# Rank the constitutional amendments in order of importance **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 30, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825 "2013-01-30T17:13:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/1 "2013-01-30T17:13:38Z")
How would you rank the constitutional amendments in order of importance? I’d say 1. 1st Amendment: free speech, free religion, right to assemble 2. 14th Amendment: citizenship, equal protection 3. 4th Amendment: prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures 4. 5th Amendment: right to due process 5. 16th Amendment: gives government the power to levy an income tax 6. 2nd Amendment: right to bear arms … 7. 27th Amendment: congressional salary changes don’t take effect until the next session. I’d say the 13th, 15th, and 19th Amendments are all historically important, but could reasonably be covered by the 14th Amendment. But it was necessary to spell them out explicitly at the time. Anyone feel like filling in the rest of that list, or arguing with what I have so far? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/2 "2013-01-30T17:24:45Z")
I’d put the seventh amendment pretty high on the list. The ability to have your case decided by a jury is a Hugh check on government and corporate power. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/3 "2013-01-30T17:33:56Z")
I can’t see how anyone could argue that the 13th isn’t THE most important one. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/4 "2013-01-30T17:34:55Z")
Seems like I saw a list somewhere of the Amendments ranked by how often they were used in SCOTUS decisions. Sadly I can’t find it now, but I’d think that would provide a more systematic way to provide a ranking then just everyone throwing out their favorite amendments. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/5 "2013-01-30T17:39:41Z")
Also, sort of funny the OP didn’t put the 18th last. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/6 "2013-01-30T17:39:46Z")
18th amendment (prohibition) has got to be at the bottom even below the 27th since it currently has no effect what so ever. ETA damn Siplicio’s fast typing skills ---
**Author:** ![Kearsen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kearsen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kearsen)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/7 "2013-01-30T18:00:43Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > 18th amendment (prohibition) has got to be at the bottom even below the 27th since it currently has no effect what so ever. > > ETA damn Siplicio’s fast typing skills Does the 18th even make the list since the 21st did away with it? ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/8 "2013-01-30T18:00:56Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I can’t see how anyone could argue that the 13th isn’t THE most important one. Yeah, I was gonna say. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/9 "2013-01-30T18:01:58Z")
> [@Kearsen](#): > > Does the 18th even make the list since the 21st did away with it? I change my mind - the 21st was the most important amendment. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/10 "2013-01-30T18:02:51Z")
I went back and forth about putting the 18th last, but finally decided against it because it was very significant at it’s time, and because we’ve learned a little bit from it’s example (just a little bit). The 27th just seems so insignificant. Honestly, I didn’t even know it existed until right before I started this topic. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/11 "2013-01-30T18:03:23Z")
I group them as follows: Very Important, Moderately Important, Unimportant, Should Not Have Passed In The First Place \*\*Very Important \*\* 1st Speech, religion, press I may not agree with you, but I would never squelch your voice or dictate your religion 13th Emancipation Removal of the great evil from the days of the Founders 5th Due process and right to not incriminate one’s self Fair trials are essential 19th Women’s suffrage Half the population couldn’t vote 15th Universal male suffrage Less important than the 19th only because it affects fewer people 24th Poll tax prohibition Too many were denied to vote because of this and other shams 6th Speedy trial Another essential part of criminal law 8th Excessive fines, cruel and unusual punishment Sheriff Arpaio may want to read this one 4th Unreasonable search and seizure Not sure if the TSA complies **Moderately Important** 14th Citizenship defined Despite the howls from the right about “anchor babies” 7th Trial by jury in civil cases Yes, we can take on the big boys 3rd Quartering of soldiers Yeah, I suppose in theory we need this 16th Income tax Gotta run the government 21st Repeal of 18th At least one of the mistakes was repealed 17th Election of US Senators Can’t believe that some don’t like this 9th Rights not enumerated I suppose we need a catch-all but this is pretty vague 12th Revised presidential election Yes, it was dopey the way it was set up originally 25th Presidential succession I suppose we need this just in case… **Unimportant** 23rd Electors for DC A better solution would be to give the residential area to Maryland 11th Sovereign immunity Not sure why we can’t sue other states 26th 18 year old vote It didn’t seem to cure the apathy among the younger generation 20th Change terms of President, Congress A bit drastic, we could have used the extra time in 2000-01. 27th Congressional salary changes There’s a cure for congress granting itself excessive raises- it’s called elections **Should Not Have Passed In The First Place** 10th Limitatation on federal power The price we pay for this is having backward states 22nd Presidential term limits As frightening as a third term of Bush would have been, a third term of Clinton would have prevented much misery 18th Prohibition What a stupid idea 2nd Guns What a colossal mistake ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/12 "2013-01-30T18:05:52Z")
This is kind of goofy. It’s the 14th Amendment and then everything else. It doesn’t matter if the federal government isn’t infringing on your rights if state governments can. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/13 "2013-01-30T18:07:04Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I can’t see how anyone could argue that the 13th isn’t THE most important one. Would the 13th have been possible without the 1st? ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/14 "2013-01-30T18:08:37Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > I change my mind - the 21st was the most important amendment. This is my first choice also. Beer tastes good after a bicycle ride. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/15 "2013-01-30T18:09:23Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I group them as follows: Pretty good list, except you wildly underestimate the importance of the 14th. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/16 "2013-01-30T18:12:47Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Pretty good list, except you wildly underestimate the importance of the 14th. I struggled with this one. I would have had it higher up the list but I really didn’t see one that I could put it past. Or perhaps the divisor between very important and moderately important was one spot too high. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/17 "2013-01-30T18:14:16Z")
I think your problem is that it’s a lot more important than just “defining citizenship”. Hell, that’s arguably the least important thing it does. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/18 "2013-01-30T18:15:53Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > 2nd Guns > What a colossal mistake Guns are not mentioned in the second amendment. Arms are. Back in the day, this would have meant anything from staves to cannons, but most commonly meant a musket. Arms are defined as any weapon, used for offensive or defensive purposes. I’m waiting for someone to bring a case in front of the Supremes arguing for their right to have a nuclear arsenal. I want a flamethrower and a an M1 Abrams to protect my property. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/19 "2013-01-30T18:20:14Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Pretty good list, except you wildly underestimate the importance of the 14th. Specifically, the 14th provided the mechanism by which [the Bill of Rights (most of it, not all) was held binding on state governments as well as the federal.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incorporation_of_the_Bill_of_Rights) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825/20 "2013-01-30T18:20:57Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Guns are not mentioned in the second amendment. Arms are. Back in the day, this would have meant anything from staves to cannons, but most commonly meant a musket. Arms are defined as any weapon, used for offensive or defensive purposes. I’m waiting for someone to bring a case in front of the Supremes arguing for their right to have a nuclear arsenal. I want a flamethrower and a an M1 Abrams to protect my property. And if they get a favorable ruling, hopefully we can agree on repeal. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rank-the-constitutional-amendments-in-order-of-importance/648825.md?page=2)