Section 1 The Right of Citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Section 2 The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Amendment 15 talks about equal rights and who can vote. Most notably the right to vote for all, no matter their race or skin color.
This picture is an example of the 15th Amendment. It shows a black hand casting their vote as a representation of black people now getting the right to vote because of this Amendment.
This video gives us a story behind the 15th Amendment, why it was imposed and lastly what this Amendment means.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
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 United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5.
The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Amendment 14 has five different sections. The first section deals with citizenship and the rights of citizens of the United States and their equal protection rights. The second section talks about those who can hold office. Section three also writes about who can hold office and the rules of who can hold what office. Section four deals with debt of the United States. Lastly, section five writes about the powers of Congress.
This video talks about the Fourteenth Amendment, and digs more deeply on equal protection.
This picture shows two people, black and white, marching together for what looks like equality. This picture represents the Fourteenth Amendment and how everybody deserves the same rights. This is especially a huge topic today.
Neither slavery nor involuntary solitude, except as punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
This Amendment was what abolished all slavery in the United States. We have talked about in our class about Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address which only abolished slavery in the Northern states.
This picture is more of a statement of slave hands breaking free from slavery, which is shown through hands breaking the shackles on their hands.
This video explains more of what happened after the 13th Amendment and how it pertained to former slave's lives.
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 the 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 United States.
The 12th Amendment is very long but kind of fitting as the elections were yesterday as it kind of goes along with elections. However, at this time, there was no president and vice president did not run together and were chosen separately. The big thing was that electors or representatives actually were the ones voting. Because this amendment is so long, I hope these videos help more to explain.
This video explains the 12th Amendment and briefly explains the electoral college at the time.
In this video, it talks a little about the elections before the amendment and why the amendment was ratified.
The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state. What the 11th Amendment is saying, is that it prohibits federal courts from hearing cases against the states. It also states that somebody from another country cannot sue a state.
This image breaks down the 11th Amendment better than I did in my short description.
This video gives some context and explains what the 11th Amendment means. The Amendment also gives the reason and case as to why the Amendment was created.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people. Amendment 10 states that the laws that are not covered by the United States federal government, are to be covered by the state government or people of that state.
In this video, it talks about the 10th Amendment and what it means. Most of all it goes over states' rights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BO8C266Yunk
In this youtube video, getting past the sound quality and bad music, the person shows what the 10th Amendment is as well as the difference from the 9th Amendment.
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. I believe the Ninth Amendment is stating that there are other rights given to the people and that those rights shall be given to the people, even though they are not stated in the first eight amendments.
This picture is shown to sort of explain a little bit of the Ninth Amendment. Even though it is not stated the right, does not mean you can't have that right. Although, I believe there is rules about who can fly a plain and licensing to drive one.
In this short lecture video. professor Michael Badnarik explains what the 9th Amendment is and explains how it is used in accordance with the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
