What is the Third Amendment?

The Third Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects civilians from having military personnel quartered in their homes during peacetime. It also states that military personnel may be quartered in a civilian domicile during times of war in a manner prescribed by law.

James Madison constructed the Third Amendment in response to Anti-federalists' criticisms of the Constitution. The right was based on the people's objections to the Quartering Acts imposed by the British Parliament during the American Revolution. The Quartering Acts allowed soldiers to be housed in private residences during the war. The Third Amendment is rarely cited in legal disputes and is not considered to be controversial.