The Amendments
American History Lesson



Subjects

• American History
• Government

Grades

• 6-8

Brief Description

Students will be introduced to the 27 Amendments to the Constitution. Then, the
students will sort the amendments into their own categories and explain their
choices. Lastly, the students will choose 10 amendments and explain them in
their own words.

Objectives

Students will
• Sort and categorize the amendments
• Analyze and re-write the amendments in their own words

Keywords

Amendments, Bill of Rights, The United States Constitution

Materials Needed

• Amendments (see attached)
• Chart paper
• Sticky pad
• Markers/crayons
• Tape



This lesson was created by Karen Holland Wilkins, Ed.S., Adams Middle School in Tampa, FL

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Lesson Plan

1. Project the Amendment paper from an overhead projector or distribute
copies of the Amendments to the students.

2. Discuss and explain the Amendments with/to the class. Check for
understanding.

3. After the class discussion, break the students into cooperative groups of
three or four members.

4. Distribute the materials and have the group's sort and categorize the
amendments. The groups will need chart paper, markers/crayons, sticky
pads, and tape.

5. The students will write the numbers 1-27 on the sticky notes and place
them into categories. As the students are categorizing, they will need to
write their categories on the chart paper. The groups may use a
miscellaneous category.

6. After each group completes the chart, they will tape their chart to the wall.
Then, all members of each group will stand and explain their choices to
the class.

Assessment

Each student will choose 10 amendments to explain in their own words and
illustrate their explanations.

















This lesson was created by Karen Holland Wilkins, Ed.S., Adams Middle School in Tampa, FL

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Amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Amendment 1: Freedom of Religion. Speech, Press, and Assembly (1791)-
Protects civil liberties of individuals in the United States.

Amendment 2: Right to Bear Arms (1791)-
The purpose of this amendment is to guarantee the states the right to keep a
militia.

Amendment 3: Quartering Troops (1791)-
Based on the principle that people have a right to privacy in their own homes.
Colonists were upset that the British had quartered or housed their troops in
private homes.

Amendment 4: Search and Seizure (1791)-
Based on the belief that citizens should have privacy in their own homes. This
amendment requires that a judge decide if there is reasonable cause to conduct
a search.

Amendment 5: Rights of Accused Person (1791)-
Only a grand jury can decide to bring a person to trial. A person may not be tried
more than once for the same crime. The accused does not have to testify
against himself. Lastly, an accused person my refuse to answer questions on
the ground that the answers might incriminate them.

Amendment 6: Right to Speedy, Fair Trial (1791)-
Assures that an accused person will not be held in jail for an extended period of
time before trial. Also, the trial will be open to the public and the jury will hear
witnesses and evidence from both sides. Lastly, the government must provide a
lawyer, if the defendant cannot afford one.

Amendment 7: Civil Suits (1791)-
If one person sues another person for more than $20.00, a jury trial must be
provided.

Amendment 8: Bail and Punishment (1791)-
Allows for accused persons to pay money to the court that guarantees that the
person will be present at their trial. Assures that neither the bail nor the
punishment will be unreasonably severe.

Amendment 9: Powers Reserved to the People (1791)-
The people’s rights are not limited to those detailed in the Constitution.

Amendment 10: Powers Reserved to the States (1791)-
Powers not specifically given to the federal government revert back to the state,
unless they are prohibited by the Constitution.
This lesson was created by Karen Holland Wilkins, Ed.S., Adams Middle School in Tampa, FL

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Amendment 11: Suits against States (1795)-
Suits brought by U.S. citizens or a citizen of a foreign nation against a state must
be tried in a state court.
Amendment 12: Election of President and Vice President (1804)-
Changes the procedure for electing the President and Vice President. The
electors must cast separate ballots for the office of President and Vice President.

Amendment 13: Abolition of Slavery (1865)-
This amendment ended slavery in the United States of America.

Amendment 14: Rights of Citizens (1868)-
This amendment granted the former slaves citizenship. Also, kept some
Confederate leaders from holding public office, made the debt incurred by the
Confederacy invalid and required that the U.S. government pay it’s debt incurred
during the Civil War.

Amendment 15: The Right to Vote (1870)-
This amendment allowed African Americans the right to vote.

Amendment 16: Income Tax (1913)-
This amendment in-acted the federal income tax.

Amendment 17: Direct Election of Senators (1913)-
The people of each state were allowed to vote for their senators. Before this
amendment, each state legislature elected the senators. This amendment
reduced the corruption and made the election of senators more democratic.

Amendment 18: Prohibition of Alcoholic Beverages (1919-
Made it illegal to produce, sell, or transport alcohol.

Amendment 19: Woman Suffrage (1920)-
Gave women the right to vote in all state and federal elections.

Amendment 20: Lame-Duck Amendment (1933)-
Shortened the length of time between the election and the inauguration. Also,
changed the time for the first meeting of the new Congress.

Amendment 21: Repeal of Prohibition (1933)-
Overturned the 18th amendment.

Amendment 22: Limit on Presidential Terms (1951)-
Limits the number of terms to 2 for each President. Also, limits the terms to 1, if
the President has served more than 2 years of another person’s term.


This lesson was created by Karen Holland Wilkins, Ed.S., Adams Middle School in Tampa, FL

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Amendment 23: Presidential Electors for the District of Columbia (1961)-
Allows the residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote for the President.
Gives D. C. 3 electoral votes.

Amendment 24: Abolition of the Poll Tax (1964)-
Eliminated taxes imposed by some Southern states to vote in presidential or
congressional elections.

Amendment 25: Presidential Disability and Succession (1967)-
The Vice President becomes the President if the President dies, resigns, or is
removed from office. Also, if the office of the Vice President becomes vacant,
the President appoints a new Vice President with approval from Congress.
Lastly, the President may inform the Congress if he/she cannot fulfill his/her
duties and the Vice President becomes President or Congress can remove the
President until he/she can fulfill the duties.

Amendment 26: Eighteen-Year-Old Vote (1971)-
Anyone 18 or older is eligible to vote.

Amendment 27: Restraint on Congressional Salary (1992)-
An increase in salary will not take affect until the next session of Congress.




This lesson was created by Karen Holland Wilkins, Ed.S., Adams Middle School in Tampa, FL

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Document Outline

• Subjects
• Grades
• Brief Description
• Objectives
  • Students will
• Keywords
  • Amendments, Bill of Rights, The United States Constitution
• Materials Needed
• Lesson Plan
• Assessment
  • • • Amendments to the U.S. Constitution

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