Celebrate President's Day and learn about the Bill of Rights this February by playing this Pictionary-inspired Bill of Rights drawing game. Each player will use his imagination and artistic talent to illustrate one of the rights mentioned in the Bill of Rights as others try to guess which one he chose. The rights range from easy to very difficult to draw so be ready for a challenge!
What You Need:
Copy of the Bill of Rights (you can download one online)
Pencil
Paper
What You Do:
Read the Bill of Rights with your child, then discuss what it means. What is it, and why is it important?
Make a "cheat sheet” that lists the rights within each amendment.
Have the first player pick a right from the cheat sheet (without telling the other person what he picked), then draw a representation of his chosen right using the pencil and paper.
As the first player draws, have the second player try to guess which right he is illustrating. Have the guessing player refer to the cheat sheet if he has difficulty guessing.
Once the right has been guessed, have the players switch roles and repeat steps 3 and 4.
Have the players continue playing, switching roles after each round, until all the rights have been drawn. Remember to keep score!
At the end of the game, add up each player's score to see who won!
To increase the difficulty of the game, try recalling the amendments from memory instead of using the cheat sheet or imposing a time limit.
This game is fun for the whole family! Break up into teams and see who knows the Bill of Rights best!
A copy and paste from the original website: http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.html Edited by Soutenus This file is intended for students in grades 4 through 7. Other versions of this page are available:
If you have any questions about any words or ideas on this page, please ask your parents or teachers for help. Understanding the Constitution is important for all Americans, even kids!
The Constitution is the base for all laws in the United States.
The Basics
The Constitution is the highest law in the United States. All other laws come from the Constitution.
It says how the government works.
It creates the Presidency.
It creates the Congress.
It creates the Supreme Court.
Each state also has a constitution.
The constitutions of the states are their highest law for that state — but the United States Constitution is higher.
The Constitution can be changed. The Constitution is changed by an "amendment." Among the amendments is a list of the rights of the people. By listing these rights, they are made special. It is illegal for the government to violate those rights.
As of 2006, there are 27 amendments. Not all of them involve rights, but many do. The first ten amendments are special. They are called the Bill of Rights.
The Framers worked for four months over the course of a hot summer in Philadelphia to craft the Constitution.
History The Constitution was written in 1787. Yes, it is over 200 years old. We actually have old copies of what was created. The master copies are stored at the National Archives in Washington D.C. We also have pictures of the Constitution on this site.
From May to September 1787 a group of men known as the Framers met. The Framers talked about what should be in the Constitution. The United States was a brand new country. The United States had a government that did not work very well. The Framers met to find a new way of running the country. This meeting is called The Convention. Some of the Framers are famous to us today. They include
James Madison
Ben Franklin and
George Washington
At that time there were only 13 states. The men came from all the states except Rhode Island. Each state had ideas for the new government. The Framers had many debates. They talked a lot. They make a lot of speeches. By talking about it, they came up with a plan that everyone could agree with. They had to have a lot of compromises. Only by agreeing could all the arguments be worked out. Ben Franklin said the he was not sure if the plan was perfect. He said that it was probably as perfect as it could be.
This map of the United States was published in 1784 by William Faden.
After the Convention, the Constitution had to be approved. Actually, only nine states had to agree to, or ratify, the Constitution. But everyone wanted all 13 states to agree. Two states took a long time to decide to agree. These states were Rhode Island and North Carolina. In the end, they did agree. Once the first nine states agreed, we say the Constitution was "ratified." New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify.
** to ratify: to approve or to confirm Amendments
When the Constitution was written, the Framers knew their creation was not perfect. They knew that other people would have good ideas for the Constitution. They wanted to be sure that it wasn't too hard to make changes. They also wanted to be sure that it wasn't too easy.
The Framers added an amendment process. An amendment to the Constitution is a change that can add to the Constitution or change an older part of it.
