19-1 (06)
release dates: May 6-12
TM
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Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
After the Bill of Rights
Amendments 11 Through 27
Civil rights amendments
The Bill of Rights and
Amendments 13 and 14 are
about our civil rights. Civil rights are
those guaranteed to all citizens by the
Constitution.
Government operations
Amendments 11, 12, 16, 17,
20, 22, 25 and 27 set up laws
about how the government
is to be run.
Voting rights amendments
Amendments 15, 19, 23, 24
and 26 are about voting
rights.
This is the ninth in a nine-part monthly
series. We thank the staff of
the National Archives and
Lee Ann Potter, director of
education and volunteer
programs, for their help.
Women who
fought for
the right to
vote were
called
“suffragists.”
They
sometimes
showed their
support for
their right to
vote by
marching in
parades. The
19th
Amendment
enabled
them to
vote.
photo courtesy Library of Congress
Ours is the oldest written, national
constitution in the world. It has been
changed only 27 times in more than
200 years.
The first 10 amendments to the
Constitution, the Bill of Rights, were
adopted in 1791.
Only 17 amendments have been
added since then.
Two of these cancel each other out.
The 18th, passed in 1919, brought in
Prohibition, or a ban on the sale of
alcohol. This was not a popular
amendment. It was repealed, or
canceled, by the 21st Amendment in
1933, 14 years later.
Ways to amend the Constitution
Article V explains how the Constitution can be changed or amended.
An amendment can be proposed in two ways
• Congress can propose changes:
Amendments can be
proposed by a two-thirds
vote of each house of
Congress. All of our
amendments have been proposed
this way.
• States can propose changes:
Two-thirds of the
state legislatures, or
lawmaking bodies, can
ask Congress to call a
national convention to propose an
amendment.
An amendment can be ratified or approved in two ways
• Amendments become law when
approved by the legislatures of threefourths of the states. Twenty-six of the
27 amendments have been approved
this way.
• Amendments become law when
approved by conventions called by
three-fourths of the states. Only the
21st Amendment, ending the ban on
the sale of alcohol, was approved
this way.
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19-2 (06); release dates: May 6-12
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
All of the
amendments
since the
Constitution was
written have been
proposed by
Congress and
then sent to the
states.
Making an amendment
Any member of Congress can
introduce a “resolution” for a new
amendment to the Constitution. A
resolution is a formal statement
expressing an idea for an
amendment to be considered for
approval by Congress.
The resolution must go through
other steps, just like other bills
before Congress. It must be sent to
committees and debated in the
House and the Senate. It must be
approved by two-thirds of each
lawmaking group:
• 290 members of the House of
Representatives;
• 67 members of the Senate.
It is then sent to the states and
becomes the law of the land after
three-fourths of the state
legislatures approve it (37 states).
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
photo by Carol Highsmith courtesy National Archives
Armed Forces Inaugural Committee
More About Amendments
Not many approved
The Declaration of Independence, the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights are on
display at the National Archives.
The original documents of
Amendments 11 through 27 are
occasionally put on display at the
National Archives. When not on
display, all amendment documents
are safely stored in vaults there.
Seven years to approve
Today, amendments must be
approved within seven years of
being sent to the states.
However, this limit was once
extended to three more years (19791982). This was to try to get the
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
approved.
The ERA amendment says:
“Equality of rights under the law shall
not be denied or abridged by the United
States or by any other state on account
of sex.”
It was never ratified.
TM
Mini Spy and her friends are taking a vote at school.
See if you can find: • man in the moon • question mark
• number 8
• orange
• top hat
• heart
• dustpan
• umbrella
• word
MINI
• lemon
• sailboat
• mushroom
• key • ant
• letter H
Brown
Basset ws
The Ned’s
Houn
TM
Many members of Congress have
changes they would like to make to
the Constitution. They can propose
the same change during different
sessions.
Since the Bill of Rights was
approved in 1789, more than 10,000
amendments have been put before
Congress. Most of these proposals
have not been sent to the states.
Recently, members of Congress
have proposed amendments to:
• limit the amount of their own
money candidates might spend
on campaigns when running for
public office;
• provide medical care for all
citizens;
• make it against the law to
damage or show disrespect to
the U.S. flag;
• lower the age for U.S.
senators or representatives to
21 years of age.
