the men are because it was prominently women who wanted alcohol use to be illegal. This picture just demonstrates how the 18th amendment was not liked AT ALL.

Amendment Seventeen and It's Meaning

Amendment Seventeen

"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. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution."

The 17th amendment first lays down the number of senators in the Senate (2 for each state regardless of population, 100 total) and how long there term is (6 years). This amendment allows for us American citizens to directly vote for the senators of our state (this is important), and if any senator is to leave office then the governor is allowed to appoint somebody new. There is a lot of talk about how the 17th amendment should be removed, but I think this is a horrible idea. Being able to directly vote for someone to make decisions in Congress is important and without that, there would be corruption and unfairness. Removing this amendment would anger me and many other Americans who want their voices to be heard.

This video gives further insight onto what the 17th amendment is and does, the guy who made the video states that he does not want the 17th amendment to be taken away and I feel the same way as him which is why I chose this video. The first clip of the man explaining the amendment does a well job and explains how if it was to be taken away the government would have total control and the states and people who have no say (further why I think it would be horrible to take away this amendment). Also, ignore the last few minutes of it as they are irrelevant.

This is a rap about the 17th amendment and I chose it because it sides with my view that the 17th amendment should not be appealed. It is important and prevents the system from being corrupt and unfair. It keeps democracy alive.

Amendment Sixteen and It's Meaning

Amendment Sixteen

"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."


The 16th amendment is all about the government taking the working Americans money, sort of. It basically gives the government the right to collect taxes from us that goes to building roads, maintaining an army, and etc. They are aloud to take money from working Americans no matter where it comes from as long as it is considered to be income no matter what the census (number of people living in America) is. I personally feel two opposite ways towards this; one way being I hate seeing money I earned leave my check and I sometimes I think it is unfair that the money I am working hard for is being taken away from me, and the other way being that I think the money (for the most part) goes to a good deed.

This video gives a different light on the 16th amendment. Ron Paul claims that the 16th amendment is unconstitutional as it takes away money from working Americans and gives it to welfare and less progressive things, he also goes into detail about inflation which could become a big problem. I wouldn't say I totally agree with Ron Paul as I believe that some income taxes go to good types of welfare (Medicaid/Medicare and people who have no way of working), but also he does have a good point that us working people should be able to keep our money as paying income taxes creates a worse scenario when it comes to inflation. I am no expert on all of this so my view point for the 16th amendment lies in the middle as I don't know enough information about how income taxes truly work.

I retrieved this picture from: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjb7PS6y4vQAhXK6yYKHUIdCxIQjRwIBw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgabbypenaflor2014.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F05%2Famendment-16.html&psig=AFQjCNGjxGC51kGe50HhDnMoCV6ourcAQw&ust=1478228213844198

I chose this picture because it made me giggle; pretty much this is how I feel every time I see my $0.00 check being a waitress. I earn money in tips, and get paid very low in hourly wages, which sometimes I do need because not everyone tips.. but once I get a zero dollar check, I want to cry..

Amendment Fifteen and It's Meaning

Amendment Fifteen

"Section 1

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude —

Section 2

The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

Amendment 15: the voting amendment. Anyone over the age of 18 of any gender or race, as long as they are a U.S. citizen, has the right to vote. It protects our right to vote during elections and what not and cannot be taken away. The 15th amendment was important to African Americans as it finally gave them the right to vote and be elected as public officials.

This video further explains my definition and explanation of the 15th. It puts emphasis on how African Americans could finally vote and how it affected them in a positive way as they were given the right to become public officials.

This video gives the background on the 15th amendment and also shows that women did not approve this amendment because it only granted the right to vote for males. (I never knew this so I chose this video since it taught me something new).

Amendment Fourteen and It's Meaning

Amendment Fourteen

"Section 1

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Section 2

Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

Section 3

No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4

The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5

The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."


Amendment 14 in a summed up version pretty much defines what it means to be a U.S. citizen. It protects our rights and civil liberties and defines that if you are born on U.S. soil you are a U.S. citizen (citizenship clause) and that no one can take that citizenship away from you. The 14th also reinforces the Bill of Rights and protects the 1st amendment rights that cannot be taken away without due clause (due process clause). The 14th amendment also states that there can be NO discrimination from the law on any person (equal protection clause); this one is a little iffy to me considering there is still a wide range of racial discrimination on people of color by the law enforcement.

I chose this picture from http://learni.st/learnings/356487-14th-amendment-political-cartoon; It is showing a man from the tea party (bad guy) who wants to repeal the 14th amendment. The baby says someone needs a diaper change which I thoroughly enjoyed! Anyone born on this soil is a citizen and the right should never be taken away!