Originally, some people did not want to ratify the Constitution. One big reason was that it did not have a bill of rights. A bill of rights is a list of rights that belong to the people. The government is not allowed to break these rights. Some of these rights might sound familiar:
the right to practice your own religion
the right of free speech
the right to be silent if you are arrested
The original Constitution had no bill of rights. Many of the Framers did not think it was needed. But many people wanted one. So, promises were made to add one, using the amendment process.
Soon, the new government started meeting. Congress proposed the Bill of Rights. A list of twelve changes was sent to the states. In 1791, ten of those changes were agreed to by the states.
The ten changes were added to the Constitution. These ten changes are called the "Bill of Rights."
Other changes to the Constitution are discussed below. The last change to the Constitution was made in 1992. The 27th Amendment is actually one of the two left-over amendments from 1791. It is very unusual for an amendment to take that long to be accepted, but it is possible. Some, like the 26th Amendment, are accepted very quickly, in just 100 days. Most, though, take a little over a year to be ratified.
This image of a black slave appealed to the humanity of free whites, asking, "Am I not a man and a brother?" The image accompanied the antislavery poem "Our Countrymen in Chains" by John Greenleaf Whittier, published in 1837.
Slavery
In 1787, most of the black people in America were slaves. A slave is someone who is owned by someone else. Today, there are no legal slaves in America. It was common in 1787. As time went by, more people thought that slavery was wrong.
Most of the people who wanted to end slavery were from the states in the north. They were called abolitionists.
Most of the people who wanted to keep slavery were from the states in the south. Slavery was important in the South.
A lot of how the people in the south made money involved slaves. Slaves were worth money. Slaves picked their crops, like cotton and tobacco.
The people in the North wanted to end slavery. They said it was an important step for America. The people of the South were afraid of losing slavery. They were afraid of losing business. They thought that having slavery was important for each state choose on its own.
When President Lincoln was elected, the South got very angry. Lincoln had said he didn't like slavery.
Most of the Southern states decided to break away from the United States. They created their own country. It was called the Confederate States of America. The USA did not agree that the states of the CSA could break away. The Civil War followed. In the South they called it The War of Northern Aggression. Many people called it The War Between the States.
The USA won that war. It was a terrible war. Many people died. Many buildings were destroyed.
Something good did happen, though. Slavery ended.
With the 13th Amendment, slavery was made illegal.
The 14th Amendment said that every person born in the United States was a full citizen. Even former slaves were full citizens.
The 15th Amendment made sure that black people could vote.
These changes protected many freedoms. But it took a long time to change peoples' minds. Many people still did not like black people. They thought that white people were better. For 100 years, some laws reflected this feeling. Today, these laws are also gone. Hopefully, now a days, most people do not think that anyone is better than someone else just because of their color.
A portrait of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Stanton and Anthony were leaders in the "suffragette" movement, the movement to give the vote to women.
Women
At the beginning, we talked about the men who were the Framers. For a long time, most of the people who shaped the country were men. This is not because women could not help. It is not because women did not want to help. Instead, men held all the positions of power. Men were the Presidents. Men were the members of Congress. Men were the mayors. Men were the owners of companies. Women had very little chance to advance in life.
Women had no role in government. They had no role in politics. They were homemakers. They took care of their husbands or fathers. They took care of kids. Most men did not feel that women should vote. There were actually laws that said women could not vote. Many people decided this was wrong and many women and some men fought against it.
Finally, in 1920, the 19th Amendment was passed. It says that women can vote in all elections.
Today, women are active in government and politics. Being able to vote is a big part of that. Without the ability to vote, women had no voice. Without a voice, there was no reason for politicians to care what women think. They did not care about issues that are important to women. Once women could vote, some got very interested in politics. Some women ran for office. There have not yet been any women as President. However, it is only a matter of time before the first woman President is elected.
The Bill of Rights protects the freedom of, and from, religion.
