US Constitution Quiz: Test Your Amendment Knowledge

The First Amendment protects core expressive freedoms that allow democracy to function. It includes freedom of religion, meaning government cannot establish a religion or block worship, freedom of speech and of the press, so ideas can be shared openly, and freedom of assembly and petition, so people can gather and challenge government decisions. Together, these protections create space for debate, dissent, and peaceful political change.

The Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. Historically it was tied to well regulated militias, where armed citizens could defend their communities and states. Modern interpretations recognize lawful private gun ownership, subject to reasonable regulation. The key idea is that the Constitution secures a specific right related to weapons, not general rights like voting, speaking, or owning property.

The Third Amendment comes from colonial anger at British troops being forced into private homes. It forbids the government from requiring people to quarter soldiers in peacetime without the owner’s consent, and in wartime only as prescribed by law. Even though it is rarely litigated today, it expresses a strong principle that government must respect the privacy and security of the home against unwanted military intrusion.

The Fifth Amendment creates several important protections for people accused of crimes. Serious federal charges usually must start with a grand jury indictment. The amendment bars double jeopardy, so you cannot be tried twice for the same offense. It guarantees due process before loss of life, liberty, or property. It also contains the Takings Clause, requiring fair compensation when government takes private property for public use.

The Sixth Amendment focuses on fair criminal trials. It guarantees a speedy and public trial, so cases are not hidden or endlessly delayed, and an impartial jury drawn from the community. Defendants have the right to know the charges, to confront and cross examine witnesses, and to have legal counsel. Together, these protections reduce wrongful convictions and help ensure criminal verdicts rest on reliable evidence and transparent procedures.

The Seventh Amendment preserves the right to a jury trial in many civil cases, typically involving disputes over money or property above a set amount. Instead of a judge alone deciding the facts, citizens can have a jury of peers evaluate evidence and credibility. The amendment also limits courts from overturning a jury’s factual findings too easily, reinforcing the jury’s traditional role as a community check in civil justice.

The Eighth Amendment restricts how government may punish people. It forbids excessive bail that effectively keeps defendants jailed before trial and bans excessive fines that are disproportionate to the offense. Most famously, it prohibits cruel and unusual punishments, a phrase interpreted to restrict extreme, degrading, or grossly disproportionate penalties. These limits seek to ensure that criminal justice remains firm yet humane, respecting basic human dignity even when addressing crime.

The Ninth Amendment addresses a structural concern in the Bill of Rights. The framers worried that listing some rights might imply that unlisted rights do not exist. The amendment states that the enumeration of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. It reminds courts and officials that personal freedoms extend beyond the written list, supporting broader ideas of liberty and limited government.

The Tenth Amendment reinforces the principle of federalism. It states that powers not delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states or the people. It does not create new specific rights, but confirms a division of authority. This structure lets states experiment with policies while the national government handles enumerated responsibilities, helping balance centralized power with local control and democratic choice.

The Twelfth Amendment redesigned the Electoral College after early presidential elections produced ties and confusion. Originally, electors cast two undifferentiated votes, and the top vote getter became President. The amendment requires separate ballots for President and Vice President, which reduces deadlocks and clarifies party tickets. It helps ensure that voters effectively choose a coordinated executive team rather than accidentally splitting the two highest offices between rivals.

The Thirteenth Amendment formally abolished slavery and involuntary servitude throughout the United States, except as punishment for a crime after due conviction. Passed after the Civil War, it ended the legal basis for treating people as property. The amendment also authorizes Congress to enforce the ban through legislation. It marks a fundamental shift in American law, redefining freedom and rejecting ownership of human beings by any government.

The Fourteenth Amendment is central to modern civil rights. It defines national citizenship, making anyone born or naturalized in the United States a citizen. It contains the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause, requiring states to respect fundamental rights and treat people fairly under the law. These provisions support landmark decisions on segregation, voting, family rights, and many other protections against discriminatory state actions over time.

The Sixteenth Amendment clarifies Congress’s power to levy an income tax. Earlier Supreme Court decisions restricted federal taxation of certain income, especially from property. The amendment authorizes Congress to tax incomes from whatever source derived, without apportioning the tax among the states based on population. This made a modern nationwide income tax constitutionally secure and created a flexible, long term revenue source for the federal government.

