Amendment XXVII

"No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened."

Finally, the twenty seventh amendment to the United States Constitution prevents Congress from giving themselves a pay raise, which is good, cause how weird would it be if you could just give yourself a raise whenever you wanted? This prevents lawmakers from being greedy and siphoning too much of the federal budget into their own pockets through their paychecks and also helps to allow for some ecumenic equality amongst senators and representatives.

When the final amendment was ratified, the country had been recovering from some economic hardships. After the passing of this amendment, the country continued to go through economic turmoil, which would have erupted into outrage had congressmen and congresswomen still been allowed to give themselves a raise.

This picture helps to further that point, illustrating that sometimes Congress can meet and follow all of their rules and still not accomplish much. That would not seem raise worthy to many people, so therefore they should not be allowed to give themselves more money for doing less work.

Amendment XXVI

"1: The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.

2: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

This, the twenty sixth amendment, was ratified in 1971 and lowered the voting age from 21 to 18, opening up the polls to the younger generation earlier than ever and encouraging the youthful vote. It also granted protections to these young voters, preventing legislation that would drive the voting age back up.

This image helps show the law changed by the ratification of the twenty-sixth amendment, allowing those of 18 years of age to vote.

This cute minimalist image also helps convey the same meaning behind the twenty-sixth amendment, granting the right for younger people to make their voice heard.

Amendment XXV

"1: In case of the removal of the President from office or his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

2: Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take the office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both houses of Congress.

3: Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

4: Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments, or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of his office as Acting President.
Thereafter, When the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department, or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four day to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty one days after the receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge his powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as the Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office."

The twenty fifth amendment gives recourse and ability to judge whether a President remains fit to continue his job as the President of the United States. The President is able to declare that they are unfit and Congress also has the ability to declare the President unfit. It also dictates what should happen if the President were to vacate his office and how a new Vice President would be chosen.

This image is a reference to the belief that the current president is unfit for his job and should resign, as he could easily be perceived as being unable to discharge his duties and responsibilities fully.

This comic is a funny little illustration of how the twenty-fifth amendment can be interpreted: if the President deems themself unable to do their job, they have to wait for an agreement from Congress.

Amendment XXIV

"1: the right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative of Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.

2: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

The twenty fourth amendment protects a citizens right to vote by making it illegal for the federal government or the state government to impose any kind of tax on voting.

This comic illustrates the future that this amendment was designed to avoid. It made the idea of a poll tax illegal so that people could not use voting as a tool for only the wealthy and limit its access.

Continuing on from the first image, this picture helps to illustrate the amount of people that would be left unable to participate in their political decisions if a poll tax was enacted.

Amendment XXIII

"1: The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct:

A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State,  but in no event more than the least populous state; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the States, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of the President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a State; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment.

2: The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

This amendment gave the citizens in the District of Columbia, known as Washington D.C. the right to vote.

This image helps to illustrate the irony over how Washington D.C. was not allowed to vote despite being the seat of American democracy.

This is an image of one of the stickers passed around at the time of the twenty-third amendment trying to convince people to allow D.C. to vote.

Amendment XXII

"1: No person shall be elected to the office of President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

2: 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 to the States by the Congress."

The twenty second amendment limits the terms of the Presidency down to two terms, totaling eight years. This amendment was a response to FDR having been elected for four different terms and remains the only President to be elected for more than two terms. It was because of FDR's popularity that this amendment was ratified.

This comic illustrates the idea of how people should not be fooled or lured into voting for someone for a third term, siting a popular paraphrase to emphasize their point.

This is an image of a button that was in circulation as Roosevelt was running for his third term as President. It is a unique button as the idea of a third term will only every be applicable to Roosevelt, as he remains the only president to ever serve more than two terms.

Amendment XI

"The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State."

This amendment is significant for many ways. First of all, it is the first new amendment to have been ratified to the Constitution after it had been published by the Framers, setting a new procedure for amendment ratification. This amendment also created new protections within the Judicial system.

Amendment XXI

"1: The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

2: The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or Possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

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

The twenty first amendment is applicably numbered, as it has to do with alcohol and you must be 21 years of age to legally purchase and consume alcohol in the United States. This amendment overturns the eighteenth amendment, which had previously made the sale of alcohol illegal within the United States.

Despite the idea that the amendments of the United States Constitution were ratified to remain in the country's legislature permanently, this amendment was ratified to directly make another amendment useless. It revoked the power of the eighteenth amendment and made the sale of alcohol legal within the United States once again.

The eighteenth amendment was not a popular amendment, so it really seemed like it would have just come down to a matter of time before the laws enacted within the eighteenth amendment were changed.