The Bill of Rights
We already talked about the Bill of Rights. It was passed because some people were afraid that the government would have too much power. They were afraid that some important things could be made illegal. They wanted to be sure to keep those things legal.
For example, you can say whatever you want about the President. You can say that you don't like his hair. You can say you don't like his voice. You can say you don't like the war in Iraq. You can say you don't like his tax ideas. It seems normal to us to be able to say these things. We can criticize the President. We can criticize a member of Congress. We can criticize a mayor. We can say what things they do that we don't like. This is only possible because of the Right of Free Speech. The Bill of Rights protects Free Speech.
The freedom to express yourself, in speech, in writing, and in protest, is also protected by the Bill of Rights.
Imagine if there was no right to free speech. A law could be passed that says that if you criticize the President's hair, you can spend a day in jail. Or worse, criticizing the President's taxes can get you a year in jail. These are the kinds of laws that the Framers were afraid of. The Bill of Rights protects us from such laws. We cannot be put in jail because of our opinions.
Technically that is true but -- unfortunately there are recent cases where people, who follow the law, HAVE been arrested for expressing their opinions. This MUST be brought to the attention of our country and this MUST be stopped. If our the country, law officials and/or government officials start ignoring the Bill of Rights we will have chaos.
Here are links to the two examples I mentioned: Dearborn, Michigan and Obamanation and ND
The Bill of Rights protects a lot of other freedoms. For example:
You can believe in any religion you want.
The government cannot force you to believe in something.
You cannot be forced to house soldiers in your home.
The police cannot come into your home without a good reason.
The police may not take your papers without reason.
The police cannot force you testify against yourself in court. In fact, the police cannot force you to tell them anything at all. This is called the "right to remain silent".
And you cannot be given unusual punishments. You cannot be given twenty years in jail for speeding.
An interior view of the House of Representatives, the "lower" house of the United States Congress. The House is known as the "peoples' house" because since the beginning, the members were elected by the people.
How it all works
The Constitution sets up the government.
It is split into three branches. The 3 Branches of Government are:
The first is the Legislative.
The second is the Executive.
The third is the Judiciary.
Each one has its own role in how the law is made and used.
The Legislature makes the law. The legislature is called the Congress. It is split into two parts.
The first is the House of Representatives.
The second is the Senate.
Each Representative comes from a district in one of the states. That person's job is to represent the people in that district. The people elect the Representative. They have the right to tell him or her how they feel about issues.
There are 435 Representatives. Bigger states have more Representatives. Every state has at least one.
The Senate is made up of 100 Senators. There are two Senators from each state. The people elect Senators. Senators should represent the interests of all of the people.
When the Congress wants to pass a law, both the House and the Senate must agree to the exact same law. If they cannot agree, then the law cannot pass.
A Presidential bill-signing ceremony. In this image, Lyndon Johnson is signing the Medicare Bill in 1965, as former President Harry Truman looks on.
The role of the Executive is mainly to make sure the law is carried out. The President heads the Executive. The Executive also includes the Vice President. The Secretaries of all the departments are also in the Executive. One department is the Department of Homeland Security. Another is the Department of Education. And one more is the Department of Defense.
Before a law becomes a law, the President must agree to it. If he does not agree, he rejects, or vetoes, the law. When he vetoes a law, he sends it back to the Congress. Congress can then try to pass the law again. The President can also refuse to sign a law — if he does, it will become a law any way.
The government has lots of checks and balances. This is one example of the checks and balances. The Congress must pass laws the President will agree to. The President is accountable for his decisions regarding laws.
The last branch is the Judiciary.
This includes all the federal courts, all the way up to the Supreme Court.
States have their own court systems, too. The state courts are under the national courts. The role of the Judiciary is to interpret the law.
The law might say, "It is illegal to break into someone's home." If someone is caught breaking into a home, the courts will ask several questions.
First, can the government make this illegal? If it cannot, the law is called "unconstitutional." Such laws are invalid.
