Amendments and ratification
Congress has sent 33 amendments to the states. Twenty-seven were ratified and six were not. This page holds the date Congress sent each one, the date each state acted, and the date ratification was completed.
The dates are read from the footnotes of the Constitution of the United States: Analysis and Interpretation, printed by the Government Publishing Office, and checked against a later edition of the same book, the National Archives and Congressional Research Service reports. A date a source does not give is left blank and marked. Where two sources disagree, both are shown.
The 27 amendments
All 27 amendments on one time line
26th Amendment took the least time: 100 days from the day Congress proposed it to the day ratification was completed. The 27th Amendment took the most: 74,003 days (203 years), because Congress sent it to the states in 1789 and the states finished in 1992.
Each bar starts when Congress sent the amendment to the states and ends when the last state needed had acted. Amendments 1 to 10 show the same bar because they were proposed and ratified together; the 27th was sent to the states in 1789 with them.
Data table: Proposed by Congress to ratification completed, all 27 amendments
| Amendment | Proposed by Congress | Ratification completed | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 2nd Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 3rd Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 4th Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 5th Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 6th Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 7th Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 8th Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 9th Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 10th Amendment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 |
| 11th Amendment | March 4, 1794 | February 7, 1795 | 340 |
| 12th Amendment | December 9, 1803 | June 15, 1804 | 189 |
| 13th Amendment | January 31, 1865 | December 6, 1865 | 309 |
| 14th Amendment | June 13, 1866 | July 9, 1868 | 757 |
| 15th Amendment | February 26, 1869 | February 3, 1870 | 342 |
| 16th Amendment | July 12, 1909 | February 3, 1913 | 1,302 |
| 17th Amendment | May 13, 1912 | April 8, 1913 | 330 |
| 18th Amendment | December 18, 1917 | January 16, 1919 | 394 |
| 19th Amendment | June 4, 1919 | August 18, 1920 | 441 |
| 20th Amendment | March 2, 1932 | January 23, 1933 | 327 |
| 21st Amendment | February 20, 1933 | December 5, 1933 | 288 |
| 22nd Amendment | March 24, 1947 | February 27, 1951 | 1,436 |
| 23rd Amendment | June 16, 1960 | March 29, 1961 | 286 |
| 24th Amendment | September 14, 1962 | January 23, 1964 | 496 |
| 25th Amendment | July 6, 1965 | February 10, 1967 | 584 |
| 26th Amendment | March 23, 1971 | July 1, 1971 | 100 |
| 27th Amendment | September 25, 1789 | May 7, 1992 | 74,003 |
Source: GovInfo, Constitution of the United States: Analysis and Interpretation (1992); National Archives. As of November 2, 2026.
The ledger
| Amendment | What it does | Proposed by Congress | Ratification completed | Days | States listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Amendment | Freedom of religion, speech, the press, assembly and petition | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 2nd Amendment | Right to keep and bear arms | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 3rd Amendment | Quartering of soldiers in homes | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 4th Amendment | Searches and seizures | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 5th Amendment | Grand juries, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, due process and takings | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 6th Amendment | Rights of the accused in criminal trials | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 7th Amendment | Jury trial in civil cases | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 8th Amendment | Excessive bail and fines, cruel and unusual punishment | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 9th Amendment | Other rights kept by the people | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 10th Amendment | Powers kept by the states and the people | September 25, 1789 | December 15, 1791 | 811 | 11 |
| 11th Amendment | Suits against a state by citizens of another state or a foreign country | March 4, 1794 | February 7, 1795 | 340 | 13 |
| 12th Amendment | Election of the President and Vice President by the Electors | December 9, 1803 | June 15, 1804 probably | 189 | 14 |
| 13th Amendment | End of slavery | January 31, 1865 | December 6, 1865 | 309 | 34 |
| 14th Amendment | Citizenship, due process and equal protection | June 13, 1866 | July 9, 1868 probably | 757 | 34 |
