Eleanor Finch
The US Constitution has been amended several times since it was first written. The Founding Fathers intended for the document to be flexible to accommodate the changing needs of the country. The process of amending the Constitution is outlined in Article V of the Constitution, and since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments, 17 of which have been ratified by the states. The amendments that have been adopted were often the result of a widely recognized problem or a sustained campaign for reform. For example, the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920, was the result of a 52-year campaign by the women's suffrage movement. Other notable amendments include the 12th Amendment, which changed the election process for the president and vice president, and the 17th Amendment, which gave the American people the right to elect senators.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of amendments | 27 |
| First 3 words | We the People |
| First 10 amendments | The Bill of Rights |
| First amendment | Freedom of religion |
| First amendment | Freedom of speech |
| First amendment | Freedom of press |
| First amendment | Freedom of assembly |
| First amendment | Speedy jury trial in criminal cases |
| Seventeenth amendment | Election of Senators (1913) |
| Eighteenth amendment | Prohibition (1919) |
| Nineteenth amendment | Women's Right to Vote (1920) |
| Twentieth amendment | Presidential Term and Succession (1933) |
| Twenty-first amendment | Repeal of Prohibition (1933) |
| Twenty-second amendment | Two Term Limit on President (1951) |
| Twenty-seventh amendment | Compensation of Members of Congress (1992) |
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What You'll Learn
The US Constitution is the foundation of the Federal Government
The Preamble, which begins with the famous words "We the People", establishes the purpose of the Constitution and the power of the government as originating from the people of the United States. The seven Articles that follow are each divided into sections. Article I deals with the legislative branch of government, while Article II concerns the executive branch. Article III establishes the Supreme Court as the highest judicial power in the land. Article IV defines the relationship between the states, and Article V describes the procedure for amending the Constitution. Article VI declares the Constitution as the "supreme Law of the Land", and Article VII ratifies the Constitution.
There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution, with the first 10, known as the Bill of Rights, guaranteeing fundamental rights to individuals, including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and a speedy jury trial in criminal cases. Other amendments include the XVII Amendment, which deals with the election of senators, and the XVIII Amendment, which introduced prohibition.
The US Constitution is a flexible document that allows for changes in the government while also providing a stable framework for the Federal Government to function. It is a living document that has evolved over time to meet the needs of the country and its people.
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The Constitution is a living document that can be amended
The United States Constitution is a living document that has been amended several times since its inception. The process of amending the Constitution is outlined in Article V of the Constitution and is a two-step process that involves proposing and ratifying amendments. This process was designed to balance the need for change with the stability of the nation's governing framework.
Since 1789, there have been approximately 11,848 proposals to amend the Constitution, with members of the House and Senate proposing around 200 amendments during each two-year term of Congress. However, the amendment process is deliberately challenging and time-consuming. A proposed amendment must pass with a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate and then be ratified by three-quarters of the state legislatures (38 out of 50 states). This high bar for approval ensures that only significant changes that impact all Americans or secure citizens' rights are made to the Constitution.
To date, there have been 27 successful amendments to the Constitution, the first ten of which were ratified simultaneously as the Bill of Rights in 1791. These initial amendments were particularly important as they outlined and protected the rights of citizens, including freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were also significant in abolishing slavery, establishing citizenship, and guaranteeing due process and equal protection under the law.
The process of amending the Constitution is not without its challenges. Six amendments adopted by Congress have not been ratified by the required number of states, and proposals for amendments in recent decades have not succeeded in becoming part of the Constitution. Despite this, the living nature of the Constitution allows for necessary changes to be made, ensuring that the document remains relevant and adaptable to the evolving needs of the nation.
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The Preamble outlines the purpose of the Constitution
The United States Constitution is often referred to as the "supreme law of the land", and no law may be passed that contradicts its principles. The Constitution is organised into three parts: the Preamble, the Articles, and the Amendments.
The Preamble, though not officially part of the Constitution, serves as an introduction and outlines the purpose of the document. It establishes the power of the government as originating from the people of the United States, as emphasised by the first three words: "We the People". The Preamble also highlights the purpose of the Federal Government, which is to "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity".
The Founding Fathers established three main principles on which the US government is based: inherent rights, consent of the governed, and limited government. These principles are reflected in the Preamble, which sets the tone and provides context for the rest of the Constitution.
The Preamble is followed by the seven Articles, which make up the structural constitution and establish how the government is structured and how it can be changed. The Articles are further divided into sections, with each Article dealing with a different branch of government or aspect of the federal system. For example, Article I deals with the legislative branch of government, while Article IV defines the relationship between the states.
The third part of the Constitution is the Amendments, which list the changes made to the document. There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution, beginning with the Bill of Rights, which includes the first ten amendments. These amendments guarantee fundamental rights of individuals, such as freedom of religion, speech, press, and assembly.
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The seven Articles establish the structure of the government
The United States Constitution is the foundation of the Federal Government and is often referred to as the "supreme law of the land". It is a flexible, "living" document that can be amended, although in over 200 years there have only been 27 amendments. The Constitution is organised into three parts: the Preamble, the Articles, and the Amendments.
Article IV focuses on the relationship between the states, including the admission of new states, the full faith and credit to be given to each state's laws and records, and the procedures for extraditing fugitives. It also addresses the role of the federal government in protecting states from invasion and domestic violence. Article V describes the process for amending the Constitution, specifying that amendments may be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both houses, or by a national convention called by Congress in response to applications from two-thirds of the state legislatures.
Article VI declares the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, asserting that it takes precedence over any conflicting laws, and binds federal and state officials to support the Constitution. It also addresses the role of religious tests in qualification for public office, stating that no religious test shall be required for holding any office under the United States. Article VII outlines the process of ratification, detailing how the Constitution was to be ratified by special conventions in each state, rather than by the state legislatures.
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There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution
The US Constitution is often referred to as a "living" document because it can be amended. In over 200 years, there have been 27 amendments to the Constitution, beginning with the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments, which were ratified on December 15, 1791. The first three words of the introduction, or Preamble, are "We the People," and this section explains the purpose of the Constitution and the power of the government as originating from the people of the United States. The Preamble is followed by seven articles, each dealing with a different topic, which establish how the government is structured and how the Constitution can be changed. The third part of the Constitution is the Amendments, which list the changes to the document.
The first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, guarantee fundamental rights for individuals, including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and a speedy jury trial in criminal cases. The remaining 17 amendments include the election of Senators (1913), Prohibition (1919), Women's Right to Vote (1920), Presidential Term and Succession (1933), the Repeal of Prohibition (1933), a Two-Term Limit on the President (1951), and the Compensation of Members of Congress (1992).
The US Constitution is the foundation of the Federal Government and is considered the supreme law of the land; no law may be passed that contradicts its principles. It is flexible, allowing for changes in the government, and it established a Federal democratic republic. The three main principles on which the government is based are inherent rights, consent of the governed, and majority rule with minority rights.
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Frequently asked questions
Congress has passed 23 additional amendments to the Constitution since 1791, 17 of which have been ratified by the states.
One of the biggest criticisms of the Constitution was that it did not do enough to protect the rights of individuals against the nation's new central government.
The 12th Amendment, ratified in 1804, mandated that electors vote separately for president and vice president. This was passed because the original Constitution stated that the runner-up in the presidential election would become vice president, which nearly sparked a constitutional crisis in 1800 when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr received the same number of votes.
The authority to amend the Constitution is derived from Article V of the Constitution. An amendment may be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of state legislatures. A proposed amendment becomes part of the Constitution as soon as it is ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 out of 50).