Next, the court will ask if the person is actually guilty. Usually, a jury will find someone guilty or not guilty. Sometimes just a judge decides this.
A trial by jury is a right. It means that other people from your area will decide if you broke the law. Sometimes juries, and courts, make mistakes. If someone is found guilty, they can "appeal." (Of course, you must have TONS of money to appeal because you must pay court fees and lawyers. There HAVE been cases when innocent people have gone to prison and cannot afford to appeal.)
There is a set of special courts set up for appeals. The last court of appeal is the Supreme Court. Whatever the Supreme Court says is the end. There is no appeals court higher than the Supreme Court. This page is a very basic introduction to the Constitution. It also talks about some of the topics that surround it. There are lots of good books in your local library, too. They will let you get a lot more detail. This site also has a lot of good pages that have more detail. See the list of links below for some of these pages.
The group that made this game is a non-profit that was started by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. Their mission is to teach civics, and I think this game does a great job of reviewing the amendments and how they apply to the average person. Their website is http://www.ourcourts.org.
To do well in this game children need a general working knowledge of the Amendments. I have listed the Amendments with key word/memory aids below the clip of The Constitution's Preamble!
1st Amendment: freedom of religion, speech, press, peaceable assembly, petition
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of , or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
2nd Amendment: right to bear arms
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.
3rd Amendment: No quartering of soldiers in private houses during peace time
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.
4th Amendment: protection from unreasonable search and seizure
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.
5th Amendment: due process (fair and speedy public trial) & cannot be tried twice for same crime (double jeopardy), right to remain silent, eminent domain
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 naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service, in time of war, or 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 law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
6th Amendment: right to beinformed of reason for arrest, speedy trial, right to attorney
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 defense.
7th Amendment: trial by jury in civil trials
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 re- examined in any court of the United States than according to the rules of the common law.
8th Amendment:no cruel and unusual punishmentor excessive bail or fines
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishment inflicted.
The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
10th Amendment: limits the power of the Federal government
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.
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.
12th Amendment: revision of presidential election procedures
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 the 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 a majority, then, from the persons having the highest numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of those voted for a President, the House of Representative 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] the Vice President shall act as President, as in case of 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, form 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; 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.
13th Amendment: abolition of slavery
Sect. 1. 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.
Sect. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
14th Amendment: citizenship, state due process, applies Bill of Rights to states, denies public office to anyone who has rebelled against the United States
Sect. 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 any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Sect. 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.
Sect. 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.
Sect. 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.
Sect. 5. The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
15th Amendment: racial suffrage
Sect. 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.
Sect. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
16th Amendment: allows federal income tax
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.
17th Amendment: direct election to the United States Senate
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 appointment 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.
18th Amendment:prohibition of alcohol (repealed by 21st Amendment)
Sect. 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. Sect. 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Sect. 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 of the date of the submission hereof to the States by Congress.
19th Amendment: women's suffrage
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.
20th Amendment: lame duck amendment(term commencement for congress -January 3 & president -January 20)
Sect. 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.
Sect. 2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every years, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
Sect. 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.
Sect. 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.
Sect. 5. Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October
following the ratification of this article.
Sect. 6. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission.
21st Amendment:repeal of 18th Amendment
Sect. 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
Sect. 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.
Sect. 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.
22d Amendment: limits presidents to two terms
Sect. 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the 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.
Sect. 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.
23rd Amendment: representation of Washington D.C. in the Electoral College
Sect. 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 Representative 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 considered, for the purposes of the election of 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.
Sect. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
24th Amendment: prohibition of the restriction of voting rights due to the non-payment of poll taxes
Sect. 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 in 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.
Sect. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
25th Amendment: in case of presidential disabilities
Sect. 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.
Sect. 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.
Sect. 3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speakers 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.
Sect. 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 the 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 days 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 Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.
26th Amendment: voting age nationally established as 18
Sect. 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.
Sect. 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
27th Amendment: variance of congressional compensation
No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.
