The Twenty-Seven Amendments of the U.S. Constitution

There are 27 amendments to the constitution, the first 10 being the Bill of Rights . The Bill of Rights is the collective name for the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property. They guarantee a number of personal freedoms, limit the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and reserve some powers to the states and the public. While originally the amendments applied only to the federal government, most of their provisions have since been held to apply to the states by way of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights are the first 10 of 27 amendements to the Constitution, and serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property.

The other amendments have been added over time, mostly via the processes mentioned in Article V of the Constitution. The 11^th secures the right to sue a state. The 12^th defines the election of President and Vice President and the fallback system if one should die in office. The 13^th abolishes slavery. The 14^th specifies the post-Civil War requirements and notes that freed slaves are citizens. The 15^th specifically dictates that all races have full rights. The 16^th modifies the tax system. The 17^th lays out the system for replacement of senators. The 18^th banned alcohol. The 19^th gives women the right to vote. The 20^th patches some basic government functions. The 21^st makes the 18^th amendment inactive, thereby un-banning alcohol. The 22^nd amendment states that no one can be elected President more than 2 terms. The 23^rd modifies the Electoral College. The 24^th states that no one can be kept from voting because of tax status. The 25^th reinforces the replacement system for the President and Vice President. The 26^th moves the voting age to 18. The 27^th deals with the payment of representatives.