Constitution Day: The Full U.S. Constitution Virtual Exhibit

Contained in these pages is a revolutionary system of republican government ordained by the people. It is the result of the lived experiences of America’s Founders, who declared independence from Great Britain in 1776 in response to successive grievances against the British monarchy and Parliament. The Founders were determined to forge a new path, one based on the idea that government is only legitimate when it possesses the consent of the governed. It is the oldest written constitution in effect in the world and one of the shortest in length. 

Article V of the Constitution outlines the amendment process. First, a joint resolution proposing an amendment must be approved by votes of two-thirds in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or by a national convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures (which has never happened). The proposed amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures or by state ratifying conventions.

Engrossed Bill of Rights, September 25, 1789

On September 25, 1789, Congress proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. Articles 3 to 12 were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791, and became known as the Bill of Rights. Article 2 concerning “varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives” was finally ratified on May 7, 1992, as the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. The first amendment, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative, was never ratified.

Joint Resolution Proposing the 11th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Lawsuits Against States

Passed by Congress March 4, 1794; Ratified February 7, 1795

After the Supreme Court ruled that a citizen of South Carolina could sue the State of Georgia for unpaid Revolutionary War debts, Congress proposed the 11th Amendment. The amendment specifically prohibits federal courts from hearing cases in which a state is sued by an individual from another state or another country.

General Records of the United States Government 

Joint Resolution Proposing the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Election of President 

Passed by Congress December 9, 1803; Ratified June 15, 1804

The 1800 Presidential election—only the fourth such election—resulted in a tie, and the House of Representatives selected the winner. This pointed out challenges to the way Americans picked their President. Congress then proposed the 12th Amendment to require each member of the Electoral College to cast a separate electoral vote for the President and for the Vice President. Previously, two votes were cast per elector, and the top electoral vote winner became President while the runner-up became Vice President. This amendment made a tie much less likely. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: Amending the Electoral College: The 12th Amendment

Joint Resolution Proposing the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Slavery and Involuntary Servitude
Passed by Congress January 31, 1865; Ratified December 6, 1865

Amid the Civil War, after nearly four years of fighting, Congress passed the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Joint Resolution submitting the proposed amendment to the state legislatures, despite the President having no role in the constitutional amendment process. The amendment reads, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”

General Records of the United States Government

More information: Milestone Documents
 

Joint Resolution Proposing the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process, and Equal Protection

Passed by Congress June 13, 1866; Ratified July 9, 1868

Congress proposed the 14th Amendment one year after the Civil War ended during the period of “Reconstruction,” which was an attempt to reunite the country and address the legal status of former slaves. The amendment reads that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof” are citizens. It also strengthened federal protection for due process; mandated equal protection under the law; eliminated the three-fifth rule; stated that all male citizens over the age of 21, regardless of their race, had a right to vote; provided terms for repayment of Civil War debts; and established rules for federal service by ex-Confederates.

More information: Milestone Documents, Amending America: the 14th Amendment

Joint Resolution Proposing the 15th Amendment: Racial Equality in Voting

Passed by Congress February 26, 1869; Ratified February 3, 1870

The 15th Amendment prohibited the federal and state governments from denying the right to vote based on a citizen’s race, color, or previous condition of servitude. It was a crucial step in guaranteeing voting rights for Black men after the Civil War.

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: Milestone Documents 

Joint Resolution Proposing the 16th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Income Tax

Passed by Congress July 2, 1909; Ratified February 3, 1913

The 16th Amendment established Congress’s right to impose a federal income tax. Imposition of a tax by federal authorities had been politically controversial and legally dubious but was in effect during and immediately after the Civil War and again in the late 19th century. In the early 20th century, progressives and conservatives in Congress attempted to outmaneuver each other over the issue which resulted in the 16th Amendment. Its ratification significantly altered how the federal government receives funding. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: Milestone Documents, The 16th Amendment and 100 years of Federal income taxes

Joint Resolution Proposing the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Direct Election of Senators

Passed by Congress May 13, 1912; Ratified April 8, 1913

Prior to enactment of the 17th Amendment, United States Senators were elected by votes of individual state legislatures, not directly by the people of a state. In the late 19th century, some state legislatures deadlocked over the election of a senator and Senate vacancies became commonplace. In other cases, political machines gained control over the state legislature and chose Senators who would further their own interests. In 1912, Congress proposed an amendment allowing the people to directly vote for their Senators. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: Milestone Documents, The 17th Amendment Observes Its Centennial

Joint Resolution Proposing the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Prohibition 

Passed by Congress December 18, 1917; Ratified January 16, 1919

Repealed by the 21st Amendment

The roots of Prohibition date to the mid-19th century with the rise of the Temperance Movement, the mission of which was to first reduce, and then ultimately prohibit, alcohol consumption in the United States. After the 18th Amendment was ratified in 1919, Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, also known as the Volstead Act, which outlawed the production, distribution, and transportation of alcohol. Prohibition officially went into effect on January 16, 1920. It was repealed 13 years later by the 21st Amendment. 

