List of amendments to the Constitution of the United States

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Thirty-three amendments to the Constitution of the United States have been proposed by the United States Congress and sent to the states for ratification since the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789. Twenty-seven of those, having been ratified by the requisite number of states, are part of the Constitution. The first ten amendments were adopted and ratified simultaneously and are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are collectively known as the Reconstruction Amendments. Six amendments adopted by Congress and sent to the states have not been ratified by the required number of states. Four of those amendments are still pending, one is closed and has failed by its own terms, and one is closed and has failed by the terms of the resolution proposing it. All 27 ratified and six unratified amendments are listed and detailed in the tables below.

Contents

Proposal and ratification process

Article Five of the United States Constitution details the two-step process for amending the nation's plan of government. Amendments must be properly proposed and ratified before becoming operative. This process was designed to strike a balance between the excesses of constant change and inflexibility. [1]

An amendment may be proposed and sent to the states for ratification by either:

To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 since 1959) by either (as determined by Congress):

Congress has also enacted statutes governing the constitutional amendment process. When a constitutional amendment is sent to the states for ratification, the Archivist of the United States is charged with responsibility for administering the ratification process under the provisions of 1 U.S.C.   § 106b. [5] Then, upon being properly ratified, the archivist issues a certificate proclaiming that an amendment has become an operative part of the Constitution. [3]

Since the early 20th century, Congress has, on several occasions, stipulated that an amendment must be ratified by the required number of states within seven years from the date of its submission to the states in order to become part of the Constitution. Congress's authority to set a ratification deadline was affirmed in 1939 by the Supreme Court of the United States in Coleman v. Miller (307 U.S. 433). [6] In the absence of a deadline, an amendment can be pending indefinitely and ratified long after being proposed to the states.

Approximately 11,848 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress since 1789 (as of January 3,2019). [7] Collectively, members of the House and Senate typically propose around 200 amendments during each two-year term of Congress. [8] Proposals have covered numerous topics, but none made in recent decades have become part of the Constitution. Historically, most died in the congressional committees to which they were assigned. Since 1999, only about 20 proposed amendments have received a vote by either the full House or Senate. The last time a proposal gained the necessary two-thirds support in both the House and the Senate for submission to the states was the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment in 1978. Only 16 states had ratified it when the seven-year time limit expired. [9]

Ratified amendments

Synopsis of each ratified amendment

No.SubjectRatification [10] [11]
ProposedCompletedTime span
1st [12] Protects freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and the right to petition the government.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
2nd [13] Protects the right to keep and bear arms.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
3rd [14] Restricts the quartering of soldiers in private homes.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
4th [15] Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets requirements for search warrants based on probable cause.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
5th [16] Sets rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process and prohibits self-incrimination and double jeopardy.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
6th [17] Protects the right to a speedy public trial by jury, to notification of criminal accusations, to confront the accuser, to obtain witnesses and to retain counsel.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
7th [18] Provides for the right to a jury trial in civil lawsuits.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
8th [19] Prohibits excessive fines and excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
9th [20] States that rights not enumerated in the Constitution are retained by the people.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
10th [21] States that the federal government possesses only those powers delegated, or enumerated, to it through the Constitution, and that all other powers are reserved to the states, or to the people.September 25, 1789December 15, 17912 years, 81 days
11th Immunizes states from suits brought by out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders; lays the foundation for state sovereign immunity.March 4, 1794February 7, 1795340 days
12th Establishes that the vice president is elected together with the president rather than as the runner-up in the presidential election.December 9, 1803June 15, 1804189 days
13th Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime.January 31, 1865December 6, 1865309 days
14th Defines citizenship, contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post–Civil War issues.June 13, 1866July 9, 18682 years, 26 days
15th Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race, color or previous condition of servitude.February 26, 1869February 3, 1870342 days
16th Permits Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the various states or basing it on the United States Census.July 12, 1909February 3, 19133 years, 206 days
17th Establishes the direct election of United States senators by popular vote.May 13, 1912April 8, 1913330 days
18th Prohibits the manufacturing or sale of alcohol within the United States.
(Repealed on December 5, 1933 by the 21st Amendment.)
December 18, 1917January 16, 19191 year, 29 days
19th Grants women the right to vote.June 4, 1919August 18, 19201 year, 75 days
20th Changes the dates on which the terms of the president and vice president, and of members of Congress, begin and end, to January 20 and January 3 respectively. States that if the president-elect dies before taking office, the vice president–elect is to be inaugurated as president.March 2, 1932January 23, 1933327 days
21st [22] Repeals the 18th Amendment and makes it a federal offense to transport or import intoxicating liquors into U.S. states and territories where prohibited by law.February 20, 1933December 5, 1933288 days
22nd [23] Limits the number of times a person can be elected president.March 21, 1947February 27, 19513 years, 343 days
23rd [24] Grants the District of Columbia electors in the Electoral College.June 16, 1960March 29, 1961286 days
24th Prohibits the revocation of voting rights based upon failure to pay taxes.September 14, 1962January 23, 19641 year, 131 days
25th Addresses succession to the presidency and establishes procedures both for filling a vacancy in the office of the vice president and responding to presidential disabilities.July 6, 1965February 10, 19671 year, 219 days
26th Lowers the voting age to 18 years.March 23, 1971July 1, 1971100 days
27th Delays laws affecting Congressional salary from taking effect until after the next election of representatives.September 25, 1789May 7, 1992202 years, 223 days

