US Constitution
Article 1
• Sets up the powers of Congress
• Sets up the limits of Congress
Article 2
• Creates the executive branch
Article 3
• Establishes the judicial branch and court system
Bill of Rights
• 1st ten amendments to the constitution
1st Amendment
• Protects your freedom of speech, religion, and press
2nd Amendment
• Protects your right to bear arms
Gun Show Loophole
• “occasional” sellers of weapons do not need a license
• “occasional” sellers of weapons do not need to
conduct background checks on those buying their
weapons
Weapon Sellers
• Stores/sellers who regularly sell weapons have to
pass a federal background check and also do
background checks on all buyers of their weapons
“Stand your Ground Law”
• Immune to civil suit and criminal charges
• Must feel life is in danger
• Don’t have to retreat in anyplace that you have the
right to be
“castle law”
•
•
•
•
Don’t have to retreat in your house
Can use force to defend yourself, even deadly force
Immune from civil suits and prosecution
We have this in PA
Assault weapons ban
• Passed by congress in 1994 for ten years
• Expired in 2004
• Banned all semi automatic and automatic weapons in
USA
3rd Amendment
• Protects you against the gov’t forcing you to house
soldiers
4th Amendment
• Protects you against illegal search and seizures
5th Amendment
• Protects you from saying anything that makes you
look guilty-not incriminate yourself
• “plead the 5th”
6th Amendment
• Guarantees your right to a speedy trial
7th Amendment
• Establishes right to a jury trial in civil suits
• Guarantees 6 members for a civil jury trial
8th Amendment
• Protects you against excessive fines and punishments
9th Amendment
• Limits powers of Congress
10th amendment
• Protects state’s rights
• Protects people and states against the “all powerful”
federal gov’t
11th amendment
• Lawsuits against states must be tried in state court
• Protects states from federal gov’t interference
12th amendment
• Changes how we elect the president and vice
president
• Before this, the runner up in presidential election
became vice president which caused lots of problems
Civil Rights Amendments
• 13th-15th amendments
13th amendment
• Abolished slavery
14th amendment
• Protects rights of citizens
• Aimed at stopping injustices against African
Americans in southern USA
15th amendment
• Protects right to vote for all citizens
• Aimed at helping African Americans in the southern
USA
16th amendment
• Establishes income tax
17th amendment
• Establishes direct election of US senators
• Before this, congressman would vote on senators,
not the people
• This led to corruption
18th amendment
• Establishes Prohibition
• Banned sale, consumption, or production of alcohol
19th amendment
• Women get the right to vote
20th amendment
• Closes gap between when a president gets elected
and when he/she takes office
• Used to get elected in November and took office in
march
• Now get elected in November and take office in
January
• This stops “lame ducks” as presidents
21st amendment
• Repealed prohibition
22nd amendment
• Limits presidents to 2 elected terms
23rd amendment
• Gives Washington DC 3 electoral votes in a
presidential election
• Gives people who live in Washington ability to vote
for president and have an effect on the outcome
24th amendment
• Abolishes poll taxes
• Poll taxes would have to be paid to be able to vote
• Poll taxes were used primarily southern USA to keep
African Americans from voting
25th amendment
• Sets more clearly presidential succession
• Ex: VP takes over on presidents death etc
26th amendment
• Makes 18 years old the voting age
• Result of protests of Vietnam War
• Soldiers could die at 18 but couldn’t vote for man sending
them there or vote him out
• There was a draft at 18 years old to go into military
27th amendment
• Limits congressional raises
• Congress votes on their own salaries, this limits that
so it doesn’t get out of control