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The United States Constitution has 27 amendments, with over 11,000 proposals introduced to amend it since 1789. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. The process of amending the Constitution involves proposals by Congress and ratification by the requisite number of states. The Archivist of the United States administers the ratification process, and a certificate is issued once an amendment becomes part of the Constitution. The amendments address various topics, with the most recent one being added in 1971.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total number of amendments proposed | 11,848 |
| Total number of amendments to the Constitution | 33 |
| Number of amendments ratified | 27 |
| First 10 amendments (The Bill of Rights) | Ratified on December 15, 1791 |
| Date of proposal of the first 12 amendments | September 25, 1789 |
| Number of amendments collectively known as the Reconstruction Amendments | 3 (13th, 14th, and 15th) |
| Number of amendments proposed but not ratified by the required number of states | 6 |
| Number of amendments still pending | 4 |
| Number of amendments closed | 2 |
| Number of amendments that failed by its own terms | 1 |
| Number of amendments that failed by the terms of the resolution proposing it | 1 |
| Amendment that repealed an earlier amendment | 21st Amendment (repealed the Eighteenth Amendment) |
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What You'll Learn
- The first 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791
- Amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of US state legislatures
- The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are the Reconstruction Amendments
- The Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment
- Over 11,000 proposals have been introduced in Congress since 1789
The first 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was put into operation on March 4, 1789. The first ten amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
The Bill of Rights was proposed by the First Congress of the United States on September 25, 1789, as a series of 12 amendments to the Constitution. Ten of these proposed amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791, and became the first ten amendments to the Constitution. These amendments were designed to protect the fundamental rights of citizens and limit the power of the federal government.
The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press, as well as the right to peaceful assembly and petition. The Second Amendment states that "a well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The Third Amendment prohibits the quartering of soldiers in civilian homes without consent. The Fourth Amendment protects citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures, while the Fifth Amendment guarantees due process and protects against self-incrimination.
The Sixth Amendment ensures a fair and speedy trial, while the Seventh Amendment guarantees trial by jury in certain cases. The Eighth Amendment prohibits excessive bail or cruel and unusual punishment, and the Ninth Amendment addresses unenumerated rights, stating that the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. Finally, the Tenth Amendment clarifies that powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states or the people.
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Amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of US state legislatures
The process of amending the US Constitution is a complex and lengthy one, involving multiple steps and requirements. To date, there have been 27 successful amendments to the Constitution, with the first 10, known collectively as the Bill of Rights, being ratified on December 15, 1791.
For an amendment to become an official part of the Constitution, it must go through a specific process. Firstly, it must be proposed by Congress, where it requires the support of two-thirds of both the House and the Senate. Once an amendment proposal gains this support, it is then sent to the states for ratification.
At the state level, an amendment must be ratified by either three-fourths of state legislatures or state ratifying conventions. This requirement ensures that any changes to the Constitution reflect the will of a supermajority of states, protecting against hasty or unilateral amendments. As of 1959, with 50 states in the Union, 38 states are needed to ratify an amendment for it to become part of the Constitution.
The process of ratifying amendments can vary in duration. While some amendments have been ratified within a year of proposal, others have taken much longer. For example, Article 2 of the Bill of Rights was proposed in 1789 alongside the other amendments but was not ratified until 1992, a gap of over two centuries.
The content of the amendments varies widely, covering topics such as religious freedom, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, and the prohibition of alcohol. The Twenty-first Amendment, ratified in 1933, is unique in that it repealed the earlier Eighteenth Amendment, which had established the prohibition of alcohol.
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The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are the Reconstruction Amendments
The US Constitution has had 27 amendments, the first 10 of which were ratified simultaneously on December 15, 1791, and are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 since 1959).
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, also known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were ratified between 1865 and 1870 following the US Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. These amendments were essential to reuniting the United States during Reconstruction, and the Confederate states were required to ratify the 13th and 14th Amendments to be readmitted to the Union.
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the entirety of the United States and granted Congress the right to enforce this with appropriate legislation. The 14th Amendment ensured that the Bill of Rights applied to all citizens of the United States, regardless of race, and guaranteed birthright citizenship, due process, and "equal protection of the laws" under federal and state governments. It also eliminated the three-fifths rule and punished states that did not permit male citizens over 21 to vote by reducing their proportional representation.
The 15th Amendment secured voting rights for Black men, making it illegal to refuse them the right to vote based on race or previous conditions of servitude. However, it did not outlaw literacy tests, poll taxes, and other methods that might prevent poor Black people from voting.
The Reconstruction Amendments remain the subject of controversy and inspiration. While some seek loopholes to disenfranchise people of color, others view them as providing the basic groundwork for racial justice and equity in the United States.
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The Twenty-first Amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment
The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment, is unique among the 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution as the only one to repeal a prior amendment. The Eighteenth Amendment, ratified on January 16, 1919, mandated a nationwide prohibition on alcohol. The Twenty-first Amendment was proposed by the 72nd Congress on February 20, 1933, and ratified by the requisite number of states on December 5, 1933.
The Eighteenth Amendment was the result of years of advocacy by the temperance movement, and it was enforced by the Volstead Act. However, Prohibition proved to be highly unpopular, with many Americans continuing to drink, fueling the rise of organised crime and a profitable black market for alcohol. As a result, a political movement for its repeal grew, and the Twenty-first Amendment was passed, ending national prohibition.
Section 1 of the Twenty-first Amendment expressly states the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment. Section 2 bans the importation of alcohol into states and territories that prohibit its consumption. Several states continued to be "dry states" after the repeal, and some still closely regulate alcohol distribution today.
The Twenty-first Amendment is also notable for being the only amendment to be ratified by state ratifying conventions, a method of ratification that was specifically selected for this amendment. This method required ratification by three-fourths of the states (38 states since 1959), and it is the only amendment to be ratified in this way.
The repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment has been interpreted in different ways. Some see it as a success, as alcohol consumption declined during Prohibition, and there was a decrease in arrests for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct. On the other hand, the common claim that morally motivated political movements cannot reduce drug use was disproven. Others argue that the prohibition of alcohol was not a violation of people's rights, and the repeal was not morally required.
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Over 11,000 proposals have been introduced in Congress since 1789
Since the US Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789, over 11,000 proposals to amend it have been introduced in Congress. On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments, 10 of which were ratified on December 15, 1791, and came to be known as the Bill of Rights.
The process of proposing amendments to the Constitution is outlined in Article V of the Constitution. Amendments can be proposed by Congress or by a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. For an amendment to become part of the Constitution, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 states since 1959). This can be done through state legislatures or state ratifying conventions.
The first 10 amendments, collectively known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified simultaneously on December 15, 1791. These amendments protect various civil liberties, including freedom of religion, speech, and the press, the right to peaceably assemble and petition the government, and the right to keep and bear arms. They also protect citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures and guarantee the right to a trial by jury.
Since 1789, Congress has sent 33 constitutional amendments to the states for ratification. Twenty-seven of these amendments have been ratified by the requisite number of states and are now part of the Constitution. The process of amending the Constitution is challenging, and only a small fraction of proposed amendments make it through the entire process. The last time a proposal gained the necessary two-thirds support in both the House and the Senate for submission to the states was in 1978.
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Frequently asked questions
There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution.
The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. The last amendment was added in 1992, 203 years after it was first proposed.
Approximately 11,848 proposals to amend the Constitution have been introduced in Congress since 1789.
