Bill of Rights Vote

This year, as part of Columbia College's Constitution Day celebration, Columbia students voted for their favorite constitutional amendment. They threw overwhelming support (43% of the vote) to the First Amendment, which reads: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, 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."

Other winners were the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteeing civil rights (16%); the Nineteen Amendment granting voting rights for women (16%) and the Twenty-first Amendment repealing prohibition (12%). The remaining votes were divided nearly equally between the Second Amendment (the right to bear arms), the Thirteenth Amendment (the abolition of slavery), the Tenth Amendment (states’ rights) and the Eighteenth Amendment (prohibition of liquor).

Thank you to everyone who voted. See you next year at September 17th, when we once again celebrate the United States Constitution.

PS: For more information, see the Library’s research guide for government and law: http://libguides.colum.edu/governmentlaw, which includes a section about the U.S.Constitution.