Categorize the 27
Amendments into three major groups
The 27 amendments to the United States Constitution can be categorized into three major groups:
1) Civil Rights and Liberties Amendments:
- 1st Amendment: Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
- 2nd Amendment: Right to bear arms.
- 3rd Amendment: Protection against quartering troops in private homes.
- 4th Amendment: Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
- 5th Amendment: Protection of rights to life, liberty, and property, and protection against self-incrimination.
- 6th Amendment: Right to a fair trial, including the right to a speedy and public trial, and the right to confront witnesses.
- 7th Amendment: Right to a trial by jury in civil cases.
- 8th Amendment: Protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
- 9th Amendment: Protection of rights not specifically listed in the Constitution.
- 10th Amendment: Powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states.
2) Expansion of Suffrage Amendments:
- 15th Amendment: Prohibition of the denial of the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
- 19th Amendment: Prohibition of the denial of the right to vote based on sex.
- 23rd Amendment: Granting residents of Washington D.C. the right to vote in presidential elections.
- 24th Amendment: Prohibition of the use of poll taxes as a requirement for voting.
- 26th Amendment: Lowering the voting age from 21 to 18.
3) Procedural Amendments and Changes to Government Structure:
- 11th Amendment: Limitation on lawsuits against states.
- 12th Amendment: Procedure for electing the President and Vice President.
- 13th Amendment: Abolition of slavery.
- 14th Amendment: Equal protection under the law for all citizens, and due process rights.
- 16th Amendment: Authorization for federal income tax.
- 17th Amendment: Direct election of Senators by the people.
- 18th Amendment: Prohibition of the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages (repealed by the 21st Amendment).
- 20th Amendment: Changes to the dates of the presidential and congressional terms.
- 21st Amendment: Repeal of Prohibition (18th Amendment).
- 22nd Amendment: Limitation on presidential terms to two terms or a maximum of ten years.
- 25th Amendment: Procedures for succession to the presidency and for filling vice presidential vacancies.
- 27th Amendment: Regulation of congressional salaries.
These groupings may not be exhaustive, and some amendments may overlap or have elements that can fit into multiple categories.