Jonah Patel
Since 1789, more than 11,000 amendments to the Constitution of the United States have been proposed, with approximately 11,985 measures proposed as of January 3, 2025. Of these, only 27 have been ratified, with the first 10, known as the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791. The process of amending the Constitution is intentionally difficult, but not impossible, and proposals are constantly being introduced, with members of the House and Senate proposing around 200 amendments during each two-year term of Congress.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total number of proposed amendments | 11,985 |
| Number of ratified amendments | 27 |
| Number of proposed amendments per Congressional term | 200 |
| Number of proposed amendments sent to states for ratification | 33 |
| Number of versions of the Human Life Amendment | 330 |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
More than 11,000 amendments have been proposed
Amending the US Constitution is a two-step process. First, a proposal to amend it must be properly adopted. Second, it must be ratified. More than 11,000 amendments to the US Constitution have been proposed, but only 27 have been ratified. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. The 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress proposing these amendments is on display in the National Archives' Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom.
Hundreds of proposed amendments to the US Constitution are introduced during each session of the US Congress. From 1789 through January 3, 2025, approximately 11,985 measures have been proposed to amend the US Constitution. Collectively, members of the House and Senate typically propose around 200 amendments during each two-year term of Congress. However, most never get out of the Congressional committees in which they were proposed. Only a fraction of those actually receive enough support to win Congressional approval to go through the constitutional ratification process.
Some proposed amendments are introduced over and over again in different sessions of Congress. It is also common for a number of identical resolutions to be offered on issues that have widespread public and congressional support. Since 1789, Congress has sent 33 constitutional amendments to the states for ratification.
Congress and the several states have concurrent power to enforce the amendments. The legislatures of three-fourths (presently 38) of the states must ratify the amendment for it to become operative. State ratifying conventions in three-fourths (38) of the states can also ratify the amendment. The decision of which ratification method will be used for any given amendment is Congress' alone to make.
Amending the Constitution: Why and When?
You may want to see also
Only 27 amendments have been ratified
Amending the United States Constitution is a challenging process. The framers of the Constitution intended it to be difficult but not impossible to change. As a result, only 27 amendments have been ratified out of the more than 11,000 proposals that have been put forward since 1789. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. These amendments guarantee essential freedoms such as freedom of religion, speech, and the press, as well as the right to keep and bear arms.
The process of amending the Constitution involves two steps: proposal and ratification. For a proposed amendment to be adopted and sent to the states for ratification, a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives is required. This ensures that only amendments with significant support proceed to the next stage. The first step alone eliminates most proposed amendments, with the vast majority never making it out of their respective Congressional committees.
Even when a proposed amendment receives enough support in Congress, it must then navigate the ratification process. An amendment becomes an operative addition to the Constitution only when ratified by either the legislatures of three-fourths of the states or state ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states. This requirement of supermajority approval at both the federal and state levels further emphasizes the framers' intention to make amending the Constitution challenging.
Despite the challenges, several notable amendments have been ratified throughout history. For example, the 18th Amendment, ratified in 1919, prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors. However, it was later repealed by the 21st Amendment in 1933. The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, guaranteed women's right to vote, ensuring that suffrage could not be denied or abridged on account of sex. These amendments demonstrate how the amendment process can lead to significant changes in the nation's laws and policies.
Interpreting Constitutional Amendments: Understanding the Blank Space
You may want to see also
The Bill of Rights
The United States Constitution has seen more than 11,000 proposed amendments, but only 27 have been ratified. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. These amendments were proposed by Congress on September 25, 1789, and ratified on December 15, 1791.
- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
- The freedom of speech, of the press, and the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances are protected.
- The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
- The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue without probable cause.
- The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable seizures of their property, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue without probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.
- In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation, to be confronted with the witnesses against him, to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defence.
- In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
- Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
- The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
- The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Voter Threshold for Constitutional Amendments
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Human Life Amendment
Between 1973 and 2003, the National Committee for a Human Life Amendment reported a total of 330 proposals with varying texts, most of which did not advance beyond the committee stage. The first proposal, H.J.Res. 261, was introduced by Rep. Lawrence Hogan (R-MD) on January 30, 1973. It asserted that neither the United States nor any state shall deprive any human being of life from the moment of conception without due process of law or deny equal protection under the law. Additionally, it included provisions to protect the lives of the ill, aged, or incapacitated.
The only version of the Human Life Amendment to receive a formal floor vote was the Hatch-Eagleton Amendment, introduced by Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Thomas Eagleton (D-MO) in 1983. This amendment asserted that the right to life is vested in each human being from the moment of fertilization, without regard to age, health, or condition of dependency. It also stated that the Constitution does not secure a right to abortion and that Congress and the states have the concurrent power to restrict and prohibit abortions. The Hatch-Eagleton Amendment received 49 supporting votes in the Senate, falling short of the 67 votes required for passage.
Despite the lack of success in passing a Human Life Amendment, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. This decision has had a significant impact on abortion rights and access in the United States, with states now having the power to restrict or ban abortions.
Amendments: The Constitution's Last Update
You may want to see also
Campaign finance reform amendments
In the United States, more than 11,000 amendments to the Constitution have been proposed, but only 27 have been ratified. Campaign finance reform amendments refer to any proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution to authorize greater restrictions on spending related to political speech and to overturn Supreme Court rulings that have narrowed such laws under the First Amendment.
The first effort at wide-ranging reform was the Tillman Act of 1907, which prohibited corporations and nationally chartered banks from making direct monetary contributions to federal candidates. However, weak enforcement mechanisms made the Act ineffective. In 1910 and 1911, disclosure requirements and spending limits for House and Senate candidates were implemented, and general contribution limits were enacted in the Federal Corrupt Practices Act of 1925. An amendment to the Hatch Act of 1939 set an annual ceiling of $3 million for political parties' campaign expenditures and a ceiling of $5,000 for individual campaign contributions.
In response to the Occupy Wall Street protests and the worldwide Occupy movement calling for the elimination of corporate influence in politics, Representative Ted Deutch introduced the "Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public Interest in our Elections and Democracy" (OCCUPIED) constitutional amendment on November 18, 2011. The OCCUPIED amendment aimed to outlaw the use of for-profit corporation money in U.S. election campaigns and give Congress and states the authority to establish a public campaign finance system. While unions and non-profit organizations could still contribute to campaigns, for-profit corporations would be restricted from doing so.
Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig has also been a prominent voice in the campaign finance reform movement. He called for a constitutional convention in 2011 and proposed an initial constitutional amendment that would allow legislatures to limit political contributions from non-citizens, including corporations, anonymous organizations, and foreign nationals. Lessig also supports public campaign financing and electoral college reform to establish the one-person, one-vote principle. His website, convention.idea.informer.com, allows anyone to propose and vote on constitutional amendments.
Another proposed amendment, CFR28, aims to deliver campaign finance reform without infringing on free speech. CFR28 restricts candidate funding to small citizen contributions and public financing, with biannual limits set at one percent of the median annual income of all Americans (currently less than $400). It also targets independent political advertising for elimination by defining advertising as uninvited media that exceeds the specified contribution limit.
Transportation Amendment: Did It Change the Industry?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
More than 11,000 amendments to the US Constitution have been proposed.
Only 27 of the proposed amendments have been ratified.
Notable amendments that have been proposed but not ratified include:
- The Human Life Amendment, which would have prohibited abortion.
- A balanced budget amendment, in which Congress and the President would be forced to balance the budget every year.
- The Dueling Ban Amendment, which would have prohibited any person involved in a duel from holding federal office.
![The Constitution of Michigan as Proposed for Amendment 1874 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/617DLHXyzlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
