Omar Bennett
The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, has been amended 27 times, including the first 10 amendments, which were ratified in 1791 and are known as the Bill of Rights. The process of amending the Constitution is challenging and time-consuming, requiring a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of state legislatures. Despite numerous proposals, only 27 amendments have been ratified, with six proposed amendments failing to gain approval from the required number of states. The amendments are designed to limit government power and protect individual liberties, such as freedom of speech and the right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of amendments to the US Constitution | 27 |
| Number of amendments proposed | 33 |
| Number of amendments proposed but not ratified | 6 |
| Number of amendments pending | 4 |
| Number of bills introduced to amend the constitution | Hundreds of thousands |
| Number of proposals to amend the constitution | 11,848 |
| Average number of proposals per two-year term of Congress | 200 |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since 1787
- The first 10 amendments were adopted in 1791 and are known as the Bill of Rights
- Amendments must be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate
- Amendments require ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures or conventions
- The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are the Reconstruction Amendments
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since 1787
The US Constitution, which was written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1787, has been amended 27 times since its inception. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified on December 15, 1791. These amendments were designed to limit government power and protect individual liberties. For instance, the First Amendment prevents Congress from making laws that establish a religion or restrict free speech. The Fourth Amendment protects citizens from unreasonable government intrusion into their homes, requiring warrants for searches. The Ninth Amendment ensures that the rights not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution are still retained by the people.
The process of amending the Constitution is challenging and time-consuming. A proposed amendment must gain a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or it can be proposed by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of state legislatures. Following this, the amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 out of 50) to become part of the Constitution.
The amendments to the Constitution have addressed various issues and evolved with the times. For example, the 13th Amendment, ratified after Abraham Lincoln's assassination, abolished slavery. The 20th Amendment shortened the "lame-duck" period between the election of a new Congress and its first meeting, and moved up the presidential inauguration by six weeks. The 21st Amendment repealed Prohibition, leaving alcohol regulation to the states.
More recently, amendments have been adopted to grant women the right to vote, abolish poll taxes, and lower the minimum voting age to 18. There have also been proposals to amend the Constitution to outlaw flag burning, protect crime victims' rights, allow voluntary school prayer, and make English the official language. These proposals highlight the ongoing efforts to adapt and improve the Constitution to meet the needs and values of a changing society.
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The first 10 amendments were adopted in 1791 and are known as the Bill of Rights
The US Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was first drafted in 1787. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were adopted in 1791. James Madison, then a member of the US House of Representatives, made changes to the Constitution's text, but several representatives objected, arguing that Congress did not have the authority to alter the wording. As a result, Madison's changes were presented as a list of amendments that would follow Article VII.
The House approved 17 amendments, of which the Senate approved 12, sending them to the states for approval in August 1789. Ten amendments were ratified, with Virginia's legislature being the final state to approve them on December 15, 1791. These first 10 amendments make up the Bill of Rights, which was designed to limit government power and protect individual liberties.
The First Amendment, for example, protects the right to speak and worship freely, prohibiting Congress from making laws establishing religion or restricting freedom of speech. The Fourth Amendment safeguards citizens' right to privacy and protection from unreasonable government intrusion into their homes without a warrant. The Fifth Amendment guarantees due process rights, including the right against self-incrimination and protection from double jeopardy.
The Eighth Amendment builds on the Fifth and Sixth Amendments by addressing potential abuses by the criminal justice system, banning excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment. The Ninth Amendment clarifies that the listing of certain rights in the Constitution does not deny or disparage other rights retained by the people. The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution to the states or the people.
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Amendments must be proposed by Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate
The process of amending the US Constitution is a challenging and time-consuming endeavour. Since the Constitution was ratified in 1789, hundreds of thousands of bills have been introduced to amend it, but only 27 amendments have been ratified. The US Constitution has been amended only 27 times since it was drafted in 1787, with the first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, being adopted four years later.
The role of Congress is crucial in proposing amendments. To date, 33 amendments have been proposed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Of these, 27 have been ratified by the required number of states and are now part of the Constitution. Six amendments adopted by Congress have not been ratified, with four still pending, one closed and failed by its terms, and another closed and failed by the resolution's terms.
The amendment process is deliberately challenging, ensuring that any changes to the Constitution are carefully considered and have a significant impact on the nation and its citizens. The high bar set for ratification helps to maintain the stability and integrity of the Constitution, preventing hasty or politically motivated changes.
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Amendments require ratification by three-fourths of state legislatures or conventions
The process of amending the US Constitution is a challenging and time-consuming endeavour. Since the Constitution was ratified in 1789, hundreds of thousands of bills have been introduced to modify it. However, only 27 amendments have been ratified, out of 33 passed by Congress and sent to the states.
For an amendment to be ratified, it must be approved by three-fourths of the state legislatures or conventions, which equates to 38 out of 50 states. This requirement ensures that any changes to the Constitution are widely supported and reflect the interests of a significant majority of states.
The two methods for proposing amendments are through Congress or a constitutional convention. When proposed by Congress, an amendment must be passed by a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Alternatively, a constitutional convention can be called if two-thirds of state legislatures request it.
The Twenty-first Amendment, which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment and ended Prohibition, is the only amendment to be ratified through a convention of three-fourths of the states. The other 26 amendments were ratified by state legislatures.
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The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are the Reconstruction Amendments
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are together known as the Reconstruction Amendments. These amendments were written and ratified in the 1860s by the Republican Party, with the Democrats opposing them. They were passed following the US Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and they built upon Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, which had freed enslaved people in the Confederacy.
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 eliminated the three-fifths rule. It also ensured birthright citizenship and due process, as well as "equal protection of the laws" under federal and state governments. 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.
The Reconstruction Amendments provided the constitutional basis for the enforcement of Reconstruction and the passage of federal legislation such as the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1875 and the Enforcement Acts of 1870-71. These Acts aimed to end slavery, ensure full citizenship, civil rights, and voting rights for freed African Americans, and address growing violence and intimidation against them in the South. However, despite their protective intentions, the Reconstruction Amendments were met with resentment, animosity, and rebellion. Southern state legislatures created segregation laws, known as Jim Crow laws, to circumvent the demands of the 14th Amendment, and crafted voting restrictions that targeted Black people, such as poll taxes and literacy tests.
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Frequently asked questions
An amendment must 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. It then needs to be ratified by three-fourths of the states to become part of the Constitution.
The US 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.
Recent amendments to the Constitution include those that gave women the right to vote, abolished poll taxes, and lowered the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
The amendment process is challenging and time-consuming. Richard C. Leone, president of the Twentieth Century Fund, has argued that some proposed amendments may be unnecessary overreactions to dissatisfaction with the government.
![Protest against the Robbery of the Colored Race by the Proposed Amendment of the Constitution. By Rev. George B. Cheever 1866 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/617DLHXyzlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