Summary of ratification data for each ratified amendment

LEGEND Yindicates that state ratified amendment
Nindicates that state rejected amendment
Y(‡)indicates that state ratified amendment after first rejecting it
Y(×)indicates that state ratified amendment, later rescinded that ratification, but subsequently re-ratified it
indicates that state did not complete action on amendment
indicates that amendment was ratified before state joined the Union
State
(in order of statehood)
Amendment
1–101112131415161718192021222324252627
Delaware YYNY(‡)Y(‡)Y(‡)YY(‡)YY(‡)YYYYYYYY
Pennsylvania YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
New Jersey YYY(‡)Y(×)Y(‡)YYYYYYYYYYYY
Georgia YYYYY(‡)YYYY(‡)YYYY
Connecticut YYNYYYNYNYYYYYYYYY
Massachusetts YYY(‡)YYYYYYYYYNYYYY
Maryland YYYYY(‡)Y(‡)YYYY(‡)YYYYYYYY
South Carolina YYYYY(‡)YYYY(‡)YNYYYY
New Hampshire YYYYYYY(‡)YYYYYYYYYYY(‡)
Virginia YYYYY(‡)YNYY(‡)YYYYYYY
New York YYYYYY(×)YYYYYYYYYYY
North Carolina YYYYY(‡)YYYYYYYYYYY
Rhode Island YYYYYYNYNYYYYYYYY
Vermont YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Kentucky ...YYY(‡)Y(‡)Y(‡)YYYYYYYY
Tennessee ......YYYY(‡)YYYYYYYYYYYY
Ohio ......YYY(×)Y(‡)YYYYYYYYYYYY
Louisiana .........YY(‡)YYYYY(‡)YYYYY
Indiana .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Mississippi .........Y(‡)YYYYY(‡)YYNY
Illinois .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Alabama .........YYYYYYY(‡)YYYYYYYY
Maine .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Missouri .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Arkansas .........YYYY(‡)YYYYYYNYYY
Michigan .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Florida .........YYYYYYYYYYY
Texas .........YY(‡)YYYYYYYYYYYY
Iowa .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Wisconsin .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
California .........YYY(‡)YYYYYYYYYYYY
Minnesota .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Oregon .........YY(×)Y(‡)YYYYYYYYYYYY
Kansas .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYY
West Virginia .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Nevada .........YYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Nebraska ............YYYYYYYYYYYYY
Colorado ..................YYYYYYYYYYYY
North Dakota ..................YYYYYYYYY
South Dakota ..................YYYYYYYYY
Montana ..................YYYYYYYYYYYY
Washington ..................YYYYYYYYYYY
Idaho ..................YYYYYYYYYYYY
Wyoming ..................YYYYYYYYYYY
Utah ..................NNYYYYYYYYY
Oklahoma ..................YYYYYNYYYY
New Mexico ..................YYYYYYYYYYY
Arizona ..................YYYYYYYYYY
Alaska .......................................YYYYY
Hawaii .......................................YYYYY
State
(in order of statehood)
1–101112131415161718192021222324252627
Amendment
   Source:  [25]

