• 94 ideas

First Amendment Drawing Ideas, Then the Fourth and the Rest

One picture for one right, opening on the First Amendment, with the number of the amendment it shows.

First Amendment Drawing Ideas, Then the Fourth and the Rest

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  1. A printed pamphlet passing from hand to hand in a crowdFirst: the freedom of the press. One folded sheet, two hands, a row of shoulders behind.

Next step Lay it out as a whole poster, with where the words go

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First Amendment 44

  • A birdcage with its door open and a speech bubble flying out First: the freedom of speech. Give the bubble small wings; the cage door hangs by one hinge.
  • A bundle of morning newspapers on a doorstep First: the freedom of the press. A block of thin lines, one loop of string, a step and a door behind.
  • A calendar page with holidays of several faiths circled First: the free exercise of religion. Circle four different days in four different pencils.
  • A candlelight gathering on courthouse steps First: the right of the people peaceably to assemble. Small flames in rows, the steps as wide bands.
  • A capitol dome and a house of worship on two separate hills First: no law respecting an establishment of religion. Two hills, two buildings, a valley between.
  • A cartoon mouth with a strip of tape coming unstuck First: no law abridging the freedom of speech. The tape curls away and the mouth is mid-word.
  • A clipboard and pen held out to a passerby First: the right to petition the Government. A board, a clip, a pen on a string, two hands.
  • A crowd where every person holds a different blank sign First: the freedom of speech. Leave every sign empty; the variety of shapes carries the idea.
  • A hand press with a fresh sheet lifted off the type First: no law abridging the freedom of the press. A wooden frame, a screw, one printed sheet.
  • A hand-lettered placard for a cause you make up First: the freedom of speech. Invent a harmless cause, such as a longer recess, and letter it large.
  • A key drawn inside a speech bubble, unlocking a padlock First: the freedom of speech. The lock hangs open under the bubble; draw the key's teeth clearly.
  • A lawbook whose chapter on a national church is empty First: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. The chapter has no words.
  • A lectern with a page of notes and a glass of water First: the freedom of speech. A slanted top, one page, one glass; the speaker is about to arrive.
  • A letter to a made-up lawmaker going into a mailbox First: the right to petition the Government. Letter an invented name and a capitol address.
  • A line of people holding hands along a sidewalk First: the right peaceably to assemble. Repeat one simple figure and vary only the heights.
  • A long scroll of signatures rolling off a table First: the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Rows of loops, no real names.
  • A megaphone letting out a flock of birds First: no law abridging the freedom of speech. The birds get smaller as they leave the page.
  • A newsstand with rows of different papers First: the freedom of the press. Many mastheads side by side, each lettered in its own style.
  • A paper carrier on a bicycle tossing a rolled newspaper First: the freedom of the press. The paper is in mid-air, on a short arc from hand to porch.
  • A petition for a new crosswalk with empty lines to sign First: the right to petition for a redress of grievances. A title, one sentence, ten ruled lines.
  • A petition table at a street fair with a hand-lettered sign First: the right to petition the Government. A cloth, a sign, a jar of pens, a short line of people.
  • A plain public building with no symbol over its door First: no law respecting an establishment of religion. Steps, columns, a blank space above the door.
  • A podium microphone waiting for whoever is next in line First: the freedom of speech. A slanted desk, a thin neck, a round mic; three people wait in line.
  • A poster for a made-up club with its room and meeting day First: the right of the people peaceably to assemble. A title, a day, a room number, an open door.
  • A printed pamphlet passing from hand to hand in a crowd First: the freedom of the press. One folded sheet, two hands, a row of shoulders behind.
  • A reporter's notebook with a pencil across it First: the freedom of the press. A spiral along the top edge and a few lines of fast handwriting.
  • A speaker standing on a box in a park First: the freedom of speech. One raised figure, a small ring of listeners, trees behind.
  • A stack of petition pages tied with ribbon on a clerk's desk First: the right to petition for a redress of grievances. A thick stack, a bow, an inkstand beside it.
  • A street map with houses of worship marked by plain dots First: the free exercise of religion. Give every one the same plain dot, with no symbol and no name.
  • A town bulletin board crowded with handwritten notices First: the freedom of speech. Overlap the notes at angles; no two in the same handwriting.
  • A town green with a bandstand and a gathering crowd First: the right of the people peaceably to assemble. An eight-sided roof, a lawn, groups arriving.
  • The amendment's first sixteen words lettered on a banner First: its opening sixteen words are about religion, before speech or the press. Letter them all.
  • Folding chairs set in a ring for a neighborhood meeting First: the right of the people peaceably to assemble. A circle of chairs, one of them still empty.
  • Four houses of worship sharing one block First: no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion. Four roofs, four shapes, one sidewalk.
  • Hats of a peaceful crowd seen from a rooftop First: the right peaceably to assemble. Circles of different sizes packed close; no faces needed.
  • Metal type spelling the press, set backward First: the freedom of the press. Type is set as a mirror image, so each letter faces the wrong way.
  • People carrying blank banners down a wide street First: the right peaceably to assemble. Calm faces, feet in step, the banners left empty.
  • The phrase redress of grievances lettered on a ribbon First: the last words of the amendment. A ribbon in three folds, one word on each.
  • Three people carrying a rolled petition up capitol steps First: the right to petition the Government. Small figures, wide steps, tall columns above them.
  • Three small panels: a candle lit, a bell rung, a book opened First: the free exercise of religion. One practice in each panel, hands only, no faith named.
  • The top half of a town paper with a headline you invent First: the freedom of the press. A masthead, three columns and a made-up town story.
  • Two people disagreeing, their speech bubbles the same size First: the freedom of speech. Neither bubble is bigger; fill each with a different pattern.
  • The word peaceably with tiny figures sitting on its letters First: the amendment's own word for how people may assemble. Seat a figure on every tall letter.
  • The words freedom of speech built from small speech bubbles First: the phrase is in the amendment's own text. Each letter is a cluster of bubbles.