I got this picture from http://associationavh.com/fr/14th-amendment-cartoon and I chose it because it made me laugh as well. Only because us American did invade the Indians land which is messed up in a sense. I don't know if I have the whole concept of this picture or not, I just thought it was funny because the roles are reversed.

Amendment Thirteen and It's Meaning

Amendment Thirteen

"Section 1

Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."


Amendment 13 (the best amendment ever) officially abolished slavery in the United States. Section 1 states that slavery and involuntary serving can NOT exist in the U.S. unless the involuntary servitude is punishment due to a crime being committed (like community service).
Section 2 of amendment 13 means that Congress must carry out this amendment no matter what.

This video further explains (in a monotone voice) the impact of the 13th amendment on the lives of slaves and what their lives were like after slavery was abolished (getting married, finding families, finding new professions). I like this video because it puts into perspective the things we may take for granted today that some people did not get to experience just based on the color of their skin.

Wow- I really do like this video and it opened up my eyes to something I have never thought about. This video is an interview with two of the people who assisted in making the documentary "13th" about the 13th amendment and how although slavery was abolished, it is still present in the form of prison labor by use of the (criminal punishment lever in the amendment). They talk how the system has built upon this lever by basically stereotyping against African Americans and this resulting in them being incarcerated for some reasons that may not cause a white person to be incarcerated for committing the same thing. Prison is a sense of slavery.. I recommend watching this documentary cause I sure will!

Amendment Twelve and It's Meaning

Amendment Twelve

"The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate; — the President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted; — The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President. — The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

As I am positive no one would want to read that, I am going to sum up the twelfth amendment. All in all, there were many problems back in the day regarding the presidential election of the president and vice president. There would be miscommunication (or not enough) and the Electoral College would end up voting the wrong numbers which in turn would have a president and vice president of opposing parties. Another problem arose as the two opposing parties would tie and it would then go to the House for them to decide which could be rigged. So after these complications the twelfth amendment was created so that instead of the electors choosing two options for president, they will choose one president and one vice president.

This is a video that furthers my explanation on the 12th amendment and more of what the electoral college does and how it has changed since the beginning. I like it because it really cleared out this amendment for me and should be able to do the same for you! It is very clear with information and did not leave me confused.

I chose this video (even though it does not mention the 12th amendment) because it further explains the electoral college which is useful in fully understanding the 12th amendment along with how the votes from each state truly affect the outcome of presidential elections. I enjoyed this video and definitely left with a better understanding of the twelfth amendment and electoral college and how they work/go hand in hand.

Amendment Eleven and It's Meaning

Amendment 11

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

Although I am having some troubles understanding this amendment, I am getting the gist of it. The amendment revolves highly around a Supreme Court ruling in 1793 (Chisholm vs Georgia) whereas a man tried to sue Georgia because they owed him. Georgia tried to claim they didn't have to oblige and give him his money because they had sovereign immunity from this. The federal courts did not like this because it took power away from them so they ruled in favor of Chisholm because in Article three section two, it states that the supreme courts are allowed to hear certain types of cases. This was feared by the states and they soon took action to amend and overturn this which created amendment 11- therefore amendment 11 now states that citizens cannot sue states without it's consent.

I chose this video because it gives a larger explanation on the eleventh amendment with great examples. It helped me understand it quite a bit more and is just a good educational video. It sums up the fact that you can NOT sue a state for money, but you can sue them for doing something unconstitutional.

I chose this picture from https://www.haikudeck.com/amendment-11--uncategorized-presentation-Lt4FAacOaC

It is a pretty simple picture and doesn't explain much, but it does put emphasis that this amendment has a great deal to do with judicial power and the fact that they were limited by this amendment.

Amendment Ten and It's Meaning

Amendment Ten:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

The tenth amendment just states that any powers that don’t belong to the federal government are given to the states and the people.

I think this amendment is of less value than many other considering the previous amendment. It just allows the states to have rights rather than just the people. All in all, I don’t think it is that important. I do appreciate the fact that it tries to limit the powers of the federal government.

I only chose this video because it gives an example (a poor one). It points out that it is pretty much all about states rights.

https://storify.com/public/templates/slideshow/index.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fstorify.com%2Fregar1761%2Fhuman-rights&header=none&template=slideshow#1

I like this part of the tenth amendment; it allows for states to decide what kind of laws to make regarding marriage without interference of the federal government. I believe all states should be about equality and allow gay marriage.

Amendment Nine and It's Meaning

Amendment Nine:

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment nine protects the rights of people that are not directly listed in the constitution, that although they may not be listed, they cannot be violated. In a sense, it limits the powers of the government to retain our own rights not listed in the constitution. The Penumbra of the Constitution goes hand in hand with this amendment because it defines that just because something isn’t defined or legitimate does not mean that it is not important. The word penumbra means “shadow”.

