Amendment 20

Section 1. The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3. If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section 4. The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.

Amendment 20 deals with when federal officers positions start and end. It states that the term of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on January 20th and then Congress at noon on January 3rd. This is also the time that the newly elected begin their term.
Section two deals with Congress meeting once a year. The date is set to be on January 3rd, but can be changed by law. And the rest of the amendment deals with when it will take effect.
The term lame duck comes from this amendment because a lame duck is someone reaching the end of their term.



Inauguration Day 2009. Demonstrating when the new presidental term ends, in this case George W, and a new one begins, Barack Obama



Just a picture of a lame duck.

Amendment 19

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Amendment 19 game women the right to vote. The United States took along time for this one. They made 18 amendments before they thought, "hey, aren't we forgetting about someone?" It is a shame that it women's rights took so long to be recognized. Women are still looked down upon by some and averagely make %70 of what men do in the work force.



Just a clip of how some people don't know what suffrage is. It's pretty funny.



A stamp representing the 19th amendment.

Amendment 18

Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

This amendment banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol. They did this because of how people act when they were intoxicated. But this led to high crime, such as bootlegging and the mafia. The people wanted their liquors and were willing to do anything to get them.

Another point to be made is the fact that this amendment does not prohibit the consumption of alcohol. I guess they did that so that people who might need it for religion or other non recreational purposes could still use it. They just made it really hard to get.



Even doctors new that people wanted to drink and would freely hand out prescriptions for whiskey.



This guys makes the point that the consumption of alcohol is okay, but it was just so ridiculously hard to get that no one would drink it.

Amendment 17

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote. The electors in each State shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the State legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any State in the Senate, the executive authority of such State shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies: Provided, That the legislature of any State may empower the executive thereof to make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the legislature may direct.

This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

The 17th amendment starts out by giving the qualifications and restrictions of a US Senator. It also says that a senator is suppose to be elected by the people and is talking about voting. But can be appointed if there is an opening, before an election.



I really like this goovy looking guys because he keeps it short and sweet about each amendment.



This one is pretty self explainatory, voting has a big role in the 17th amendment.

Amendment 16

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

This amendment doesn't bother me much now, but soon it will. The 16th amendment gives the federal government the right to tax without the concent of the population.



This goovy looking fellows makes some good points about the 16th amendment.



I found this picture through google than thought that it represented how a lot of middle class Americans feel about the 16th amendment.

Amendment 15

Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
Section 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

The 15th amendment gives citizen who were previously denied the right to vote because of race the right to vote. The US finally got all of the rights for the freed slaves. But why did it have to take 3 amendments? Because America is afraid of change. Always has and always will be. Another interesting comment, there is still not mention of women having the right to vote.



This guy talk about the 14th amendment at his work (I know this from other videos he made) and gives a basic thought on it.



This picture is commonly represents the 15th amendment because it shows the "reconstruction" that the pervious video was talking about.

Amendment 14

Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.

Section 3. No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.

Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.

Section 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

This is the second part of the Civil War amendments, the US has almost figured it out, but not yet. This amendment gives the right of citizenship to any and every born American. The fact that states have most of the power in delegating these rights is implied. It also talks about civil liberties towards everyone, but basically it's talking about the slaves. The funny thing is that women are never mentioned in any of the amendment, how long till they get their rights?



This elderly lady gives her thoughts on the 14th amendment and how she believes that the states get most of the choice and say in what happens.



This video gives a lot of good facts and example of how the 14th amendment has came up in cases in American history.