Isabella Carter
The Constitution of the United States has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1789. The process of amending the Constitution is outlined in Article Five of the Constitution and requires that amendments be properly proposed and ratified before becoming operative. This can be done through a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives or a national convention called by Congress on the application of two-thirds of state legislatures. Since its ratification, 33 amendments have been proposed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification, with 27 being successfully ratified and becoming part of the Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of times the US Constitution has been amended | 27 |
| Number of amendments proposed | More than 11,000 |
| Number of amendments proposed by Congress and sent to states for ratification | 33 |
| Number of amendments ratified by the requisite number of states | 27 |
| Number of amendments that have not been ratified by the required number of states | 6 |
| Number of amendments still pending | 4 |
| Average ratification time for the first 26 amendments | 1 year, 252 days |
| Average ratification time for all 27 amendments | 9 years, 48 days |
| Longest pending amendment that was successfully ratified | 22nd Amendment (3 years, 343 days) |
| Shortest ratification time | 26th Amendment (100 days) |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since 1787
- The first 10 amendments were ratified in 1791
- The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave women the right to vote
- The Reconstruction Amendments abolished slavery and gave voting rights to former slaves
- Amendments must be proposed and ratified to become operative
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since 1787
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was first drafted in 1787. The process of amending the Constitution is a difficult and time-consuming affair. A proposed amendment must be passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and then ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. These amendments were proposed by Congress on September 25, 1789, and included the right to free speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms.
The Reconstruction Amendments (Amendments 13-15) were adopted between 1865 and 1870, in the five years immediately following the American Civil War. These amendments abolished slavery and granted citizenship and voting rights to former slaves. However, they did not include a specific prohibition on discrimination in voting based on sex. It took another amendment, the Nineteenth, ratified in 1920, to prohibit any US citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex.
The Twenty-sixth Amendment, which granted voting rights to US citizens aged 18 and above, was ratified in the shortest time, taking just 100 days. In contrast, the Twenty-seventh Amendment, which deals with laws affecting Congressional salaries, was pending before the states for 202 years and 225 days, the longest time for any successfully ratified amendment.
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The first 10 amendments were ratified in 1791
The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. These amendments were first proposed by Congress in 1789, during their first session.
The Bill of Rights includes the following:
- Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
- Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press.
- The right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
- The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.
- The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
- No Soldier shall, in times of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner.
The Bill of Rights was intended to assure each State that its reserved powers included the power to decide for itself what kind of relationship it wanted with religious denominations in the State. This is reflected in the importance of the word "respecting", which means Congress shall make no law "touching or dealing with" the subject of religious establishment.
The phrases in the Bill of Rights, as with the original Seven Articles of the Constitution, may require interpretation to understand their precise meaning in the modern day. One way to do this is to refer to early dictionaries such as Samuel Johnson's, published in London in 1775, or Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language, published in 1828.
The 19th Amendment: Women's Right to Vote
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The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave women the right to vote
The Constitution of the United States has been amended 27 times since its ratification in 1789. The process of amending the Constitution involves two steps: proposing an amendment and ratifying it. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791.
One of the most significant amendments is the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. This amendment was passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920. The road to achieving this milestone was long and challenging, spanning decades of agitation, protest, lobbying, and civil disobedience. Women organized, petitioned, and picketed to win the right to vote, facing fierce resistance, physical abuse, and incarceration.
The 19th Amendment states, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." This amendment legally guarantees American women the right to vote and is a testament to the tireless efforts of suffragists and their supporters.
However, it is important to note that the amendment's impact was not immediate for all women. While white women benefited from its ratification, women of color, particularly Black women in the South, continued to face barriers to voting due to systemic racism and discriminatory state voting laws. It would take several more decades of struggle for African Americans and other minority women to fully realize their voting rights.
The 19th Amendment holds a significant place in the history of the United States, symbolizing the power of democratic ideals and the enduring quest for equality. It serves as a reminder of the dedication and perseverance of those who fought for women's suffrage and inspires ongoing efforts to ensure equal participation in the democratic process for all citizens.
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The Reconstruction Amendments abolished slavery and gave voting rights to former slaves
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification in 1791. The Reconstruction Amendments, or the Civil War Amendments, are the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments to the US Constitution, adopted between 1865 and 1870. These amendments were a part of the implementation of the Reconstruction of the American South following the Civil War.
The Thirteenth Amendment, proposed in 1864 and ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime. It forbade chattel slavery across the United States and in every territory under its control. This amendment was the final answer to the question surrounding the institution of slavery in the United States.
The Fourteenth Amendment, proposed in 1866 and ratified in 1868, addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law for all persons. It was designed to ensure that the newly granted civil and political rights of African Americans could not be easily repealed.
The Fifteenth Amendment, ratified on February 3, 1870, was the last of the Reconstruction Amendments. It prohibits federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote based on their "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment granted voting rights to all male citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or prior slave status. It was intended to protect the franchise of African Americans and ensure their right to participate in elections.
The Reconstruction Amendments abolished slavery and granted voting rights to former slaves, marking a significant step towards equality and civil rights in the United States. These amendments transformed the country, moving it away from a system of slavery and towards a more inclusive and just society.
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Amendments must be proposed and ratified to become operative
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was drafted in 1787. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. Since then, the Constitution has been amended several times to address various issues, such as voting rights, the terms of office for elected officials, and the appointment of electors for the President and Vice President.
Amending the Constitution is a difficult and time-consuming process. Article Five of the Constitution outlines a two-step process for proposing and ratifying amendments. This process was designed to strike a balance between the need for change and the stability of the nation's governing document. An amendment can be proposed by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. To date, the national convention option has never been used.
Once an amendment is proposed, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures (38 states) to become part of the Constitution. This ratification process can also be challenging, as seen with the failed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Amendment in the 1980s. The time it takes for an amendment to be ratified varies, with the average time for the first 26 amendments being 1 year and 252 days, while the 27th amendment took over 200 years.
The content of amendments must also meet certain criteria. According to Chief Justice John Marshall, who wrote about the Constitution in the early 1800s, the ideas behind amendments must have a major impact on all Americans or secure the rights of citizens. For example, the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, prohibited denying citizens the right to vote based on sex. This addressed the lack of a specific prohibition on sex-based discrimination in the voting process in the Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments) adopted after the Civil War.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification.
Article Five of the US Constitution outlines a two-step process for amending the Constitution. An amendment must be proposed and ratified before becoming operative. An amendment may be proposed and sent to the states for ratification by the US Congress, whenever a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives deem it necessary. To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
More than 11,000 amendments to the US Constitution have been proposed, but only 27 have been ratified.
Six amendments have been adopted by Congress and proposed to the states but have not been ratified by the required number of states. Four of these amendments are still pending as Congress did not set a time limit for their ratification.