I like amendment nine because it protects me and all of the other citizens. It protects our rights that are no clearly defined and assures that even if something is not written does not mean that it will be taken away or not important.

No matter how silly this video is, I really like it. It’s actually kind of funny and it gives many examples of life without the ninth amendment (although they are exaggerated). It shows that if there was no ninth amendment that there could really be chaos and the government and states could over rule We The People.

http://www.toondoo.com/public/h/o/l/holyflannel/toons/cool-cartoon-2113663.png

I chose this picture because it puts into perspective (for me at least) the importance of the ninth amendment. I love animals, and if the government ever told me I couldn’t have pets, I would go crazy. It doesn't explain the amendment all that well, but it just shows an example of it.

Amendment Eight and It's Meaning

Amendment Eight

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

The first part of amendment eight states that the judge cannot assign the accused person excessive amounts of bail; bail is used to make sure that the accused makes it to trial, if they don’t they lose that money. The reason for this is to assure that the judge does not base the amount of bail based on the crime committed (if the crime was worse they would want to make the bail larger or excessive). The second part of the amendment states that nothing cruel or unusual in terms of punishing the accused shall be inflicted. This is still pretty up in the air with the death penalty and what exactly is considered cruel or unusual.

My own thoughts regarding the last part of the amendment is that I am pretty against the death penalty. Yes, there can be certain pros to it, but all in all no human should be killed, that in a sense cancels out us convicting THEM for killing if we are just going to do the same thing. There are horrible crimes committed and at times I would agree with the death penalty, but all in all I am against it. I think it is a waste of money as it is very expensive to be carried out.

This video shows that getting rid of the death penalty will be an overall positive. It saves money, gives more justice, and allows the judges to focus on other more important cases.

I like this video a lot… It shows the real side of these inmates and how they are humans just like us. Some people are innocent and are on death row. I do feel sympathy for these people, especially the ones innocent. It shows how much more costly it is to keep the death penalty (2 million dollars for tax payers for each inmate) rather than to just sentence them to life in prison. There are a lot of injustices that can go on with the death penalty and it is no joke, this is life and death and it shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Amendment Seven and It's Meaning

Amendment Seven

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 seven is all about lawsuits and the act of suing another person. When this amendment was made, the amount had to be at least 20 dollars in order for the dispute to be handled by federal court. Back then, that was a lot of money. Today, the amount required is $75,000. The other portion of amendment seven is that if a person goes to court it must be a court standard by the government.

I have mixed emotions on this one. For me, $75,000 is a lot of money, so what if I wanted to make a case of only $50,000? On the other hand, I think the fact that it is such a high amount makes it have more importance and it will assure the courts are not wasting their time on such an irrelevant case that does not involve a lot of money.

http://www.toondoo.com/toondoo/View.toon?param=580549

I found this political cartoon and instantly loved it. It shows my meaning above that a case being smaller than the required amount is irrelevant. We can just pretend it says $75,000 instead of $20! J The picture is just a simple explanation of the amendment seven.

Again… very sorry for the acting in the video; it was the only video I could find that gave a proper example of the seventh amendment dealing with money. Just skip to the end and you will see! It just shows a more modernized version that younger people will understand.

Amendment Six and It's Meaning

Amendment Six

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.

In other words, amendment six gives us the right to have a lawyer and the right to a speedy trial. The speedy trial was made to assure that someone convicted or accused of a crime do not have to wait years for their trial to take place. The time varies from state to state. If the state goes over the time limit of the date promised, the case will be dismissed. A person may also waive the speedy trial in order to have more time until their trial. The reason for all of this is to assure that no one that is innocent sits in jail for five years while awaiting their trial. The accused also has the right to an unprejudiced jury to view and decide on their case.

In my opinion, amendment six is very important, especially for those who are innocent. It promises that they will not be put in jail while awaiting their trial date and instead they will get to the trial quickly. It also gives them the right to waive the speedy trial so one can have more time to prepare which is always nice considering that life can be hectic at times. I think this amendment is very important and without it there would be a lot of injustices with sending innocent people to jail to wait. It gives the accused the right to have witnesses come to their trial to testify for them and be informed of all the charges being brought against them. These are all significant aspects of the amendment. You also get the right to an attorney which is a very important aspect of the amendment.

This video explains the sixth amendment very well. It gives the example of someone waiting five years in jail for jay-walking- this would be absurd. This shows the importance of the amendment. It also explains the other aspects of the amendment and the importance, it gives awesome examples and it helps in my better understanding of the amendment. The ending of the video is pretty cool because she says that we all have the rights of this amendment and that all convicts are humans too J

http://mcatty.com/waco-twin-peaks-massacre-the-more-things-change/

This cartoon is funny and I like it because it points out the biggest aspect of the sixth amendment; the right to a speedy trial.