The Amendments to the United States Constitution

http://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution#

http://www.nuttyhistory.com/27-amendments.html

Eleventh Amendment

This stick figure drawing may be silly but it is the most simple way of understanding this amendment. Essentially, the 11th amendment protects the individual states from being prosecuted by foreigners or citizens of another state.

1. How does this amendment relate to the debates during the Federalist and Anti- Federalist debate in the Constitutional Convention?

2. What problems, if any, do you forsee this amendment potentially causing?

Twelfth Amendment

This map shows the proportions of electorates from state-to-state. The 12th Amendment lays the ground work for the electoral college, meaning that your vote is actually choosing an electorate, who is then voting for President. The number of electorates per state is the number of Representatives + the number of Senators.

1) How does this amendment relate to the New Jersey plan and the Great Compromise?2) What are the potential downsides to the electoral college, and who will feel the

effects of those downsides?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc8e5Pm1_bM

Thirteenth Amendment

This was a hugely important amendment for one clear and obvious reason; it abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States outside of punishments for crime. It was ratified in 1865 at the end of the Civil War.

1) What important historical document and speech does this amendment resemble, and how do they both support the Preamble?

2) What do you think the immediate effects of this amendment, on both former slaves and former slave owners, could have been?

Fourteenth Amendment

The 14th Amendment is one people often point to in political discussion. It ensures the rights of all American citizens to due process of law and equal protection under that law.

1) How does this amendment relate to the mission laid out in the Preamble (use specific lines)?

2) Do you think this at all contradicts or disagrees with the Eleventh Amendment? If so, how?

Twenty-Second Amendment

In 1947, this amendment laid out the term limits for the President. Just as it is today, no president can serve more than two terms of four years, and they can either be relected after the first four years, or someone else can be elected at that time.

1) How does this amendment align with the Anti-Federalism values of 1787, and the post-revolution America?

2) What is your opinion on these term limits? Too long? Too short? Not necessary at all? Explain your answer.

Amendments 15-21, 23-27

The rest of the amendments, while important, are less related to the history we learned in this unit. Look through them still on the link posted on the intro slide, and for extra credit draw any connections you see between those amendments and the topics discussed in this unit. (particularly Federalism vs Anti-Federalism, large government vs small government)