| 15th Amendment | No denial of the vote because of race or color | February 26, 1869 | February 3, 1870 probably | 342 | 32 |
| 16th Amendment | Income tax | July 12, 1909 | February 3, 1913 | 1,302 | 42 |
| 17th Amendment | Election of Senators by the people | May 13, 1912 | April 8, 1913 | 330 | 37 |
| 18th Amendment | Prohibition of alcohol | December 18, 1917 | January 16, 1919 | 394 | 47 |
| 19th Amendment | No denial of the vote because of sex | June 4, 1919 | August 18, 1920 | 441 | 37 |
| 20th Amendment | Start dates for terms of President and Congress | March 2, 1932 | January 23, 1933 | 327 | 48 |
| 21st Amendment | Repeal of the 18th Amendment | February 20, 1933 | December 5, 1933 | 288 | 38 |
| 22nd Amendment | Two-term limit for the President | March 24, 1947 | February 27, 1951 | 1,436 | 41 |
| 23rd Amendment | Presidential electors for the District of Columbia | June 16, 1960 | March 29, 1961 | 286 | 39 |
| 24th Amendment | No poll tax in federal elections | September 14, 1962 | January 23, 1964 | 496 | 38 |
| 25th Amendment | Presidential succession and inability | July 6, 1965 | February 10, 1967 | 584 | 47 |
| 26th Amendment | Voting age of 18 | March 23, 1971 | July 1, 1971 | 100 | 42 |
| 27th Amendment | Pay changes for Congress wait for an election | September 25, 1789 | May 7, 1992 | 74,003 | 38 |
Amendments 1 to 10, the Bill of Rights, were proposed together on September 25, 1789 and ratified together, so they share one list of states. The 27th was proposed the same day and ratified 203 years later. "Probably" is the source's word: for the 12th, 14th and 15th the footnote says which state probably completed ratification because a governor's veto, or a state taking back its vote, left doubt. "States listed" counts the states in the source's list, which can be more than the number needed.
Download this table as a spreadsheet (CSV)
Proposed but never ratified
Six more amendments passed Congress and went to the states, and did not get the three-fourths they needed: the size of the House (1789), foreign titles of nobility (1810), slavery (1861), child labor (1924), equal rights for women (1972) and representation for the District of Columbia (1978). See each one.
Where the sources differ
- 16th Amendment. The National Archives says Congress passed it on July 2, 1909; the Constitution Annotated says it passed the Senate on July 5, 1909 and the House on July 12, 1909 and was proposed on July 12, 1909. Both are shown on the amendment's page.
- 14th Amendment, Tennessee. The 1992 edition prints July 19, 1866; the 2022 edition prints July 9, 1866. The 1992 entry is used and the difference is marked.
- 15th Amendment, Indiana. The 1992 edition prints May 14, 1869; the 2022 edition prints March 14, 1869. The 1992 entry is used and the difference is marked.
- 18th Amendment, Connecticut. The 1992 edition prints May 6, 1919; the 2022 edition does not list the state. The 1992 entry is used.
- 19th Amendment, Washington. The 1992 list leaves this state out; the 2022 edition prints March 22, 1920. The 2022 entry is used and marked.
- 19th Amendment, Tennessee. The 1992 list leaves this state out; the 2022 edition prints August 18, 1920. The 2022 entry is used and marked.
- 20th Amendment, California. The 1992 edition prints January 4, 1933; the 2022 edition prints January 3, 1933. The 1992 entry is used and the difference is marked.
- 22nd Amendment, Georgia. The 1992 edition prints February 17, 1951; the 2022 edition prints February 17, 1915. The 1992 entry is used and the difference is marked.
- 23rd Amendment, West Virginia. The 1992 edition prints February 9, 1961; the 2022 edition prints February 1961. The 1992 entry is used and the difference is marked.
- 27th Amendment, Nevada. The 1992 edition prints April 26, 1989; the 2022 edition prints May 25, 1989. The 1992 entry is used and the difference is marked.
- 27th Amendment, Alaska. The 1992 edition prints May 6, 1989; the 2022 edition does not list the state. The 1992 entry is used.
- 27th Amendment, Oregon. The 1992 edition prints May 19, 1989; the 2022 edition does not list the state. The 1992 entry is used.
- 27th Amendment, Minnesota. The 1992 edition prints May 22, 1989; the 2022 edition does not list the state. The 1992 entry is used.
- 27th Amendment, Texas. The 1992 edition prints May 25, 1989; the 2022 edition does not list the state. The 1992 entry is used.
Which edition is right is not settled by anything held here. The tables mark every entry where they differ.
Dates: GovInfo, Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, 1992 edition, part 7 (Amendments) ↗, read again against GovInfo, Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation, 2022 edition, Intro.3 (text layer, second read) ↗. Proposal and completion dates for amendments 11 to 27 are also read from National Archives, Constitutional Amendments 11-27 ↗. Held as of November 2, 2026. File SHA-256: 75d0471bcac18754….