Fourth Amendment 12

  • A bolted house door with two locks and a peephole Fourth: the right of the people to be secure in their houses. A panel door, a knob, two bolts.
  • A desk drawer of private letters, half open Fourth: the people secure in their papers. Envelope edges in a stack, the drawer front in shadow.
  • A floor plan with a single room circled Fourth: a warrant must particularly describe the place to be searched. Circle a single room.
  • A form headed things to be seized with one line filled in Fourth: a warrant must describe the persons or things to be seized. One neat entry, the rest blank.
  • A magnifying glass stopped at a garden gate Fourth: against unreasonable searches and seizures. The glass waits outside the latch.
  • A notebook lettered private, closed with a strap Fourth: secure in their papers and effects. A strap, a buckle, a ribbon marker.
  • A sealed envelope with its flap pressed shut Fourth: the people secure in their papers. A rectangle, a V of flap, a stamp in the corner.
  • A small home sheltered inside a big shield Fourth: secure in their houses against unreasonable searches. A roof, a door, two windows.
  • A warrant sheet with a signature and a round seal Fourth: no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause. A page, a signature line, a seal.
  • An open palm raised to swear beside a signed page Fourth: a warrant must be supported by oath or affirmation. One open palm, one sheet.
  • Closed shutters on a quiet house at dusk Fourth: the people secure in their houses. Slatted panels, a porch light, nobody about.
  • Four icons: a person, a house, a page and a suitcase Fourth: its text names persons, houses, papers and effects. One icon each, all the same size.

Rights of the accused, Fifth to Eighth 16

  • A briefcase beside the second chair at a courtroom table Sixth: the right to have the assistance of counsel for his defence. Two chairs, one case.
  • A courtroom clock with motion lines around its hands Sixth: the right to a speedy trial. A round face, two hands, short curved strokes.
  • A fine ticket longer than the person holding it Eighth: nor excessive fines imposed. A ribbon of paper trailing from the hand to the floor.
  • A four-step flow chart headed due process of law Fifth: no one deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law. Boxes and arrows.
  • A house with a price tag and a new road heading toward it Fifth: private property is not taken for public use without just compensation. A tag, a road, coins.
  • A jury box of empty seats in two rows Sixth: the right to a trial by an impartial jury. Two rows of chair backs behind a low rail.
  • A price tag far too big for the door it hangs on Eighth: excessive bail shall not be required. A huge tag on a small door; the mismatch is the point.
  • A sheet headed the accusation passing across a table Sixth: the right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation. One page, two hands.
  • A vacant witness stand with its rail and microphone Fifth: no person shall be compelled to be a witness against himself. A seat, a rail, nobody there.
  • Courtroom doors propped open on a full gallery Sixth: the right to a public trial. Two tall doors, and rows of benches seen through them.
  • Rows of chairs behind a door lettered grand jury Fifth: a serious charge needs a presentment or indictment of a grand jury. Even rows, a closed door.
  • Twenty coins stacked beside a small jury box Seventh: trial by jury preserved in suits where the value exceeds twenty dollars. Count the coins.
  • Two chairs facing each other across a courtroom floor Sixth: the right to be confronted with the witnesses against him. The chairs face; nothing is hidden.
  • Two gavels side by side, the second crossed out Fifth: no one twice put in jeopardy for the same offence. One trial stays; the repeat is struck.
  • Two neighbors, a fence line and a row of jurors listening Seventh: the right of trial by jury in suits at common law. A dispute at left, listeners at right.
  • The words cruel and unusual behind a no-entry circle Eighth: nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. Letter the words, then draw the bar across.

