Simone Lawson
The United States Constitution, written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. It has been amended 27 times, with the last amendment being the Twenty-seventh Amendment or the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, which was ratified in 1992. This amendment states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress may take effect only after the next election of the House of Representatives has occurred.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
| First Amendment | 1791 |
| Last Amendment | 1992 |
| Time taken for the first Amendment to be ratified | 811 days |
| Time taken for the last Amendment to be ratified | 202 years |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution was written in 1787 and has had 27 amendments
- The first 10 amendments were ratified in 1791 and are known as the Bill of Rights
- The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are the Reconstruction Amendments
- The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave women the right to vote
- The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits presidential tenure
The US Constitution was written in 1787 and has had 27 amendments
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. The Founding Fathers intended the document to be flexible in order to fit the changing needs and circumstances of the country. The Constitution has seven articles that define the basic framework of the federal government. Articles that have been amended still include the original text, although provisions repealed by amendments are usually bracketed or italicized to indicate they no longer apply. Despite these changes, the focus of each Article remains the same as when it was adopted in 1787.
The Constitution has had 27 amendments, with 33 amendments proposed by the United States Congress and sent to the states for ratification since 1789. The first ten amendments were adopted and ratified simultaneously and are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are collectively known as the Reconstruction Amendments. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, the 14th Amendment extended the status of citizens to African Americans, and the 15th Amendment ensured voting rights for Black men.
The process of amending the Constitution is detailed in Article Five and consists of two steps. An amendment may be proposed and sent to the states for ratification by the US Congress, with a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, or by a national convention called by Congress on the application of two-thirds of the states. To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, either by the state legislatures or by state ratifying conventions. The ratification method is chosen by Congress for each amendment.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment, or the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, is the most recently adopted amendment. It states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress may only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives. This amendment was proposed by Representative James Madison of Virginia in 1789 and ratified by seven states through 1792, but it was not ratified by another state for eighty years. In 1982, a student at the University of Texas at Austin named Gregory Watson wrote a paper on the subject, which sparked a nationwide effort to get the amendment ratified.
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The first 10 amendments were ratified in 1791 and are known as the Bill of Rights
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. However, it has been amended several times to accommodate the changing needs and circumstances of the country. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791.
The Bill of Rights was proposed following a bitter debate over the ratification of the Constitution in 1787-88. The Anti-Federalists wanted power to remain with state and local governments and favoured a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty. The Federalists, on the other hand, advocated for a strong national government. James Madison, a member of the US House of Representatives, crafted a series of corrective proposals, and Congress approved twelve articles of amendment on September 25, 1789, submitting them to the states for ratification.
Articles Three through Twelve were ratified as additions to the Constitution on December 15, 1791, becoming Amendments One through Ten. These amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. Virginia's legislature was the final state to ratify the amendments. Article Two became part of the Constitution on May 5, 1992, as the 27th Amendment. Article One is still pending before the states.
The amendments of the Bill of Rights add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the right to publish, practice religion, possess firearms, and assemble. They also include limitations on the government's power, such as the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures. The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial, while the Eighth Amendment prohibits excessive bail, fines, and cruel and unusual punishments.
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The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments are the Reconstruction Amendments
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. Since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments to the Constitution, with 27 amendments in total. The last amendment to the US Constitution was made in 1913, when the 16th Amendment gave the government the power to collect income tax.
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, also known as the Reconstruction Amendments, were ratified between 1865 and 1870. These amendments were essential to reuniting the United States during Reconstruction, and they remain in use today. The House of Representatives and Senate officially adopted these amendments during the presidential administrations of Andrew Johnson and Ulysses S. Grant.
The 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the entirety of the United States. It also granted Congress the right to enforce this with appropriate legislation should states defy the ordinance. The 14th Amendment ensured the Bill of Rights applied to all citizens of the United States, regardless of race, and guaranteed birthright citizenship, due process, and equal protection under the law. It also eliminated the three-fifths rule and punished states that did not permit male citizens over 21 to vote.
The 15th Amendment secured voting rights for Black men, making it illegal to refuse them the right to vote based on race or previous servitude. However, it did not outlaw literacy tests, poll taxes, and other methods that might prevent poor Black people and poor whites from voting. While these Reconstruction Amendments were significant steps towards racial justice and equality, they have also been subject to interpretation and loopholes that have limited their effectiveness.
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The 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, gave women the right to vote
The US Constitution, written in 1787 and ratified in 1788, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. However, it has been amended several times since. The last time the Constitution was amended was in 1920, with the passing of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote.
The 19th Amendment was the culmination of a long and arduous campaign for women's suffrage, which began in the mid-19th century. Over the years, supporters of women's voting rights employed various strategies, including lecturing, writing, lobbying, and civil disobedience. They faced fierce resistance, with opponents heckling, jailing, and physically abusing them. Despite the challenges, women's suffrage supporters persevered, and their efforts eventually paid off.
The 19th Amendment was first introduced to Congress in 1878, but it was not until 42 years later, in 1920, that it was finally certified. The amendment officially granted women the right to vote and declared that they, like men, deserved all the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This was a significant milestone in the history of women's rights and changed the face of the American electorate forever.
The road to achieving the 19th Amendment was not without its challenges. While the amendment guaranteed protection against discrimination for all women, in practice, it only granted voting rights to white women. Women from racial and ethnic minority groups, including Black, Indigenous, Asian American, and Latina women, continued to face discrimination and voter suppression long after the passage of the amendment. It took decades of additional struggle to ensure that all women could fully exercise their right to vote.
The passage of the 19th Amendment was a crucial step towards gender equality in the United States, and it continues to be celebrated as a significant milestone in the country's history.
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The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits presidential tenure
The US Constitution, written in 1787, is the world's longest-surviving written constitution. It was ratified by nine of the original 13 states in 1788. Since the Bill of Rights was adopted in 1791, Congress has passed 23 additional amendments to the Constitution, 17 of which have been ratified by the states. The last time the Constitution was amended was in 1951, when the 22nd Amendment was ratified.
The 22nd Amendment limits presidential tenure to two terms. It states that "no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice". Additionally, it specifies that anyone who has served as President for more than two years of a term to which another person was elected President can only be elected once. This means that a person who served as President for more than two years of someone else's term can only serve one more term in total.
The 22nd Amendment was ratified by three-fourths of the states, as required by Article Five of the US Constitution. The process of amending the Constitution involves two steps: proposing and ratifying an amendment. 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 on the application of two-thirds of the states. Once an amendment is proposed, it is submitted to the states for ratification. In the case of the 22nd Amendment, the amendment was submitted to the states for ratification on March 21, and the ratification process was completed on February 27, 1951, almost four years later.
The 22nd Amendment has been the subject of some controversy. Several presidents, including Harry S. Truman, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton, have expressed their opposition to the amendment. Truman described it as "stupid", while Reagan believed it infringed on people's democratic rights. Clinton suggested that the amendment should be altered to allow for non-consecutive terms. Despite these objections, the 22nd Amendment remains in place and continues to shape the US political landscape.
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Frequently asked questions
The last time the US Constitution was edited was in 1951, with the addition of the 22nd Amendment, which limited the President to two terms.
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was drafted in 1787.
The 22nd Amendment took almost four years to be ratified.
The first ten amendments were adopted and ratified at the same time and are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.
