AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION

Chapter 3Section 2

Methods of Amending the Constitution

Amendments: Changes made to the Constitution are called amendments. All amendments must be proposed and ratified through a formal process.

Steps for Amending :Step 1- Amending the U.S. Constitution are found

in Article V. Step 2- Amending the Constitution should be more

difficult than passing a ordinary law. By making it difficult to pass a constitutional amendment, the founding fathers ensured that the amendments wouldn’t be trendy and only for the moment.

Step 3: Proposing Amendment—1A: Proposed by Congress. Two thirds of

both the House and Senate must approve an amendment before being sent to the states for ratification.

2B: An amendment may be proposed by a national convention called by Congress at the request of least two thirds of the state legislatures

Step 4: Ratifying Amendments1A: Legislatures in at least three fourths (38) of the

states must approve an amendment before it becomes part of the Constitution.

2B: The second method ratifying an amendment requires the approval of special conventions in at least three fourths of the states.

Repealed: reversed be legislative act. This happened with the 21st amendment. Remember the 18th amendment outlawed the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. Repeal of the 18th amendment it was no longer a part of the Constitution.

The 27 Amendments

Protecting Individuals Freedoms:Bill of Rights: The first 10 amendments designed

as a protection for individual freedoms. Adopted two years after the Constitution went into effect.

Expanding Voting and Other Rights: Beyond the Bill of Rights other amendments have been adopted in times of great social and political change.

Examples: 13th, 14th, and 15th adopted after the Civil War. Banned slavery in the U.S., gave African Americans as U.S. citizens, and gave voting rights to African American males.

1900s era of social change: four amendments were passed. 17th and 19th the 17th provided for the popular election of senators and the 19th granting women the right to vote.

Extending Government Powers

Two other amendments were passed in the early 1900s, expanded the reach of the government. 16th which authorized a national income tax. This tax increased the amount of money the government could collect to pay for its programs and to pay other national expenses. 18th made Prohibition the law of the land.

Ratification Deadlines

The last amendment to the Constitution, the 27th amendment was ratified by the states in 1992. This amendment was originally proposed in 1789, which says that no vote to increase congress members’ salaries may take effect until after the next regularly scheduled congressional election. In 1789 Congress had not set a deadline for ratification. Usually seven years is the deadline for ratification.