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The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1788, with the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, being passed in 1789 and ratified in 1791. These amendments encompass many of the rights Americans hold dear today, such as the First Amendment, which protects freedom of religion, speech, and the press, and the Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms. Amendments can be proposed by Congress or by a Constitutional Convention and must be ratified by three-fourths of the states to become part of the Constitution. The process of amending the Constitution is similarly rigorous in other countries, such as India, where amendments must be passed by a majority in Parliament and ratified by state legislatures.
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times
Over the years, the Constitution has been amended to address various issues and evolving societal needs. For example, the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18, empowering young citizens to participate in the democratic process. The most recent amendment, the Twenty-Seventh Amendment, ratified in 1992, addresses congressional compensation, ensuring that any changes in pay for members of Congress only take effect after an election.
The process of amending the Constitution is deliberately challenging, requiring ratification by three-fourths of the states (38 states since 1959). This ensures that any changes to the nation's foundational document reflect the will of a significant majority of the country. The last amendment to be ratified by this method was the Twenty-First Amendment in 1933, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and ended the prohibition of alcohol.
While there have been 27 successful amendments, approximately 11,848 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress since 1789. This underscores the significance of the amendments that have been enacted and the enduring nature of the US Constitution as a guiding document for the nation.
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The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times, with approximately 11,848 proposals to amend it introduced in Congress since 1789. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1789 and ratified on December 15, 1791. James Madison wrote the amendments to limit government power and protect individual liberties.
The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution because the Constitution lacked limits on government power. Federalists advocated for a strong national government, while Anti-Federalists wanted power to remain with state and local governments and favoured a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty. Madison, then a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, altered the Constitution's text where he thought appropriate. However, several representatives objected, saying that Congress had no authority to change the wording of the Constitution. Therefore, Madison's changes were presented as a list of amendments that would follow Article VII.
The Bill of Rights was strongly influenced by the Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, as well as English documents such as the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the English Bill of Rights, and the Massachusetts Body of Liberties. The first ten amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights and were approved (or ratified) by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
The Sixth Amendment provides additional protections to people accused of crimes, such as the right to a speedy and public trial and the right to an impartial jury in criminal cases. The Seventh Amendment extends the right to a jury trial in Federal civil cases. The Eighth Amendment bars excessive bail and fines and cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment states that listing specific rights in the Constitution does not mean that people do not have other rights that have not been spelled out. The Tenth Amendment says that the Federal Government only has those powers delegated in the Constitution.
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Amendments can be proposed by Congress
The United States Constitution has 27 amendments, the first 10 of which were ratified simultaneously and are collectively known as the Bill of Rights. Amendments must be properly proposed and ratified before becoming operative. This process is outlined in Article Five of the United States Constitution, which establishes two methods for proposing amendments.
Congress has also enacted statutes governing the constitutional amendment process. When a constitutional amendment is sent to the states for ratification, the Archivist of the United States is responsible for administering the ratification process under 1 U.S.C. § 106b. The Archivist has delegated many of the duties associated with this function to the Director of the Federal Register. The Archivist and Director follow procedures and customs established by the Secretary of State and the Administrator of General Services, who previously performed these duties.
Since the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789, Congress has proposed 33 amendments, 27 of which have been ratified by the requisite number of states and are now part of the Constitution. Approximately 11,848 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress since 1789, with members of the House and Senate typically proposing around 200 amendments during each two-year term of Congress. However, none of the proposals made in recent decades have become part of the Constitution.
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Amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of states
The process of amending the US Constitution is outlined in Article V of the Constitution. It involves a two-step process of proposal and ratification. Amendments can be proposed by the US Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Alternatively, they can be proposed through a national convention called by Congress upon the request of two-thirds of state legislatures. However, this latter method has never been used.
Once an amendment is proposed, it must be ratified to become operative. There are two methods of ratification, and Congress determines which method the states must follow. The first method requires ratification by three-fourths (38 out of 50) of the state legislatures. This is the more commonly used method, and it has been employed for all amendments except one. The second method involves ratification by three-fourths of state ratifying conventions, which has only been used for the Twenty-First Amendment, repealing the Eighteenth Amendment that established Prohibition.
The Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is responsible for administering the ratification process. The Archivist follows procedures and customs established by the Secretary of State and the Administrator of General Services, who previously performed these duties. The Archivist's role is to certify the facial legal sufficiency of ratification documents, and their decision is final and conclusive.
The process of amending the Constitution aims to balance the need for change with stability. Since the early 20th century, Congress has occasionally stipulated a deadline for ratification, typically within seven years of an amendment's submission to the states. The validity of an amendment does not depend on how much time has passed between proposal and ratification. The Twenty-seventh Amendment, for example, took over two centuries to be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
In conclusion, the requirement for ratification by three-fourths of the states is a crucial step in the process of amending the US Constitution. It ensures that any changes to the nation's foundational document reflect the widespread support and consent of the states. This ratification process, outlined in Article V, has been followed for all 27 amendments that are currently part of the Constitution.
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The Indian Constitution has also been amended
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1788. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1789 and ratified in 1791. These amendments encompass many of the rights Americans hold dear today.
The Indian Constitution, on the other hand, is the most amended national constitution in the world, with 106 amendments as of July 2025 since its enactment in 1950. This is due to the highly detailed nature of the document, which requires many matters to be addressed via constitutional amendment rather than by statute, as in other democracies. As a result, the Indian Constitution is amended roughly twice a year.
There are three types of amendments to the Indian Constitution, of which the second and third types are governed by Article 368. The first type of amendment must be passed by a "simple majority" in each house of the Parliament of India. The second type of amendment requires a prescribed "special majority" of each house of Parliament. The third type of amendment must be passed by a “special majority” in each house of Parliament and ratified by at least half of the State Legislatures.
Amendments to the Indian Constitution are necessary to ensure the document remains adaptable and relevant over time, reflecting socio-political changes and addressing emerging challenges. The Forty-Second Amendment, for example, is known as the "mini-Constitution" due to its extensive changes, including expanding Directive Principles and curbing judicial review powers. The Basic Structure Doctrine ensures that while Parliament can amend the Constitution, its core values such as federalism, democracy, and secularism cannot be altered.
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Frequently asked questions
The U.S. Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was ratified in 1788.
To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 states since 1959). This can be done through the legislatures of three-fourths of the states or state ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states. Congress has also enacted statutes governing the constitutional amendment process.
The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were passed in 1789 and ratified in 1791. These amendments encompass fundamental freedoms and rights, including the freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, protection from unreasonable searches and seizures, and the right to due process of law. The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, are also significant. The Twenty-Sixth Amendment, ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age to 18.
The Indian Constitution can be amended by a simple majority or a special majority of the Parliament, with some amendments requiring ratification by half of the state legislatures. The Basic Structure of the Constitution, as determined by the Supreme Court, cannot be amended.
