United States Constitution Amendments
The United States Constitution has 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. They were ratified in 1791 to guarantee essential rights and civil liberties, like freedom of speech, press, and religion.
Amendment Process
The Constitution describes a two-step process for making amendments. First, a proposed amendment must pass both houses of Congress by a two-thirds majority. Then, three-fourths of state legislatures or ratifying conventions must approve the amendment for it to become part of the Constitution.
Amendment Evolution
Over 11,000 amendments have been proposed since 1789, but only 27 have succeeded. The 27th Amendment took the longest to be ratified, finally becoming part of the Constitution in 1992 after being introduced in 1789. This amendment regulates congressional pay raises, requiring an intervening election before a pay raise takes effect for Congress.
The equal rights amendment came close to ratification in 1972 but ultimately failed, falling just short of the three-fourths threshold with only 35 states approving before the ratification deadline.
While the formal amendment process is challenging, it allows the Constitution to evolve over time. The 27 amendments demonstrate how the Constitution adapts to protect essential rights and address changing national circumstances.