Amendment XX

"1: The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th 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.

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.

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.

4: The Congress may be 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 persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

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

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."

This amendment is very important. It provides contingency plans in case of the death of the current President and the President elect, as well as the Vice President and Vice President elect.

This morbid and poorly drawn comic does a good job at illustrating what part of the twentieth amendment was created to do. In the event of the death of the acting President, the twentieth amendment details out the exact steps to follow in order to ensure that the government still has a leader.

The term used to describe the time between a former president leaving office and the newly elected president entering office was Lame Duck, as it was seen as a lame move for the leaving president to try and enact new laws or bills. This used to not be the case, but since the twentieth amendment changed the time between presidents down to only a few short months, the term became more applicable.

Amendment XIX

"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."

This amendment is very important as it finally gave the right to vote to all of its citizens, regardless of race or sex. Women were finally given the right to vote and make their voices heard, allowing the approximately 50% of the population that had been undermined and ignored for years to finally participate in the political society that they lived in.

The nineteenth amendment finally allowed the women of the United States to participate fully in their political lives, granting them the right to vote and make their voices heard. This combined with the fifteenth amendment created a diversity that voting had not quite experienced before, as seen in the image above.

Before the nineteenth amendment was passed, an age of women's rights and suffrage emerged in the 19th century. Working in tandem with the abolition movement, it encouraged members of the United States to work with women and fight for their right to vote. It took a long long time for their dreams to finally become a reality, but their work and dream are forever a part of the United States political landscape.

Amendment XVIII

"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.

2: The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

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."

The eighteenth amendment laid down the framework for the period of Prohibition: a time in which the sale and ownership of alcohol was illegal within the United States. It was a mistake and it never should have been enacted in the first place.

This image reflects a couple of different things about the United States at the time of Prohibition. First, it shows that they were willing to use the image of a soldier to promote an idea of patriotism behind banning the sale of alcohol in the United States. They also insinuate that drinking alcohol goes against what the military and soldiers stand and fight for. This is a tactic that is still used heavily in modern politics. 

Prohibition had passed and the United States became a dry country, at least on paper. The time of Prohibition sparked a huge age of alcohol smuggling within the United States and enraged many citizens.

Amendment XVII

"1: 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.

2: 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.

3: 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 seventeenth amendment defined the structure of the Senate: the number of senators, the length of their terms, what they need to have/be in order to qualify for the senate, what happens if no one is elected or if there is a tie, etc.

This image represents some of the fears behind senators being elected: who pays for their campaign and helps them to finance their ideas in Congress? People have always been wary of big business buying their way into Congress through puppet senators who they use to enact their own ideas and policies in order to help their business and not the people.

Despite the similar message behind the two pictures, it is important to be aware of the same thing continuing in modern politics. Super PACs and corporate donations have influenced a lot of modern politics, and having a former businessman work as the President to further business ideals does not help to calm these fears.

Amendment XVI

"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."

The sixteenth amendment allows for the federal government to impose and collect taxes on its citizens. Known as income tax, this takes money out of everyone's wages and does not count as a tax imposed by the state.

The sixteenth amendment granted Congress the right to impose income tax on the citizens of the United States. This image shows Uncle Sam, an iconic figure used to represent the United States, pointing at the reader and saying "I want your money." This was used to represent how the people felt about the federal government at the time of this amendment's ratification.

This image actually had a companion image, not pictured here, that illustrated this monstrous hippo as a young baby before it grew large and boisterous  The idea behind these images was to frighten those who were indifferent of the income tax into its opposition, as people believed that Congress would demand more and more through this new tax.

Amendment XV

"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. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

This amendment protects and guarantees the rights for all American citizens to vote, no matter who they are. Despite the wording, at the time this Amendment was ratified, it only applied to male citizens. While the ability to vote had been guaranteed to white citizens since the Constitution was signed, this amendment gave voting rights to all male citizens, regardless of race.

This image represents the historic moment now granted by the 15th amendment. A line of black men voting for their representatives and participating in their political lives at full capacity. While that is very important it is also worthwhile to notice that there are only men in this image, as women had still not yet been granted their right to vote.

This poster encouraging the people to use their power to vote shows a diversity amongst skin tone, helping to illustrate that the right and ability to vote belongs to us all, no matter what we may look like.

Amendment XIV

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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

This amendment is giant, composed of five different laws and rights passed through together. Each section guarantees another right to the American people, including the right to consider yourself an American. 
The first section defines American citizenship and guarantees citizenship to anyone born within the borders of the United States or one of its territories. It also protects American citizens against the Federal government redefining what a citizen is or what rights they are guaranteed.
The second section defines how the House of Representatives gets its numbers as well as setting the voting age to 21.
The third section states that no one shall serve in an offie of the government if they had committed any sort of serious crime or treason.
The fourth section relates to the idea of due process within the United States.
The fifth and final just grants Congress power to enforce aspects of this amendment.