Put a check in the boxes above if
you agree.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Amendments
TRY ’N
FIND
Words that remind us of Amendments 11 through 27 are hidden in
the block below. Some words are hidden backward and some
letters are used twice. See if you can find: AMENDMENTS,
CONSTITUTION, PRESIDENT, OPERATIONS, LEGISLATURES,
CIVIL, RIGHTS, VOTES, SLAVERY, CITIZENS, RATIFY,
AMERICANS, CONGRESS, UNITED, STATES, GOVERNMENTS.
G O V E R N M E N T S U S C Y
WHAT
AMENDMENT
C O N S T I T U T I O N S I R
WOULD YOU
V S T N E M D N E M A I E T E
PROPOSE?
O P E R A T I O N S B T R I V
T S T N E D I S E R P E G Z A
E O S N A C I R E M A D N E L
S T A T E S L I V I C J O N S
Y F I T A R I G H T S M C S W
R S E R U T A L S I G E L K Z
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19-3 (06); release dates: May 6-12
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
Go dot to dot and color these words and figures about
Amendment 26.
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Hash Brown Potato Casserole
You’ll need:
• 1 (30-ounce) package hash browns, frozen
• 1 (16-ounce) container light sour cream
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup potato chips, crushed
What to do:
1. Break frozen hash browns into small pieces and place in a
large bowl.
2. Add the sour cream, soup and onion. Mix well.
3. Pour into a 9-by-13-inch greased baking dish.
4. Sprinkle cheese and then the crushed potato chips on top.
5. Bake in a preheated 300-degree oven for one hour. Serves 8-10.
You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
photo courtesy DreamWorks Animation SKG
Meet William Shatner
William Shatner is the
Canadian actor who is the voice of
Ozzie the possum in the new
animated movie “Over the Hedge.”
It is based on a comic strip by
Michael Fry and T Lewis.
William’s first roles were playing
parts in some of Shakespeare’s
plays. He had several
performances in Canada before moving to the United States to
pursue his acting career. Since then, he has been on Broadway,
and in several TV shows and movies. Your parents remember him
as Capt. James Kirk from the science-fiction television series
“Star Trek” in the 1960s.
William, 75, was born in Quebec, Canada. He is fluent in
French. He is also a musician and an author. He enjoys horses
and playing tennis. He currently lives in California with his wife.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
E
HUG
E!
SAL
The Mini Page®
Help for Planet Earth
A popular
resource book
containing
solutions for
problems of
trash, air and
water quality,
and wildlife
habitat.
To order, send $3.00 total cost (includes all postage and handling) for each copy. Send check or money order (U.S. funds only)
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Please send ______ copies of The Mini Page Help for Planet Earth (Item #0-8362-4316-1) at $3.00 each, total
cost. (Bulk discount information available upon request.) www.smartwarehousing.com
Name: ________________________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________________
City: _______________________________________________ State: _________ Zip: __________
TM
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
Becky: What did the dog say when he sat on
the sandpaper?
Barney: “Rough! Rough!”
Bill: What trick do zombies teach their
dogs?
Barbara: To play dead!
Ben: Where are abandoned dogs sent?
Bob: To an arfanage!
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19-4 (06); release dates: May 6-12
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Guide: Amendments 11-27
11th Amendment
15th Amendment
21st Amendment
• Gives rules for
lawsuits against
states. (1795)
This protects
states against being
sued in federal courts by citizens of
other states or a foreign nation.
• Gives
voting
rights to
former
slaves. (1870)
Today, it protects the voting rights
of all citizens regardless of race.
• Repeals the
18th Amendment,
which had banned
the manufacture,
sale and transport of alcoholic
beverages. (1933)
12th Amendment
16th Amendment
• Creates a new
way of selecting the
president and vice
president. (1804)
It states that
electors are to cast
two distinct votes: one for president
and another for vice president.
• Gives the federal
government the
power to collect
income taxes. (1913)
The government gets
more money from this
source than from any other.
13th Amendment
• Abolished
slavery. (1865)
All slaves were
freed at the end of
the Civil War. This makes any form
of slavery illegal.
