Section 1. "The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the 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." Thanks to this amendment, the residents of Washington DC can vote representatives in the Electoral College. Since DC is not an actual state, its population can vote for the president or the Congress or a representative in Congress, but nowadays Washington DC can send a representative can talk on behalf of the population but doesn't have the right to vote.
I like this video because it explains about the twenty-third amendment using illustrations and examples that help you understand it better.
In the image we can see the Capitol in Washington DC with a sign hanging of it that says We Want to Vote.
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 the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the 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 (text) 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."
After President Roosevelt broke tradition and served for 4 terms, it was established that a President could only be in office for a maximum of 2 terms of four years each.
I thought this pin regarding the 22nd amendment saying "No man is good three times" was interesting and funny.
This is a video created by the history channel explaining why we have Presidential term limits in the United States.
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." This amendment is directly related to the eighteenth amendment that was the one that established Prohibition (no consume, production or transportation of alcohol). The twenty-first amendment repeals the 18th.
I thought this image was very funny because we can see people celebrating the end of Prohibition. The image is from December 5th, 1933.
Here we can see a picture of Homer celebrating the end of the Prohibition period in Springfield.
Section 1. "The terms of the President and 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 elect 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 (text) by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission." The twentieth amendment is the one that sets when the federal government offices start and end. It also says who succeeds the President in case he dies.
The video gives an explanation about this amendment, talking about what every section means and exposing pros and cons about it.
I put the image because the nickname of the 20th amendment is lame duck. In politics the term lame duck is used when an elected official already has a voted successor and he has limited time left in office.
"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." This was a big change in American politics and the Constitution because it was the first time women could vote in the elections. This meant that now everybody was allowed to vote in the United States.
In the first image we can see a group of women protesting agains President Wilson and not allowing them to vote. In the second one we can see women voting in New York in 1920 in one of the first elections they were able to vote.
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.
This amendment is interesting because it is the only one that has been repealed from the US Constitution. It talks about banning the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol. This amendment was established in 1919 and it was a big failure because it made people find other ways to drink and sell it undercover.
This video is from the Simpsons. It is one of my favorite scenes, where Homer makes his own alcohol when Prohibition gets approved in Springfield.
Here we can see the Orange Country (California) Sheriff dumping alcohol after the establishment of the 18th amendment.
"When the United States Constitution was originally drafted, the Senate was designed to be a counterbalance to the influence of popular opinion. While the House was to be elected directly by the people and the representatives would serve two-year terms, the Senate was to be chosen, two in each state, by the state legislature for six-year terms. The idea was for the Senate to be "above the fray" and capable of more detached consideration of issues. In practice, selection of senators became influenced by business interests and political machines. The Progressive Movement opposed this system and proposed to replace it with direct election by the people. Congress passed an amendment to this effect in 1912 and in 1913 it was ratified as the Seventeenth Amendment. 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 Senate is one of the two houses of the US Congress. This amendment tells us how Senators are elected. People elect two senators from each state, and the senator will serve for six years in the Congress. Each senator has one vote.
I liked this two videos very much because they explains what the seventeenth amendment is saying in a very simple and clear way.
"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 sixteenth amendment allows the federal government to collect an income tax from all Americans.
This is a comedy illustration where we can see a banker shaking a man to take his money and collect his taxes. A lot of people say that "the government steals money from us by collecting taxes".
This video explains how the taxing system works, relating it to beer. I thought it was a funny and interesting way to explain it.
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 power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation." This is definitely an important amendment since it gives people the right to vote. When this amendment was created in 1869, women weren't allowed to vote and they had to wait another 50 years. Voting is a right that we sometimes take for granted, but we have to remember that there are many countries in which you can't vote to decide who is in power.
This illustration is very interesting because we can see the first African American to vote in the United States.
In this other illustration we can see a black man going to vote, while a group of white man around him look with unhappiness and disappointment.
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 power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article."
The fourteenth amendment is one of the most important one's because it basically defends that any person born or naturalized in the United States has the same rights and is protected from having them taken away. This means that independently from your race, your religion, where you come from or any kind of orientation or ideology you will have rights. This was very important for the African American community, since a lot of African Americans were treated with inferiority.
This is a very interesting and well explained video regarding the fourteenth amendment. This youtube channel has a lot of interesting videos about the constitution and American history.
This video created by Yale University, is a discussion between historians and scholars regarding the fourteenth amendment. They talk about the origins of this constitution amendment 150 years later.
"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."
The thirteenth amendment puts an end to slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States (Section One) The only way that you might have to serve involuntary is if you commit a crime and have to pay for it (Section 2)
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the first president that started the movement to abolish slavery.
This video talks about how slavery has left a big scar in the United States history. It talks about geography, about what slaves did in the U.S. and what ended it.
"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 the 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." The twelfth amendment talks about how the President is elected in the United States, as well as the Vice-President. It also talks about function that the Vice-President has in case the President is disabled. In the United States people vote every four years, but the candidate that receives the most votes doesn't necessary have to become President. This is due to the Electoral College (group of people that represent each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Their job is to formally cast votes for the president and vice president). This is an important amendment because it shows us how the electoral system work.
This image is interesting because it shows how many Electoral College votes each state of the United States has.