General Records of the United States Government

More information: Prohibition and the Rise of the American Gangster

Joint Resolution Proposing the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote

Passed by Congress June 4, 1919; Ratified August 18, 1920

The 19th Amendment legally guarantees American women the right to vote. Beginning in the mid-19th century, woman suffrage supporters lobbied for such an amendment, and its passage took decades of advocacy. It wasn’t until President Woodrow Wilson acknowledged his support for the issue in 1918 that political winds shifted in favor of a constitutional amendment. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: Milestone Documents, Putting the “Rat” in Ratification: Tennessee’s role in the 19th amendment

Joint Resolution Proposing the 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Changes to Presidential Term and Succession

Passed by Congress March 2, 1932; Ratified January 23, 1933

Prior to enactment of the 20th Amendment, a President’s term of office began on March 4, which was the traditional inauguration day. This amendment changed the President’s term of office to begin at noon on January 20, and stipulated that the terms of Senators and Representatives begin on January 3. With congressional terms beginning before Presidential terms, the incoming Congress (rather than the outgoing Congress) could hold a contingent Presidential election if the Electoral College were to deadlock. The amendment also defines a backup procedure if a President-elect dies or has not been chosen by inauguration day—a statute that Congress has never needed to enact.

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: The Not-So-Lame Amendment

Joint Resolution Proposing the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Repeal of Prohibition

Passed by Congress February 20, 1933; Ratified December 5, 1933

The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment’s nationwide prohibition on alcohol. Prohibition was wildly unpopular and calls for its repeal surfaced almost immediately after it went into effect. The 21st Amendment is unique among the 27 amendments for being the only one to repeal a prior amendment in its entirety, and it is the only one to have been ratified by state conventions rather than state legislatures. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: A Spirited Republic in Motion: Prohibition is Repealed!

Joint Resolution Proposing the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Presidential Term Limits

Passed by Congress March 21, 1947; Ratified February 27, 1951

The 22nd Amendment codified the two-term tradition for presidential service. George Washington began this tradition by not running for a third term. The tradition was tested in 1880 and 1912, but remained unbroken until President Franklin D. Roosevelt won third and fourth terms in 1940 and 1944. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: A Precedent-Breaking Inauguration

Joint Resolution Proposing the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Including the District of Columbia in Presidential Elections

Passed by Congress June 16, 1960.; Ratified March 29, 1961

The 23rd Amendment allows residents of the nation’s capital to vote for Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates by giving Washington, DC, the same number of electoral votes as if it was a state, but no more votes than the least populous state. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: Unratified Amendments: DC Voting Rights

Joint Resolution Proposing the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Abolition of the Poll Taxes

Passed by Congress August 27, 1962; Ratified January 23, 1964

The 24th Amendment prohibits the use of poll taxes or any other tax as a condition for voting in federal elections. The amendment states that the right of citizens to vote in any primary or other election for President, Vice President, Electors, Senators, or Representatives in Congress “shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.” When the amendment was ratified in 1964, five states had a poll tax: Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia.

General Records of the United States Government 

Joint Resolution Proposing the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Presidential Succession and Disability

Passed by Congress July 6, 1965; Ratified February 10, 1967

The Constitution is vague on what happens if the Presidency becomes vacant. Before the passage of the 25th Amendment, Presidential succession was determined by legislation. After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, Congress proposed the 25th Amendment to create a plan of succession in case a President dies or becomes indisposed while in office. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: The 25th Amendment: Succession of the Presidency

Joint Resolution Proposing the 26th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Lowering the Voting Age from 21 to 18

Passed by Congress March 23, 1971; Ratified July 1, 1971

The 26th Amendment lowering the voting age to 18 was ratified more quickly than any other amendment. Previously, the 14th Amendment established protections for the right to vote, specifically for the “male inhabitants of the state, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States.” Calls to lower the voting age dated back to the 1940s after the military draft age was lowered to 18.

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: Records of Rights Vote: “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote”

Certification of the 27th Amendment: Congressional Pay

Originally proposed September 25, 1789; Ratified May 7, 1992

This amendment was the second of the original 12 proposed amendments sent to the states for ratification in 1789. It read, “No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.” In 1992, nearly 203 years later, enough states had ratified it to become part of the Constitution. Archivist of the United States Don Wilson certified it as the 27th Amendment effective May 7, 1992. It is listed on the original Bill of Rights as the proposed second amendment. 

General Records of the United States Government 

More information: A Record-Setting Amendment, The First Amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Resolution from the Constitutional Convention Concerning Ratification of the Proposed Constitution, September 17, 1787

Known as the “Fifth Page” of the Constitution, this document essentially issued instructions to the states on how the new Constitution should be ratified and put into effect. It was signed by George Washington in his capacity as President of the Constitutional Convention and proposed that the Constitution, “be laid before the United States in Congress assembled,” and then submitted to special ratifying conventions elected by the people in each of the states. Once nine states had ratified it, the Constitution would go into effect in those states. The delegates devised this process to ensure that the authority of the new government came from the people. This is only the second time in history that the “Fifth Page” has been on display at the National Archives.

Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention

More information: Constitution 225: There’s a “fifth” page the public has never seen, The Entire Constitution for Constitution Day, US Constitution -- The "Fifth Page" (Transmittal Page)