14th Amendment
• Guarantees
rights of
citizenship,
due process and
equal protection
under the law. (1868)
Today, all Americans, regardless of
race, are protected by this
amendment.
Next to the Bill of Rights, this is
the most important amendment to
protect the rights of all citizens.
Amendment 14 also defines who
is a U. S. citizen. It says that all
persons born or naturalized in the
United States are citizens.
The amendment says, in part:
“Nor shall any state deprive any persons
of life, liberty or property without due
process of the laws.”
The Supreme Court has used this
amendment as the basis for a lot of
the decisions granting equal rights.
17th Amendment
• Establishes
election of senators
by the people. (1913)
According to the
original Constitution,
U.S. senators were
elected by state
legislators.
18th Amendment
• Bans the
manufacture, sale
and transport
of alcoholic
beverages. (1919)
19th Amendment
• Gives women
the right to vote.
(1920)
In the early 1900s,
some western states
had already given
women the right to vote.
20th Amendment
• Sets the dates
of presidential and
congressional
terms. (1933)
22nd Amendment
• Limits the
president to two
terms. (1951)
23rd Amendment
• Gives people
in the District of
Columbia the right
to vote for the
president. (1961)
24th Amendment
• Forbids having to
pay a tax to vote in
federal elections. (1964)
25th Amendment
• Establishes who
would take charge if
something were to
happen to the
president. (1967)
26th Amendment
• Lowers the
voting age to 18.
(1971)
27th Amendment
• Regulates the
salaries of
members of
Congress. (1992)
The Mini Page is created and edited by
Betty Debnam
Associate Editors
Tali Denton
Lucy Lien
Staff Artist
Wendy Daley
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
photo courtesy Library of Congress
Read all about
Amendments
11 through 27
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 19.)
release dates: May 6-12
19-5 (06)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Standards Spotlight:
Amendments 11 Through 27
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
This week’s standards:
• Students understand the purpose of government. (Social Studies: Power, Authority and Governance)
• Students identify key ideals of the United States’ democratic republican form of government.
(Social Studies: Civic Ideals and Practice)
Activities:
1. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. Pretend you are living in 1919. Make a
poster telling people that women should be allowed to vote.
2. Interview several adult family members or friends. Ask them to suggest ideas for the 28th
Amendment to the Constitution. What changes would they like to see in the country? Ask them
to explain why they would want those changes. What do you think of the changes?
3. Find stories in the newspaper that show people using rights from any of the Amendments 11 to
27. Circle the story and put the amendment number on the story. How many different
amendments did you find? What amendments were hard to find?
4. Which amendments (a) made changes in the ways citizens vote, (b) tried to change people’s
social behavior, (c) directly affect the presidency, and (d) expanded rights for specific groups of
people?
5. Each of the amendments to the Constitution was made for an important political, social or
historical purpose. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about one of these
amendments: 15, 18, 19, 23 or 26. Use these questions to guide your study: What was happening
in the country at the time the amendment was proposed? What were the arguments for and
against the amendment? How long did it take to pass the amendment, from the time it was
proposed to the time it was ratified? How is our country different because of the amendment?
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 19.)
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2006 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Supersport: Joakim Noah
Height: 6-11 Birthplace: New York City Weight: 227
Young Joakim Noah has found his niche. All this son of famous
parents needed was a basketball, a court, some coaching and a
big-time atmosphere.
Noah led the University of Florida to its first national
basketball championship and was voted Most Outstanding Player
of the Final Four. Tall, rangy and athletic, the Gators’ sophomore had 16
points, 9 rebounds, and a record 6 blocked shots to lead his team past UCLA in
the title game.
Noah has good genes. His mother is a former Miss Sweden, and his father,
Yannick, was a star pro tennis player whose resume includes a French Open title.
Joakim rules on a different kind of court. After playing sparingly his
freshman year at Florida, he worked hard in the off-season and turned into a
high-energy, standout basketball player. This year he averaged 14.2 points, 7.1
rebounds and made 62.7 percent of his field goals.
The colorful Joakim, a social and behavioral sciences major, is a welltraveled, well-rounded athlete who was born in New York and spent much of
his youth in France. Now Noah is enjoying life in Florida, where his game is as
big as his name.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 19, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
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