First, how amendments work
An amendment is a formal change or addition to the Constitution. That's how the Constitution changes (#5). The Framers made it hard on purpose: usually two-thirds of both houses of Congress propose an amendment, and three-fourths of the states (38 of 50) must ratify it. (The Constitution also allows a convention called by the states, but it has never been used.)
That's why there have been only 27 amendments (#7) in more than 230 years, and only 17 since the Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights (1791)
The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights. Several states agreed to the Constitution only after being promised a list of rights the new government couldn't take away. The Bill of Rights protects the basic rights of Americans and of people living in the United States (#6), not just citizens. That's why #65 asks for "three rights of everyone living in the United States."
1st Amendment: five freedoms
Religion, speech, the press, assembly (gathering peacefully) and petitioning the government (asking it to change something). Four of these, plus "freedom of expression," are accepted answers for #65. On the 2008 test, #6 asks for one right from the First Amendment.
2nd Amendment: the right to bear arms
"The right to bear arms" is the other accepted answer for #65. A tip: name three rights you can say without hesitating, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of assembly.
10th Amendment: powers of the states
Powers the Constitution doesn't give to the federal government, and doesn't forbid to the states, belong to the states or to the people. That's the answer to #60, and the reason states run schools, police and driver's licenses (#59).
After the Civil War: the Reconstruction amendments
13th Amendment (1865): ends slavery
It abolished slavery throughout the United States, finishing what the Emancipation Proclamation began in 1863. It helps with the Civil War questions in the history section.
14th Amendment (1868): citizenship and equal protection
Its first sentence says that all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to its jurisdiction, are citizens. It's the answer to #97, and it's why #68 ("How can people become United States citizens?") accepts "be born in the United States, under the conditions set by the 14th Amendment." It also promises every person "equal protection of the laws."
15th Amendment (1870): voting regardless of race
It says the right to vote can't be denied because of race or color. On the test it's "a male citizen of any race can vote" (#63), and the answer to #98, "When did all men get the right to vote?" (after the Civil War, during Reconstruction, the 15th Amendment, or 1870). In practice, many states blocked Black voters for decades afterward with poll taxes and literacy tests, which later amendments and the civil rights movement fought.
The early 1900s
16th Amendment (1913): the federal income tax
It allows Congress to collect an income tax. That's why "required by the Constitution (16th Amendment)" is an accepted answer to #71, "Why is it important to pay federal taxes?"
17th Amendment (1913): senators elected by the people
Before 1913, state legislatures chose U.S. senators. Since the 17th Amendment, voters elect them directly. That's the answer to #32, "Who elects U.S. senators?" (citizens from their state).
19th Amendment (1920): women's right to vote
It says the right to vote can't be denied because of sex. On the test it's "any citizen can vote (women and men can vote)" (#63), and the answer to #102, "When did all women get the right to vote?" (1920, after World War I, or the 19th Amendment). Susan B. Anthony, who fought for it, died 14 years before it passed.
Later amendments
22nd Amendment (1951): two-term limit for presidents
After Franklin Roosevelt won four elections, this amendment limited presidents to two elected terms. It's the answer to #37, along with "to keep the president from becoming too powerful."
24th Amendment (1964): no poll tax
A poll tax was a fee to vote, used to keep poor and Black citizens from voting. The 24th Amendment banned it in federal elections. On the test: "you don't have to pay a poll tax to vote" (#63).
26th Amendment (1971): voting at 18
It lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, during the Vietnam War, when 18-year-olds could be drafted but couldn't vote. On the test: "citizens 18 and older can vote" (#63; on the 2008 test, #54).
The four voting amendments, together
Question #63 (2008: #48) asks you to describe one of the four amendments about who can vote. They're the 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th, in time order: race (1870), women (1920), no poll tax (1964), age 18 (1971). Pick the one easiest for you to say, for example: "Citizens 18 and older can vote."
Quick review
- 1st (1791): religion, speech, press, assembly, petition, #65
- 2nd (1791): bear arms, #65
- 10th (1791): powers of the states, #60
- 13th (1865): ends slavery
- 14th (1868): citizenship by birth or naturalization, #97, #68
- 15th (1870): men of any race vote, #98, #63
- 16th (1913): income tax, #71
- 17th (1913): voters elect senators, #32
- 19th (1920): women vote, #102, #63
- 22nd (1951): two-term limit, #37
- 24th (1964): no poll tax, #63
- 26th (1971): voting at 18, #63
To see where these fit in the government as a whole, read The Three Branches of Government, Explained. Then study every question with its official answer on the American Government and American History pages, and test yourself in the practice test.
Sources: U.S. Constitution, Article V, and Amendments 11–27 and the Bill of Rights (National Archives); USCIS, 2025 Civics Test: 128 Questions and Answers. The explanations are our own summaries. This is general information, not legal advice.