This cartoon illustrates that despite the rights under the 14th amendment being called equal protection, that equal protection can be used to protect things in a very unequal manner. In this case, a judge is using these protections to shield corporations from the rain while the citizens stand in the rain without any protection.

This cartoon directly relates to the first section of this amendment and calls out the idea of an anchor baby, which is a child born in the United States by a noncitizen mother, effectively allowing the mother to remain in the United States with her child. Certain political parties, perhaps those represented by an elephant as shown in this cartoon, disagree with that and claim that they have the right to choose who can become a citizen of their country.

Amendment XIII

"Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

This amendment is incredibly important and represents so much of early American History. The thirteenth amendment outlaws the practice of slavery and indentured servitude, effectively destabilizing Southern economy. Freeing millions of black slaves, this amendment was passed as a direct result of the conclusion of the American Civil War and represented one of the end goals that the Union was fighting for and the Confederacy was fighting against.

People tend to think of slavery as having existed long ago, but the reality of the situation is that the abolishment of slavery is still a relatively new decision in human history. Slavery built the United States and was a large factor in the initial building of its economy as well. This flyer shows a sale in which a seller is trying to sell 94 new slaves. This took place in 1769, only 250 years ago.

This powerful picture illustrates a slave breaking their chains after the ratification of the 13th amendment and finally experiencing what it means to be a free man in the United States of America.

Amendment XII

"The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;—The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;—The person having the greatest number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States."

This giant wall of text of an amendment focuses on one of the most important factors of democracy: Presidential Election. This amendment detailed the way in which the United States conducts their presidential election, from how the people should vote to how the votes should be counted, where the votes should be counted, how the votes count, etc. It also details how electoral ties should be resolved.

This first cute cartoon helps to illustrate what the twelfth amendment is all about: elections. It shows a group of people voting for their president and their vice president under the rights given to them by this amendment.

This is a more relevant example of Presidential elections. A screenshot of the 2012 election, where Obama was elected to his second term in office. It shows how the electoral college ended up voting for President, but we'll talk more about the electoral college later on.

Amendment X

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Historically, the Framers of the Constitution wanted to create a country in which the federal government did not have the same power and ability to abuse American citizens the way that King George had abused them. Fearing the power of the federal government, the Framers insisted that all rights now specifically states within these first ten amendments were automatically assumed to be States rights; which gave states the power to decide and hold influence over their own citizens. This also helped to create a sort of system of checks and balances in the states, as one state could not use their powers to become more powerful than another as they both operated on the same level.

As the tenth amendment grants the remaining power of the government to the state government instead of the federal, it effectively allows states to claim that they have enumerated rights similar to those given to citizens by the ninth amendment. The image represents how the states claim the remaining power of the Constitution.

This cartoon illustrates how the federal government is not more powerful than the states, as the states had been granted far more power than the federal government through the tenth amendment.

Amendment IX

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

This amendment is arguably one of the most important amendments in the Constitution. It protects against the federal government from passing new laws with the specific intent of denying rights to its citizens. 

This little cartoon illustrates the kinds of protections guaranteed by the ninth amendment. Rights of citizens are forever protected by this amendment and help prevent the United States Federal Government from taking rights.

Amendment VIII

"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

This is the final amendment in the Bill of Rights to directly relate to how the judicial system needs to treat criminals. The eighth amendment helps to guarantee criminal rights and prevents the justice system from putting down huge bails on misdemeanors and small time criminals. It also protects against extreme punishment.

This cartoon does a good job of showing what the eighth amendment was designed to prevent. Torture can be synonymous with cruel and unusual punishment and while torture itself is strictly against the law, people still resort to manipulation and discrete tactics to acquire information from other people. They bend, twist, and distort the truth, as it were.

In this comic strip the judge is seen sentencing a George Bush look-alike with an excessive amount of bail money and a ridiculously long sentence, all for the crime of thievery. 

Amendment VII

"In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law."

This amendment grants those accused of a crime the right to a jury, a group of unbiased peers who listen to the evidence presented to the judge and themselves and use that information to decide whether a person is innocent or guilty of the accused crime. This gives the accused the right to be judged by unbiased people rather than being sentenced by their accusers or being unfairly judged. 

This first image reflects on the importance of a fair trial by implying that Moussaoui's trial should have been rigged by the man on the right. Despite how people feel about a convicted person and regardless of their crimes, every American citizens has the right to a fair trial.