The rest of the ten and after 22

  • A ballot dropping into a box lettered 1870 Fifteenth: the vote not denied on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.
  • A broken chain link lying on an open lawbook Thirteenth: neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist. Ratified December 6, 1865.
  • A calendar for August 1920 with the 18th circled Nineteenth: ratified August 18, 1920. A grid of days, one ring, the year lettered above.
  • A door standing open with a broken chain on the step Thirteenth: slavery shall not exist within the United States. Light falls out through the doorway.
  • A front door with the key held in the owner's hand Third: no soldier quartered in any house in time of peace without the consent of the owner.
  • A gloved hand holding a folded ballot dated 1920 Nineteenth: the vote not denied or abridged on account of sex. Ratified August 18, 1920.
  • A graduation cap resting on a voting booth shelf Twenty-sixth: the vote not denied on account of age to citizens of eighteen or older.
  • A line of voters in silhouette outside a polling place Fifteenth: the right to vote not denied on account of race or color. Ratified February 3, 1870.
  • A list of rights with open lines left at the bottom Ninth: listing certain rights does not deny others retained by the people. Leave the last lines blank.
  • A map of the states with a small star in each Tenth: powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the States, or to the people.
  • A parchment of twelve articles with ten of them checked First to Tenth: Congress proposed twelve amendments on September 25, 1789. Ten were ratified in 1791.
  • A sheet dated 1789 with a stamp dated 1992 Twenty-seventh: proposed September 25, 1789 and ratified May 7, 1992. Two dates, one long arrow.
  • A soldier's hat and pack left outside on a porch Third: no quartering in a house without the owner's consent. The pack waits on the mat.
  • A tear-off calendar showing December 6, 1865 Thirteenth: the day the amendment ending slavery was ratified. Large numerals, the year beneath.
  • A voting booth curtain with a crossed-out price tag Twenty-fourth: the vote not denied for failure to pay any poll tax. Ratified January 23, 1964.
  • Eighteen candles on a cake next to a ballot box Twenty-sixth: citizens eighteen years of age or older may vote. Ratified July 1, 1971.
  • The number 18 built out of small ballot boxes Twenty-sixth: eighteen years of age or older. Stack small slotted boxes into two numerals.
  • Scales: a short list on one pan, loose stars on the other Ninth: rights not listed are still retained by the people. Keep the two pans level.
  • The Second Amendment as one sentence penned on parchment Second: its text is one sentence of 27 words. Letter it on a sheet with curled corners.
  • Ten numbered tablets in two rows of five First to Tenth: ratified together on December 15, 1791. Roman numerals I to X, one a tablet.
  • Three baskets lettered nation, states and people Tenth: powers not delegated to the United States are reserved to the States or to the people.
  • Two women in hats and long coats walking to vote Nineteenth: ratified August 18, 1920. Dress them for that year; a polling place sign is up ahead.

How it works

These First Amendment drawing ideas give pictures for its five freedoms: religion, speech, the press, assembly and petition. Each hint opens with the amendment's number, and most quote its text. Choose Any amendment for the Fourth and the others.

Read the full guide

Freedom of speech drawing ideas

Some of the First Amendment pictures are about speech: a megaphone letting out a flock of birds, a speaker standing on a box in a park, a key inside a speech bubble. Signs and banners are left blank or carry a made-up cause, so the drawing is about the right and not about one argument.

4th amendment drawing ideas and the rest

The Fourth Amendment group turns its text into objects: a warrant sheet, a bolted door, a sealed envelope. Rights of the accused covers the Fifth to the Eighth. The last group holds the Second, Third, Ninth and Tenth, then amendments that ended slavery and widened the vote.

  • Letter the amendment's number in a corner. A bolted door could mean anything; IV beside it makes it the Fourth.
  • When you quote the text, such as peaceably to assemble, letter it exactly.

Questions and answers

What are the five freedoms of the First Amendment?

Religion, speech, the press, assembly and petition. The text bars Congress from making a law that establishes a religion or prohibits its free exercise, or that abridges the other four.

What is the Fourth Amendment in simple terms?

It says people are to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures, and that a warrant needs probable cause and must describe the place to be searched.

How do you draw freedom of speech?

Show a voice getting out: a megaphone letting out a flock of birds, or tape coming unstuck from a cartoon mouth. Keep signs blank or invent a harmless cause.

When was the Bill of Rights ratified?

On December 15, 1791. Congress had proposed twelve amendments on September 25, 1789, and ten of them were ratified. Those ten are the Bill of Rights.

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