Amending the Constitution:
Why Change?
School of Rock
The Times They Are A-Changin’
by Bob Dylan (1964)
Come gather ‘round
people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the
waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to
the bone
If your time to you is
worth savin’
Then you better start
swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a
stone
For the times they are
a-changin’
Verse 2
Come writers & critics
Who prophesize with
your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won’t come
again
And don’t speak too soon
For the wheel’s still in
spin
And there’s no
tellin’ who that
it’s namin’
For the loser now
Will be later to
win
For the times
they are achangin’
Verse 3
Come senators,
congressmen
Please heed the call
Don’t stand in the doorway
Don’t block up the hall
For he that gets hurt
Will be he who has stalled
There’s a battle outside
And it is ragin’
It’ll soon shake your
windows
And rattle your
walls
For the times they
are a-changin’
Verse 4
Come mothers & fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your
daughters
Are beyond your
command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin’
Please get out of
the new one
If you can’t lend a
hand
For the times
They are a-changin’
Verse 5
The line it is drawn
The curse it is cast
The slow one now
Will later be fast
As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin’
And the first one
now
Will later be last
For the times
They are a-changin’
Questions for Discussion
1.
2.
3.
4.
What do you think the song is about, i.e.
“what’s going on?”
In each verse, Dylan is challenging a
certain group to change. Analyze each
verse of the song and identify who or what
needs to change.
What do you think is the overall message
of the song?
What forces might make it necessary to
change the Constitution?
The Constitution and the
Amendment Process
Methods of Proposal
Methods of Proposal
Method 1
By 2/3 vote in
both the House
and the Senate
[most common method
of proposing an
amendment]
Methods of Proposal
Method 1
By 2/3 vote in
both the House
and the Senate
[most common method
of proposing an
amendment]
Method 2
Or
By national
constitutional
convention called by
Congress at the
request of 2/3 of the
state legislatures
[This method has never
been used]
Methods of Ratification
Methods of Ratification
Method 1
By legislatures in
¾ of the states
[in all but one case, this
is how amendments have
been ratified]
Methods of Ratification
Method 1
By legislatures in
¾ of the states
[in all but one case, this
is how amendments have
been ratified]
Method 2
Or
Ratified through
conventions in ¾ of
the states.
[Only been used once to
ratify the 21st Amendment]
Amendment Process
Methods of Proposal
Method 1
By 2/3 vote in both
the House and the
Senate
Or
Method 2
By national constitutional
convention called by
Congress at the request of
2/3 of the state legislatures
Methods of Ratification
Method 1
By legislatures in ¾ of
the states
Or
Method 2
Ratified through
conventions in ¾ of the
states.
The Equal Rights Amendment
Proposed 1972
Equality of rights under the
law shall not be denied or
abridged by the United
States or by any state on
account of sex.
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA):
Questions for Discussion
1.
2.
3.
4.
What rights are
protected by the ERA?
Why do you think the
ERA has evoked such
heated debate?
Brainstorm pros and
cons of each side.
Do you think the ERA
should be ratified?
Suggested Amendment Topics


Flag burning
Allow non-natural
born citizens to
become President
 Official language(s)
of U.S.
 Definition of
marriage
 Prayer in school





Balanced budget
Electoral College
Terms limits on
U.S. Senators &
Representatives
Access to medical
care for all citizens
Death penalty
Political Cartoon #1
Title: Flag Burning Amendment
Gary Markstein, Wisconsin, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel , July 18, 2005 ,
http://www.politicalcartoons.com
Political Cartoon #2
Title: Flag Burning
Steve Breen, The San Diego Union-Tribune, July 25, 2005
http://www.politicalcartoons.com
Political Cartoon #3
Title: Gay Marriage Amendment
Mike Lane, Cagle Cartoons. Feb. 26, 2004
http://www.politicalcartoons.com