How Many Amendments or Changes Are There to the Constitution?

You probably know that changes to the Constitution are called "amendments." There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution.

There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution.

• The first ten, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified simultaneously within four years of the original writing. They were meant to clarify and further define the specific liberties of the people of the United States of America.
• The other 17 amendments were drafted, proposed and ratified according to Article Five of the Constitution over the next 200 years with the most recent amendment being passed in 1992.

Bill of Rights

Here is a very quick overview of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. For a more detailed explanation of each amendment in the Bill of Rights, see What Is the Purpose of the Bill of Rights?

• First Amendment - Freedom of speech, the press, religion, peaceful assembly and petition.
• Second Amendment - The right to bear arms.
• Third Amendment - No quartering of soldiers during peace time.
• Fourth Amendment - No unlawful search and/or seizure.
• Fifth Amendment - Trial by jury in criminal cases, no double jeopardy or self-incrimination, and the government can’t take your property without proper compensation.
• Sixth Amendment - The right to a speedy trial, knowledge of accusation, and legal representation.
• Seventh Amendment - Trial by jury in civil cases.
• Eighth Amendment - No cruel or unusual punishment.
• Ninth Amendment - Other rights not specified shall not be denied.
• Tenth Amendment - Powers to the states and the people if not specified in the Constitution.

Additional Amendments

• Eleventh Amendment - Basically says that no citizen of the United States or any other country can use the U.S. federal courts to sue state governments.
• Twelfth Amendment - Establishes a new process by which the Electoral College will cast separate ballots for the offices of President and Vice President.
• Thirteenth Amendment - Abolishes slavery and gives Congress the power to enforce abolition.
• Fourteenth Amendment - Ensures that former slaves will be considered full citizens of the United States, and that they will enjoy the same rights as every other citizen. It reaffirms the fact that representation in Congress shall be decided based on the number of citizens living in each state (now including former slaves). It declares that no one who has taken an oath to support and uphold the Constitution and then engaged in rebellious or insurrectionist activity shall remain in their civil, governmental or military position. And it states that debts “incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave...shall be held illegal and void.”
• Fifteenth Amendment - States that citizens of the United States cannot be denied the right to vote based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”
• Sixteenth Amendment - Gives Congress the power to collect income tax without regard to a state’s population or representation.
• Seventeenth Amendment - Explains that each state will have two Senators, elected by popular vote, who will serve terms of six years. It also explains what will happen in the event of a vacancy in this position.
• Eighteenth Amendment - Bans the manufacture, importation and exportation of alcoholic beverages.
• Nineteenth Amendment - States that citizens of the United States cannot be denied the right to vote based on sex.
• Twentieth Amendment - Changes minor details regarding congressional and presidential terms and specifies presidential succession.
• Twenty-First Amendment - Repeals the Eighteenth Amendment, allowing states to determine whether or not they will allow the importation of alcoholic beverages.
• Twenty-Second Amendment - Limits the president to two terms (eight years) in office.
• Twenty-Third Amendment - Allows the District of Columbia to have presidential and vice presidential electors based on its population (as though it were a state).
• Twenty-Fourth Amendment - Prohibits the states and the federal government from requiring a tax payment as a qualification to vote for President, Vice President, Senators, or Congressional Representatives.
• Twenty-Fifth Amendment - Sets up a system for the temporary removal of the president and changes the details of presidential succession.
• Twenty-Sixth Amendment - States that citizens of the United States who are at least 18 years of age cannot be denied the right to vote based on age.
• Twenty-Seventh Amendment - Limits changes in the pay of Senators and Representatives.

So the next time someone asks how many amendments or changes there are to the Constitution, you'll have plenty of information to give them.