The Seventeenth Amendment changes how United States senators are selected. Before it, state legislatures chose senators, which sometimes led to deadlocks, corruption, or long vacancies. The amendment establishes direct election by the people of each state, making senators more accountable to voters instead of political insiders. It also provides rules for filling vacancies, strengthening democratic participation and public trust in representation in the Senate.

The Eighteenth Amendment launched national Prohibition by banning the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors across the United States and its territories. Supporters believed restricting alcohol would reduce crime, poverty, and family problems. Instead, illegal bootlegging and organized crime expanded, and enforcement proved difficult and unpopular. These results eventually led to repeal by the Twenty First Amendment, ending federal Prohibition and returning alcohol policy largely to the states.

The Nineteenth Amendment guarantees that the right to vote cannot be denied or abridged on account of sex, effectively securing nationwide women’s suffrage. Ratified in 1920 after decades of activism by suffragists, it brought millions of new voters into the electorate. Although it did not eliminate all discrimination, the amendment removed constitutional barriers based on gender and helped lay the foundation for later equality movements and legal protections for women.

The Twenty First Amendment repeals the Eighteenth Amendment and ends nationwide Prohibition. It again allows the manufacture, sale, import, and transportation of alcoholic beverages, subject to regulation. Importantly, it gives states significant authority to control alcohol within their borders, including the option to remain dry. The amendment reflects public recognition that Prohibition failed to achieve its goals and created new enforcement and crime problems.

The Twenty Second Amendment limits how long a person may serve as President. In general, a person can be elected to the office only twice. If someone serves more than two years of another President’s term, they may be elected only once more. Adopted after Franklin Roosevelt’s four elections, it seeks to prevent excessive concentration of executive power and encourage regular political turnover in the nation’s highest office.

The Twenty Third Amendment grants the District of Columbia electors in presidential elections. Before this, Washington, DC residents had no formal voice in choosing the President, despite paying taxes and serving in the military. The amendment lets the district appoint a number of electors equal to the least populous state. It expands democratic participation while still not making the district a full state with voting members in Congress.

The Twenty Fourth Amendment targets the use of poll taxes, which were fees some states required before allowing citizens to vote. These charges often kept poor and minority voters from the polls. The amendment prohibits denying or abridging the right to vote in federal elections because of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. It helped dismantle financial barriers and supported broader civil rights voting reforms.

The Twenty Fifth Amendment clarifies presidential succession and disability procedures. It confirms that the Vice President becomes President if the office is vacated by death, resignation, or removal. It also creates a process for filling a vacant vice presidency and for temporarily transferring power when a President is unable to serve. These rules provide orderly, legal mechanisms to handle health crises or sudden vacancies in government.

The Twenty Sixth Amendment lowers the voting age to eighteen in federal and state elections. It arose during the Vietnam War era, when many argued that citizens old enough to be drafted and fight should also help choose leaders. By prohibiting denial of the vote to citizens eighteen or older based on age, the amendment expanded the electorate and affirmed young adults’ stake in democratic decisions on major national policy.

The Twenty Seventh Amendment deals with congressional pay changes. It prevents any law that increases or decreases the compensation of senators and representatives from taking effect until after the next election of the House. This gives voters a chance to respond before lawmakers benefit from salary changes they approve. First proposed with the Bill of Rights, it was not fully ratified until 1992, showing long standing concerns about self interest.

The Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. In most situations, officials must obtain a warrant from a neutral judge, supported by probable cause, before entering homes, arresting people, or taking property. This requirement forces law enforcement to justify intrusions in advance. The amendment balances public safety with individual privacy, ensuring investigations follow legal procedures rather than arbitrary suspicion or abuse.

The Eleventh Amendment responds to an early case that allowed a citizen to sue a state in federal court. It strengthens state sovereign immunity by limiting when states can be sued there. In general, private individuals cannot sue states for money damages in federal court without consent or clear federal authorization. This shifted the balance between state governments and federal judicial power in lawsuits that name states as defendants.

The Fifteenth Amendment prohibits federal and state governments from denying or abridging the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It aimed to protect voting rights for formerly enslaved African American men after the Civil War. Although discrimination continued through devices like literacy tests and intimidation, the amendment provided constitutional authority for later civil rights laws that dismantled many racial barriers in voting.

The Twentieth Amendment is often called the lame duck amendment. It shortens the time between federal elections and when officials take office by moving the presidential inauguration to January 20 and the start of congressional terms to January 3. This reduces the period when defeated officials still govern. It also clarifies what happens if a President elect dies before taking office, improving continuity and certainty during transitions of leadership.