Because no one ever seems to remember the Bill of Rights, much less the other seventeen amendments, I thought I’d post a little reminder.
The first date is the date of proposal, the second is the date of enactment.
1st: Protects the freedom of religion, speech, and the press, as well as the right to assemble and petition the government | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
2nd: A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
3rd: Prohibits the forced quartering of soldiers out of war time | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
4th: Prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
5th: Sets out rules for indictment by grand jury and eminent domain, protects the right to due process, and prohibits self-incrimination anddouble jeopardy | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
6th: Protects the right to have a fair and speedy public trial by jury, including the rights to be notified of the accusations, to confront the accuser, to obtain witnesses and to retain counsel | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
7th: Provides for the right to trial by jury in certain civil cases, according to common law | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
8th: Prohibits excessive fines and excessive bail, as well as cruel and unusual punishment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
9th: Asserts the existence of unenumerated rights retained by the people | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
10th: Limits the powers of the federal government to those delegated to it by the Constitution | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | Full text
11th: Immunity of states from suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state borders. Lays the foundation for sovereign immunity | March 4, 1794 | February 7, 1795 | Full text
12th: Revises presidential election procedures | December 9, 1803 | June 15, 1804 | Full text
13th: Abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime | January 31, 1865 | December 6, 1865 | Full text
14th: Defines citizenship, contains the Privileges or Immunities Clause, the Due Process Clause, the Equal Protection Clause, and deals with post-Civil War issues | June 13, 1866 | July 9, 1868 | Full text
15th: Prohibits the denial of suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude | February 26, 1869 | February 3, 1870 | Full text
16th: Allows the federal government to collect income tax | July 12, 1909 | February 3, 1913 | Full text
17th: Requires senators to be directly elected | May 13, 1912 | April 8, 1913 | Full text
18th: Establishes Prohibition of alcohol (Repealed by Twenty-first Amendment) | December 18, 1917 | January 16, 1919 | Full text
19th: Establishes women’s suffrage | June 4, 1919 | August 18, 1920 | Full text
20th: Fixes the dates of term commencements for Congress (January 3) and the President (January 20); known as the “lame duck amendment” | March 2, 1932 | January 23, 1933 | Full text
21st: Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment | February 20, 1933 | December 5, 1933 | Full text
22nd: Limits the president to two terms, or a maximum of 10 years (i.e., if a Vice President serves not more than one half of a President’s term, he or she can be elected to a further two terms) | March 24, 1947 | February 27, 1951 | Full text
23rd: Provides for representation of Washington, D.C. in the Electoral College | June 16, 1960 | March 29, 1961 | Full text
24th: Prohibits the revocation of voting rights due to the non-payment of poll taxes | September 14, 1962 | January 23, 1964 | Full text
25th: Codifies the Tyler Precedent; defines the process of presidential succession | July 6, 1965 | February 10, 1967 | Full text
26th: Establishes the official voting age to be 18 years old | March 23, 1971 | July 1, 1971 | Full text
27th: Prevents laws affecting Congressional salary from taking effect until the beginning of the next session of Congress | September 25, 1789 | May 5 or 7, 1992 | Full text
(source)
Gadayem Forest, west of Tripoli. Anti-Gaddhafi fighters take position. Photo Credit: Filippo Monteforte/AFP via the Al Jazeera live blog
Organizers of a fair in California removed rainbow flags from the area Friday because of a complaint about the flags’ association with the LGBT movement.
At the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, rainbow flags were among other colorful flags flying, without any intended connection to the gay community. Apparently, one furious fairgoer called the general manager to complain.
Fair organizers say they were not making a political statement by either flying the flags or taking them down, but officials of the the Lancaster Outreach Center, a social service agency, said taking them down sends a negative message.
“This isn’t the first time the Antelope Valley has faced allegations of bigotry,” the TV station reported. The U.S. Justice Department is investigating allegations of civil rights violations by police in Lancaster and neighboring Palmdale.Are you kidding me? Come on, California.
