The Constitution: Amendments
11-27
Constitutional Amendments 1-10 make up what is known as The
Bill of Rights.
Amendments 11-27 are listed below.
AMENDMENT XI
Passed by Congress
Note: Article III, section 2, of the Constitution was
modified by amendment 11.
The Judicial power of the
AMENDMENT XII
Passed by Congress
Note: A portion of Article II, section 1 of the Constitution
was superseded by the 12th amendment.
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
*Superseded by section 3 of the 20th amendment.
AMENDMENT XIII
Passed by Congress
Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the
Constitution was superseded by the 13th amendment.
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
Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
AMENDMENT XIV
Passed by Congress
Note: Article I, section 2, of the Constitution was modified
by section 2 of the 14th amendment.
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the
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
Section 5.
The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate
legislation, the provisions of this article.
*Changed by section 1 of the 26th amendment.
AMENDMENT XV
Passed by Congress
Section 1.
The right of citizens of the
Section 2.
The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
AMENDMENT XVI
Passed by Congress
Note: Article I, section 9, of the Constitution was modified
by amendment 16.
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.
AMENDMENT XVII
Passed by Congress
Note: Article I, section 3, of the Constitution was modified
by the 17th amendment.
The Senate of the
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.
AMENDMENT XVIII
Passed by Congress
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
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 XIX
Passed by Congress
The right of citizens of the
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
AMENDMENT XX
Passed by Congress
Note: Article I, section 4, of the Constitution was modified
by section 2 of this amendment. In addition, a portion of the 12th amendment
was superseded by section 3.
Section 1.
The terms of the President and the Vice President shall end
at
Section 2.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and
such meeting shall begin at
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 XXI
Passed by Congress
Section 1.
The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of
the
Section 2.
The transportation or importation into any State, Territory,
or Possession of the
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 XXII
Passed by Congress
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 XXIII
Passed by Congress
Section 1.
The District constituting the seat of Government of the
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.
AMENDMENT XXIV
Passed by Congress
Section 1.
The right of citizens of the
Section 2.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by
appropriate legislation.
AMENDMENT XXV
Passed by Congress
Note: Article II, section 1, of the Constitution was
affected by the 25th amendment.
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 XXVI
Passed by Congress
Note: Amendment 14, section 2, of the Constitution was
modified by section 1 of the 26th amendment.
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 XXVII
Originally proposed
No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.