Unratified amendments

Synopsis of each unratified amendment

TitleSubjectStatus
Congressional Apportionment Amendment Would strictly regulate the number of seats in the United States House of Representatives.Pending since September 25, 1789. Latest ratification took place on June 27, 1792.
Titles of Nobility Amendment Would strip citizenship from any United States citizen who accepts a title of nobility, or who accepts any present, pension, office or emolument from a foreign power without the consent of Congress.Pending since May 1, 1810. Latest ratification took place on December 9, 1812.
Corwin Amendment Would make the states' "domestic institutions" (i.e. slavery) impervious to the constitutional amendment procedures established in Article V and immune to abolition or interference from Congress.Pending since March 2, 1861. Latest ratification took place on June 2, 1863.
Child Labor Amendment Would empower the federal government to limit, regulate and prohibit child labor.Pending since June 2, 1924. Latest ratification took place on February 25, 1937.
Equal Rights Amendment Would ensure the equality of rights by the federal or state governments based on sex.Proposed March 22, 1972. Initial ratification period ended March 22, 1979; purported [26] extension period ended June 30, 1982; amendment failed. [a]
District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment Would treat the District of Columbia as if it were a state regarding representation in Congress (including repealing the 23rd Amendment), representation in the Electoral College and participation in the process by which the Constitution is amended.Proposed August 22, 1978. Ratification period ended August 22, 1985; amendment failed.
  1. Between 1972 and 1977, 35 states ratified the ERA. Three additional states ratified it between 2017 and 2020, purportedly bringing the number of ratifications to 38, or three-fourths of the states. In January 2020, after the Justice Department issued an opinion concluding that the deadline for the passage of the amendment expired at the time of the original 1979 deadline, the attorneys general of those three states filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. challenging that opinion. They asked to compel the archivist of the United States to certify the ERA as the Twenty-eighth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. [27] They lost in the district court [28] [29] and on appeal and chose not to ask the Supreme Court for review. [30] [31]

Summary of ratification data for each unratified amendment

Y indicates that state ratified amendment
N indicates that state rejected amendment
Y(‡) indicates that state ratified amendment after first rejecting it
Y(×) indicates that state ratified amendment, but later rescinded that ratification
indicates that state did not complete action on amendment during stated ratification period.
Yindicates that state ratified amendment after stated ratification period.
"" An empty cell indicates that state has not completed action on pending amendment.
State
(in alphabetical order)
Congressional Apportionment
Titles of Nobility
Corwin
Child Labor
Equal Rights
District of Columbia Voting Rights
Alabama
Alaska Y
Arizona Y
Arkansas Y
California YY
Colorado YY
Connecticut NNNYY
Delaware NYNYY
Florida N
Georgia NYN
Hawaii YY
Idaho YY(×) 1977
Illinois Y(×) 2022YY
2018
Indiana Y(‡)Y
Iowa YYY
Kansas Y(‡)Y
Kentucky YYYY(‡)Y(×) 1978
Louisiana NY
Maine Y(‡)YY
Maryland YYY(×) 2014NYY
Massachusetts NYNYY
Michigan YYY
Minnesota Y(‡)YY
Mississippi
Missouri N
Montana YY
Nebraska Y(×) 1973
Nevada YY
2017
New Hampshire YYY(‡)Y
New Jersey YYYYY
New Mexico Y(‡)Y
New York YNY
North Carolina YYN
North Dakota YY(×) 2021
Ohio YY(×) 1864YYY
Oklahoma Y
Oregon YYY
Pennsylvania Y(‡)YY(‡)Y
Rhode Island YNYYY
South Carolina YN
South Dakota NY(×) 1979
Tennessee YNY(×) 1974
Texas NY
Utah Y(‡)
Vermont YYNY
Virginia YN⋈Y
2020
Washington YY
West Virginia YYY
Wisconsin YYY
Wyoming YY
Number of ratifications:
11125
(× 3)
2835
(× 6)
(Y 3)
16