This little comic shows how the first line of the amendment works. If you were to sue another person you would need to sue them for an amount over $20, unlike this gentleman, who only sued for $15.

Amendment VI

"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence."

This amendment guarantees the right for those who have been accused of crimes to a speedy trail and to call witnesses to their defense. It helps people try to prove their innocence after being accused and also guarantees that those who have been accused of a crime are not stuck waiting forever for their trial.

https://youtu.be/tIWxLoOLLpc

This video goes over the rights promised under the sixth amendment through a visual media; by drawing pictures associated with the respective rights. The video also goes over what each part of the amendment means, explaining the importance of a speedy trial, impartial trials, public trials, etc.

https://billofrightsinstitute.org/educate/educator-resources/lessons-plans/landmark-supreme-court-cases-elessons/gideon-v-wainwright-1963/

This article talks about a Florida court case from 1963, in which a man was denied his right to legal counsel by the court and sentenced to jail. During his time in prison, the man, who was named Clarence Gideon, researched the law and discovered that he had not received a fair trial due to his inability to have access to counsel. He challenged his conviction and the court agreed that his sixth amendment rights to a fair trail had been abused. Therefore, his conviction was overturned and Gideon became a free man.

Amendment V

"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or navel forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or in public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of the law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation."

This is a very important amendment. It protects against being charged for the same crime, known as double jeopardy, despite any new evidence that could show up. It helps to protect from self-incrimination in court as well; basically giving the right for someone to say "I evoke my fifth amendment right" in order to not have to answer questions.

https://youtu.be/3D3oeurgP0s

The link above directs to a video of Martin Shkreli at a congressional hearing being asked questions about his pharmaceutical business. The short video shows Shkreli being asked three questions by the chairman of the hearing and responding each time by evoking his fifth amendment right under the advise of council. Much to the chagrin of the people running the hearing, Shkreli was totally within his right to invoke the amendment.

Recently a lot of powerful politicians and business people have been scrutinized through various hearings and audits. Some of them, like Shkreli above, utilize the fifth amendment to get out of incriminating theirselves. In the cartoon, the man is trying to get the auditing department to allow him to plead the fifth to avoid penalty like those affluent leaders do. 

Amendment IV

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

This amendment goes hand in hand with the Third Amendment in protecting people's homes; preventing the unlawful search of ones home, and the unlawful seizure of their belongings or property. In order for these things to occur lawfully, proper papers and warrants had to be approved by a judge, essentially giving permission to law enforcement to conduct their searches and seizures. This amendment is used a lot in law enforcement, requiring officers to obtain warrants before searching through a subjects property or belongings. In the modern digital age, warrants need to be obtained before searching through someones online presence, preventing unlawful searches and seizures through the Internet.

This political cartoon represents the unlawful search through someone's digital property, as discussed above. The Justice Department is pictured having broken into a man's house and logged onto his computer, which in turn woke the man up. The consent for the Justice Department to search through this man's computer is implied to not have been received.

Government agencies like the NSA have been believed to be constantly watching citizens through their technology; keeping cameras and audio equipment on at all times despite user consent in order to keep tabs on the country. As people become paranoid of an increasing likelihood of the development of a Big Brother style surveillance system over the world, images like this are used to stir up public reaction and imply that people are being lied to about their fourth amendment rights.

Amendment III

"No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."

This amendment was a response to actions by the Redcoats during the American Revolution. British soldiers used to barge in and demand things from the home owners; shelter, food, munitions, etc. People were threatened if they did not give into the commands of these soldiers. This amendment mattered a great deal to the people at the end of the revolution.

This cartoon is a representation of what the third amendment is designed to prevent: a soldier barging into someone's home and demanding to be given a room and food for free. The owner of the house is able to utilize her third amendment rights to prevent that from happening.

This image helps to illustrate the demand for the non-quartering amendment (NQA) and the anti-Redcoat sentiment that was persistent during the time of the revolution.

Amendment II

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

This amendment represents the right for citizens in the United States to protect themselves through the use of fire arms and/or other legally obtained weapons. This amendment was written at a point in time where the act of loading and firing guns took far longer than it does today and that has become a very controversial topic in today's politics. 

 This image really reflects how this Amendment is being treated in the current socio-political atmosphere. The cartoon reflects the current desire to introduce harsher gun control policy to prevent the increasing mass shootings in the United States from continuing. The GOP are stubbornly resisting these efforts, claiming that the Second Amendment guarantees these rights forever, and this image has been used to appeal to their followers.

This image illustrates the difference in guns and weapons at the time that the Second Amendment was written compared to the weapons that exist now as well as showing what the weapons have been primarily used for outside of war.