Simone Lawson
The Constitution of the United States has been amended 27 times since its ratification in 1789. The first 10 amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. Since then, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, of which only 17 have been ratified by the states. The most recent amendment, the Twenty-seventh Amendment, was ratified in 1992 after being pending for over two centuries.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
| Number of Amendments proposed by Congress | 23 |
| Number of Amendments ratified by the states | 17 |
| Number of Amendments collectively known as the Bill of Rights | 10 |
| Number of Amendments known as the Reconstruction Amendments | 3 |
| Longest pending amendment that was successfully ratified | 22nd Amendment (3 years, 343 days) |
| Amendment that was ratified in the shortest time | 26th Amendment (100 days) |
| Amendment that remained pending for over two centuries | 27th Amendment |
| Number of amendments proposed by members of the House and Senate during each two-year term of Congress | 150 |
| USS Constitution's nickname | Old Ironsides |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution has 27 amendments
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791. The first ten amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. Amendments 13 to 15 are known as the Reconstruction Amendments. The Twenty-seventh Amendment, ratified in 1992, prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during the current session. It remained pending before the states for 202 years, 225 days—the longest period for any successfully ratified amendment.
The US Constitution has been changed and expanded since 1787. The founding fathers worried that spelling out all Americans' rights in a series of amendments could be inherently limiting. One of the biggest early criticisms of the Constitution was that it did not do enough to protect individual rights against the nation's new central government. The balance of power between the federal government and state governments has shifted over time, with the federal government taking an increasingly dominant role. Federalism was established as the law of the land through Supreme Court decisions like McCulloch v. Maryland (1823), which affirmed the federal government's right to take "necessary and proper" actions to meet the urgent needs of the nation.
The role of the Court in interpreting the Constitution and ensuring that the other two branches of government abide by it was established by John Marshall, the nation's fourth chief justice. In the landmark case of Marbury v. Madison (1803), Marshall asserted the right of the Court to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. The Supreme Court did not declare another act of Congress unconstitutional until the controversial Dred Scott decision in 1857.
Congress has passed 23 additional amendments to the Constitution since 1791, but the states have ratified only 17 of them. The process of amending the Constitution is deliberately challenging, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress or a national convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Most proposed amendments never make it out of Congressional committees, and only a fraction of those receive enough support to enter the constitutional ratification process.
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The Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791
The Constitution of the United States has been amended 27 times since its inception, with the first 10 amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, being ratified on December 15, 1791. The Bill of Rights was established to address early criticisms of the Constitution, which suggested that it did not adequately protect individual rights against the nation's new central government.
The Bill of Rights was proposed by Congress in 1789, along with several other Constitutional amendments. The first ten amendments were ratified almost unanimously by the original thirteen states, with Virginia being the last to ratify on December 15, 1791, as mentioned.
The Bill of Rights includes several key protections, such as the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the freedom of the press, and the right to peaceably assemble. These rights are enshrined in the First Amendment and are considered fundamental to American democracy. The Second Amendment, also part of the Bill of Rights, protects the right to keep and bear arms.
Since the adoption of the Bill of Rights, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, 17 of which have been ratified by the states. One notable amendment is the Twenty-seventh Amendment, which was proposed in 1789 alongside the Bill of Rights but was not ratified until 1992. This amendment prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during their current session, instead deferring any raises to the next session of Congress.
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Congress has passed 23 additional amendments
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791. Of these 27 amendments, Congress has passed 23, and the states have ratified 17. The first 10 amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. Amendments 13 to 15 are known as the Reconstruction Amendments.
The process of amending the Constitution is a lengthy and complex one. The precedent for the current practice was set in 1789 when Congress proposed the first several amendments. The Twenty-seventh Amendment, which prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during the current session, took over two centuries to be ratified. On the other hand, the Twenty-sixth Amendment was ratified in just 100 days, making it the fastest amendment to be ratified.