See also

References

  1. England, Trent; Spalding, Matthew. "Essays on Article V: Amendments". The Heritage Guide to The Constitution. The Heritage Foundation. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  2. Wines, Michael (August 22, 2016). "Inside the Conservative Push for States to Amend the Constitution". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 "Constitutional Amendment Process". National Archives and Records Administration . August 15, 2016. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  4. George, Robert P.; Richards, David A. J. "The Twenty-First Amendment". Philadelphia: National Constitution Center. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  5. Huckabee, David C. (September 30, 1997). Ratification of Amendments to the U.S. Constitution (PDF) (Report). Washington, D.C.: Congressional Research Service. 97-922 GOV. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 19, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023 via University of North Texas Digital Library.
  6. "Constitution Day: Proposed Amendments". Morrow, Georgia: Clayton State University. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  7. "Measures Proposed to Amend the Constitution". United States Senate . Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  8. "C-SPAN's Capitol Questions". June 9, 2000. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  9. DeSilver, Drew (April 12, 2018) [Update to original published September 17, 2014]. "Proposed Amendments to the U.S. Constitution Seldom Go Anywhere". Pew Research Center . Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  10. "The Bill of Rights". America's Founding Documents. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. October 31, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  11. "The Constitution: Amendments 11-27". America's Founding Documents. Washington, D.C.: National Archives. November 4, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  12. "First Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  13. "Second Amendment: Right to Bear Arms". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  14. "Third Amendment: Quartering of Soldiers". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  15. "Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  16. "Fifth Amendment: Grand Jury, Double Jeopardy, Self Incrimination, Due Process, Takings". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  17. "Sixth Amendment: Right to Speedy Trial by Jury, Witnesses, Counsel". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  18. "Seventh Amendment: Jury Trial in Civil Lawsuits". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  19. "Eighth Amendment: Excessive Fines, Cruel and Unusual Punishment". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  20. "Ninth Amendment: Non-Enumerated Rights Retained by People". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  21. "Tenth Amendment: Rights Reserved to States or People". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  22. "21st Amendment: Repeal of Prohibition". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  23. "22nd Amendment: Two-Term Limit on Presidency". constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  24. "23rd Amendment: Presidential Vote for D.C." constitutioncenter.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: National Constitution Center. Retrieved June 8, 2020.
  25. Garcia, Michael J.; Lewis, Catlain Devereaux; Nolan, Andrew; Toten, Meghan; Tyson, Ashley, eds. (2017). "Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation" (PDF). 112th Congress, 2nd Session. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office. pp. 25–45. Senate Document No. 112–9. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  26. State of Idaho v. Freeman, 529F. Supp.1107 (D. Idaho25 January 1982; vacated for mootness 4 October 1982)("The Court further declares that Congress' attempted extension of the time for the ratification of the twenty-seventh amendment was null and void.").
  27. Stracqualursi, Veronica (January 30, 2020). "Three Democratic attorneys general sue to have Equal Rights Amendment added to Constitution". CNN . Retrieved January 31, 2023.
  28. Virginia v. Ferriero, 525F. Supp. 3d36, 61(D.D.C.5 March 2021)("[A] ratification deadline in a proposing resolution's introduction is just as effective as one in the text of a proposed amendment. Plaintiffs' ratifications came after both the original and extended deadlines that Congress attached to the ERA, so the Archivist is not bound to record them as valid.").
  29. "Virginia v. Ferriero, 525 F. Supp. 3d 36 | Casetext Search + Citator".
  30. Illinois v. Ferriero, 60F.4th704, 719(D.C. Cir.28 February 2023)("In conclusion, the States have not clearly and indisputably shown that the Archivist had a duty to certify and publish the ERA or that Congress lacked the authority to place a time limit in the proposing clause of the ERA. Under the rigid standard required for mandamus actions, this Court must affirm the District Court...").
  31. "Illinois v. Ferriero, 60 F.4th 704 | Casetext Search + Citator".