List of ratified amendments

#	Description	Date passed by Congress	Date ratified	Type	Context/effect
1	No establishment of religion; freedom of religion, speech, and assembly; right to petition for redress of grievances.	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice	The United States Constitution is the shortest in history and therefore is rather vague. It enumerated many powers of the federal government and recognized some rights guaranteed to the people, however, there was ambiguity about the powers and rights that were not mentioned in the document. Many people were worried that the federal government would take all the powers not mentioned in the Constitution and infringe the people's rights that were not specified in the document. The Bill of Rights cleared up some of that ambiguity by specifying rights that could not be violated and indicated that all powers not mentioned in the Constitution belonged to the states. It was passed by Congress just six months after the Constitution went into force and was ratified two years later. The Bill of Rights helped to unify the new union of states and kept the country together for more than 60 years.
2	Protects the right to keep and bear arms.	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice
3	Prohibits soldiers from staying in private homes without the owner's consent (during peacetime).	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice
4	Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures; requires probable cause for warrants.	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice			5	Right to due process; no self-incrimination or double jeopardy; rules for grand jury and eminent domain	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice
6	Fair, speedy and public trial; trial by jury; notification of accusations; right to confront the accuser and obtain witnesses; counsel.	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice
7	Right to jury trial for civil cases over $20; follow common law in any reexamination of facts.	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice
8	Prohibits excessive fines, excessive bail, and cruel and unusual punishment.	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice
9	Unenumerated rights that are retained by the people are not abridged when the Constitution recognizes other rights.	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice
10	Powers not granted to the federal government by the Constitution belong to the States or the people.	September 25, 1789	December 15, 1791	Liberty and justice; State sovereignty
11	States are immune from suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners.	March 4, 1794	February 7, 1795	Procedural; State sovereignty
12	Update Electoral College procedures.	December 9, 1803	June 15, 1804	Procedural
13	Abolished slavery.	January 31, 1865	December 6, 1865	Liberty and justice
14	Defined citizenship; Extended protection of rights over State powers (Privileges and Immunities Clause, Due Process Clause, Equal Protection Clause); Reconstruction.	June 13, 1866	July 9, 1868	Liberty and justice
15	Black suffrage. Because of Jim Crow laws, it would be nearly 100 years before this amendment was in full effect. (Mississippi held its congressional elections in Decemeber 1, 1869, so this amendment didn't effect blacks in Mississippi until subsequent elections.)	February 26, 1869	February 3, 1870	Liberty and justice
16	Income tax.	July 12, 1909	February 3, 1913	Power grab
17	Direct election of Senators. Because of the staggered elections for the three classes of Senators, this amendment didn't effect all Citizens until the elections in 1918.)	May 13, 1912	April 8, 1913	Liberty and justice
18	Prohibition of alcohol. Took effect in 1920.	December 18, 1917	January 16, 1919	Power grab
19	Women suffrage.	June 4, 1919	August 18, 1920	Liberty and justice
20	Changed the dates of the start of the terms of the President and Vice President. The first presidential term effected by the amendment started on January 20, 1937.	March 2, 1932	January 23, 1933	Procedural.
21	Repealed Prohibition.	February 20, 1933	December 5, 1933	Liberty and justice
22	Term limits for President.	March 24, 1947	February 27, 1951	Procedural.
23	Electoral College for Washington, D.C. First used in the 1964 election.	June 16, 1960	March 29, 1961	Liberty and justice
24	Eliminates the poll tax.	September 14, 1962	January 23, 1964	Liberty and justice
25	Update procedures for presidential succession.	July 6, 1965	February 10, 1967	Procedural
26	Right to vote for eighteen-year-olds.	March 23, 1971	July 1, 1971	Liberty and justice
27	Raises for representatives don't take effect until after a Congressional election.	September 25, 1789	May 7, 1992	Procedural