I am a big fan of TED videos and this one from TED Education is great. It is one of the best and favorite media pieces I have included in my blog. It is not long, but it is very detailed and well explained and the illustrations are very funny.
"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." The eleventh amendment text doesn't allow a person to sue a state in federal court without the state's consent of that state.
This amendment might be a little bit difficult to understand, so this video will certainly be of some help. It has a lot of drawings and pictures that help you understand it better.
This is another illustrated video that talks about this amendment. I like it because a part from it telling you what the amendment is and what it means, it also explains why it was created and what were the reasons to include it in the Constitution.
"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." This amendment basically says that any power that isn't given by the federal government it can be given to the people by the states. If we remember the articles of the constitution, this amendment establishes similar things because it means that states keep their independence, freedom, sovereignty, rights...
This is a very short video, but it explains the amendment very clearly. It's easy to understand even though it's short. Most videos about the amendments are very long and some of them give you too much information or are boring so this one is short and gives exact information about it.
In this drawing we can see two very different people. The one on the right being very liberal, defending the legalization of marihuana and the one on the right being conservative, chewing what looks like tobacco. They are both asking for states' rights.
"The enumeration in the Constitution (narrative), of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The ninth amendment is telling us that even thought there are rights that are not cited in the Constitution, it doesn't mean they can be violated. Like for example: right to privacy.
This is an interesting article that talks about how the ninth amendment could extend privacy to our personal electronic devices. The same way police can't search us without permission, they shouldn't be able to access our devices.
The illustration relates to the ninth amendment because the 9th amendment gives power to the people in the sense that you have other rights apart from the ones that appear on the constitution.
"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted." The VIII Amendment is a very important one because it establishes that punishment can't be excessive and it should be proportional to the crime committed and the fines and bails can't be large amounts. This amendment has been controversial because in the United States the Death Penalty is allowed which could be considered an excessive punishment.
This video discusses what is a cruel or unusual punishment and how that is decided. The constitution doesn't say what is considered a cruel punishment so there has been many talk about this issue.
Here we can see how a man that steels some money is punished excessively with a fine of 500 million dollars and 300 years in jail.
"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."
The seventh amendment says that any problems that involve amounts less than $75000 will not be handled in a federal court and you can't create your own court. Trials will always happen in courts recognized by the government.
I chose this video because it makes a relation between the seventh amendment and public colleges and universities. In this comic strip the 7th amendment is explained. As you can see i'm a big fan of comic illustrations! ;-)
"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." This amendment is very important and it establishes a lot of important rights. First of all it defends the right that people have right to a speedy trial, which means that if you are accused of something you can't be held in jail until a trial has been celebrated. The trial also has to be public so it is fair and impartial. At the same time, the accused person has the right to know who accused him of committing the crime, he can ask questions and has the option to hire an attorney.
This is a very clear video about the sixth amendment that uses drawings so we understand it better. It is short and very easy to understand and it sets interesting examples.
I really liked this illustration because it applies to todays world, relating the sixth amendment and technology. We can see the jury searching in their phones about the lawyer defending one of the people accused.
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation." This is an important amendment because it gives people the right to remain silent, which means they don't have to talk against themselves.
In the movie Miss Sloane we can see how the actress "Takes the Fifth" when the jury asks her questions. It is an interesting part of a movie where we can see how you can use this amendment during a trial.
In this comic illustration we can see a pair of judges talking about the fifth amendment and the only case it would not apply in.
"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized." The fourth amendment protects people from being searched or having things taken away from them. In order to be searched there has to be permission from a judge or have a very good reason. This amendment is important because it protects people's innocence and privacy. It is true that sometimes it can give time to a criminal and make things hard for the police, but if you think about it, why shouldn't you let police search you or your possessions if you have nothing to hide?
I thought this video was interesting because we can see a man trying to see if a couple of police officers follow the fourth amendment. Watch and see what happens...
In this comic strip we can see how a couple officers are breaking into a property without permission, violating 4th amendment privacy right.
"No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." This amendment allows soldiers to stay in people's homes during wartime, but when peace is reestablished, they can't live there unless the owner gives them permission to do so. The amendment can help soldiers during difficult times, but when it comes to times where there is peace, the owners rights are over the soldiers' and he can ask him to abandon his house.
This is a funny comic vignette in relation with the third amendment, where we can see a citizen not allowing a soldier to stay in his house during peace times.
This is a history video about mysteries of the third amendment and how and why it was established. Although it is very long it gives a lot of information and I believe it's an interesting amendment of the Constitution.
"A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The second amendment allows people in the United States to have possession of Arms. This is a very controversial amendment, because a lot of people are not in favor of people being in control of guns. This amendment was approved in 1791 which was a very long time ago. Things have changed quite a bit since this was included in the Constitution, and from my point of view possession of guns is not necessary anymore. I might have this opinion because I come from a country where people are not allowed to have Arms (Spain). Nowadays we have police that usually look after our security and protect us and we also have amazingly prepared armies when things get into more dangerous situations.
This video helps us understand if Gun Ownership is a Right in the United States. It helped me a lot since I am from a foreign country. It breaks down what this amendment is actually saying in a very clear language.
I really liked this image because it shows how the creators of the constitution and we the people are the ones that have allowed guns to be legal in the United States.
