The 16th Amendment to the Constitution established the national government's authority to establish a federal income tax without having to divide the revenues among the states based on their population. The amendment resulted in a change in the way the national government was funded.

Center for Civic Education

The 15th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1870, sought to ensure the right of African American men to vote. However, grandfather clauses, literacy tests, poll taxes, as well as violence and intimidation, were serious barriers preventing African American men from realizing this right.

Center for Civic Education

The 14th Amendment made a deep and lasting impact on the United States, helping to form a more perfect union. First it recognized the citizenship of African Americans. It also forbade states to deny due process and equal protection of the laws. It did a great many other things, as well.

Center for Civic Education

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, but controversy remains over the loophole in the amendment that says that prisoners can be forced to work.

Center for Civic Education

The 12th Amendment requires electors in the Electoral College to make separate choices for president and vice president. Before this amendment, electors voted for two people for president. The winner would become president and the second-place finisher vice president. The election of 1800 convinced Americans that this system needed to change.

Center for Civic Education

The 11th Amendment protects states against being sued by citizens of other states or foreign nations. It supports the idea of sovereign immunity for states, meaning that they are immune to lawsuits that they do not consent to.

Center for Civic Education

The 10th Amendment addressed the fears of some Framers of the Constitution that creating a Bill of Rights might lead people to believe that the national government has more powers than those specifically enumerated in the Constitution. It states that those powers not specifically delegated to the national government are reserved to the states or the people.

Center for Civic Education

The first eight amendments to the U.S. Constitution contain specific guarantees of rights. But the Ninth Amendment simply says that the rights contained in the Constitution do not limit or reduce any other rights the people have. We'll learn about competing theories about what exactly the Ninth Amendment means in today's 60-Second Civics podcast.

Center for Civic Education

The Eighth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits excessive bail and fines. It also prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, which the Supreme Court has interpreted since in various ways over the years.

Center for Civic Education

The Seventh Amendment to the Constitution guarantees the right to a jury trial in most federal civil cases. It does not apply to the states, but most state protect this right in their constitutions.

Center for Civic Education