The role of the Court in interpreting and enforcing the Constitution has also been significant. In Marbury v. Madison (1803), the nation's fourth chief justice, John Marshall, established the power of the Court by asserting its right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. The Court has since played an increasingly active role in interpreting the laws and ensuring that the other two branches of government abide by the Constitution.
While the text of the Constitution and its amendments has remained unchanged, the document has been expanded and reinterpreted over time. Federalism became the law of the land due to Supreme Court decisions like McCulloch v. Maryland (1823), which affirmed the federal government's right to take necessary and proper actions to meet the nation's urgent needs.
The US Constitution has evolved since its inception, with Congress playing a central role in passing amendments and the Court interpreting and enforcing its provisions. The process of amending the Constitution is deliberate, ensuring that changes are carefully considered and ratified.
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Judicial interpretation of existing laws has changed the legal system
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was first written, with the Bill of Rights, or the first 10 amendments, being ratified in 1791. However, the structural framework of the Constitution remains untouched, and many changes to the American legal system have come about through judicial interpretation of existing laws, rather than the addition of new ones.
One of the most significant moments in the establishment of the power of the Court came in 1803, when the nation's fourth chief justice, John Marshall, asserted the Court's right to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. In the case of Marbury v. Madison, Marshall wrote that it was the "duty of the Judicial Department to say what the law is". This marked an important shift in the balance of power, as the Court began to take on a more active role in interpreting the laws and actions of the other branches of government, ensuring their compliance with the Constitution.
Another notable example of judicial interpretation is the McCulloch v. Maryland case of 1823, which affirmed the federal government's right to take actions deemed "necessary and proper" to meet the country's needs. This decision further solidified the dominance of the federal government over individual state governments and established Federalism as the law of the land.
The judicial interpretation of existing laws has also played a significant role in addressing criticisms of the Constitution's failure to adequately protect individual rights against infringement by the central government. For instance, the Supreme Court's controversial Dred Scott decision in 1857, which declared that people of African descent, whether enslaved or free, could not be considered US citizens, was a major catalyst for the Civil War and the subsequent passage of the Reconstruction Amendments (Amendments 13-15) following the war.
In addition to interpreting existing laws, the judicial branch has also introduced new amendments to the Constitution. For example, the Twenty-seventh Amendment, which was proposed in 1789 alongside the first several Constitutional amendments, was finally ratified in 1992. This amendment addresses congressional pay raises, preventing members of Congress from granting themselves pay increases during their current session and instead deferring any raises to the next session of Congress.
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The Court's role has expanded since Marbury v. Madison (1803)
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since 1787. The first ten amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. Since then, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, 17 of which have been ratified by the states.
The Court's role has expanded significantly since Marbury v. Madison in 1803. This case established the power of the Court to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. In this landmark case, John Marshall, the nation's fourth chief justice, wrote:
> It is emphatically the duty of the Judicial Department to say what the law is.
Since Marbury, the Court has taken an increasingly active role in interpreting the laws and actions of the other two branches of government and ensuring their compliance with the Constitution. The case set a precedent for judicial review, with Marshall asserting that in cases of conflict between the Constitution and statutory law, the former takes precedence.
The Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison shifted the balance of power between the states and the federal government. Over time, as the federal government expanded, the Supreme Court's decisions, such as McCulloch v. Maryland (1823), affirmed the federal government's right to take actions necessary and proper to meet the nation's urgent needs. This case further solidified the principle of federalism as the law of the land.
While the Court's power of judicial review was established in Marbury, it was rarely exercised in the early years of American history. It was not until 1857 that the Court struck down another federal law, the Missouri Compromise, in the infamous Dred Scott v. Sandford decision. This ruling contributed to the outbreak of the American Civil War.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution has never been rebuilt, but it has been amended 27 times since it was first adopted in 1791.
Amendments to the Constitution can be proposed by Congress, with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. The proposed amendment then goes to the states for ratification, where it must be ratified by three-quarters of the states to become part of the Constitution.
Some significant amendments to the Constitution include the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments), the Reconstruction Amendments (Amendments 13-15), and the Twenty-seventh Amendment, which prevents members of Congress from granting themselves pay raises during their current session.
