TL;DR

The U.S. Constitution has 27 amendments. The first 10 are the Bill of Rights, but the citizenship test also asks about later amendments — especially the ones that ended slavery and expanded voting. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery, the 14th defined citizenship and guaranteed equal protection, and the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th each expanded the right to vote. Whether you take the 2008 civics test or the 2025 civics test, learn what these amendments did. Always study the official USCIS question list for the test version that matches your Form N-400 filing date.

Why amendments beyond the Bill of Rights matter

Many applicants study the Bill of Rights and stop there. But the Constitution has 27 amendments in total, and the civics test draws questions from across that whole range. The amendments numbered 13 through 27 include some of the most consequential changes in American history — ending slavery, defining who is a citizen, and steadily expanding who can vote. The test expects you to know what the most important of these amendments accomplished.

One fact worth memorizing immediately: the Constitution has 27 amendments. The citizenship test asks this directly, and it is also a useful anchor. The Bill of Rights covers amendments 1 through 10; everything from the 11th onward was added later, one at a time, as the country changed. For the foundational first ten, see our guide to the Bill of Rights and its 10 amendments.

The Civil War Amendments: 13, 14, and 15

Three amendments ratified just after the Civil War are often called the Reconstruction Amendments or Civil War Amendments, and they appear repeatedly on the civics test.

The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery throughout the United States. It is the amendment that legally ended slavery as an institution.

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, is one of the most important amendments for the test. It defined citizenship: anyone born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen. It also guarantees all citizens equal protection of the laws and due process. When a civics question asks which amendment addresses citizenship, the answer is the 14th Amendment.

The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, prohibited denying the right to vote on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude — extending voting rights to Black men after the Civil War. A common civics test question asks when all men got the right to vote; acceptable answers include "after the Civil War," "during Reconstruction," "with the 15th Amendment," and "1870." Understanding citizenship and equal rights connects to the broader subject covered in our guide to the U.S. Constitution for the citizenship test.

The voting rights amendments: 19, 24, and 26

After the 15th Amendment, three more amendments continued to expand the right to vote, and together with the 15th they are the four amendments about who can vote.

The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave women the right to vote. The civics test asks when women got the right to vote, and may ask you to name a leader of the women's rights movement — Susan B. Anthony is the most commonly cited answer.

The 24th Amendment abolished the poll tax in federal elections. A poll tax was a fee charged as a condition of voting, used in some states to keep poorer citizens, and especially Black citizens, from the ballot. The 24th Amendment made that practice unconstitutional in federal elections.

The 26th Amendment lowered the national voting age to 18. Because of it, the civics test answer about voting age is that citizens 18 and older can vote. For the test, the clean summary is: the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments are the four that deal with the right to vote — race, sex, poll tax, and age.

What an amendment is, and how many there are

The civics test also asks about amendments as a concept. An amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution. The framers built in a way to change the document so it could adapt over time without being replaced. Through that process the Constitution has been amended 27 times.

So when the test asks "How many amendments does the Constitution have?", the answer is 27. When it asks "What is an amendment?", the answer is a change, or an addition, to the Constitution. These two questions are straightforward points if you have them memorized.

Which test you will take

There are currently two versions of the naturalization civics test, and which one you take depends on when you filed Form N-400. Applicants who filed before October 20, 2025, take the 2008 civics test, with a 100-question pool. Applicants who filed on or after October 20, 2025, take the 2025 civics test, with a 128-question pool. The amendments described here appear on both versions, but the exact wording and numbering of the questions differ between the two.

For that reason, always study from the official USCIS question list for the version of the test that matches your filing date. The content in this article will help you understand the amendments; the official list tells you the exact questions and accepted answers. For a fuller comparison, see our guide to the 2008 versus 2025 citizenship exam.

Common misconceptions

  1. "The Constitution only has the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights." Wrong. The Constitution has 27 amendments. The Bill of Rights is only the first 10.
  2. "The 13th Amendment defined citizenship." Wrong. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. The 14th Amendment defined citizenship and guaranteed equal protection.
  3. "The 19th Amendment gave all women and men the vote." Wrong. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. Protection against denying the vote on account of race came earlier, with the 15th Amendment.
  4. "Only one amendment deals with voting." Wrong. Four amendments address the right to vote — the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th — covering race, sex, poll tax, and age.

Frequently asked questions

How many amendments does the Constitution have?
The Constitution has 27 amendments. The first 10 make up the Bill of Rights; the remaining 17 were added individually over time.
What did the 13th Amendment do?
The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, abolished slavery throughout the United States.
What did the 14th Amendment do?
The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, defined citizenship — anyone born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen — and guaranteed equal protection of the laws.
When did all men get the right to vote?
With the 15th Amendment in 1870, after the Civil War, during Reconstruction. Any of these answers is accepted on the civics test.
Which amendments deal with the right to vote?
Four: the 15th (race), the 19th (sex), the 24th (no poll tax), and the 26th (age 18 and older).
What is an amendment?
An amendment is a change, or an addition, to the Constitution. The amendment process allows the Constitution to be updated over time.

Bottom Line

The amendments beyond the Bill of Rights tell the story of an expanding American democracy. The 13th ended slavery, the 14th defined citizenship and equal protection, and the 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th expanded the right to vote by removing barriers of race, sex, poll tax, and age. Know that the Constitution has 27 amendments and that an amendment is a change to it. Then study the official USCIS question list for whichever test version matches your filing date. Keep building your knowledge with our complete citizenship exam study guide.

Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, civics test study materials, uscis.gov/citizenship/find-study-materials-and-resources/study-for-the-test; U.S. National Archives, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, archives.gov/milestone-documents/15th-amendment; National Constitution Center, Voting Rights in America, constitutioncenter.org (Voting Rights in America).