THE CONSTITUTION
FORMAL AMENDMENT

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The US has the oldest living written constitution in the world;
Written in 1787 and became effective in 1789;
The US Constitution today is, and is not, the same document of 1787.

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Amendment – written changes
Article V – two methods for proposal and two methods for ratification of amendments;
Four possible methods of formal amendments that become written changes added to our Constitution;

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1. proposed by a 2/3 vote in each house of
Congress and ratified by ¾ of the State legislatures (38 States must approve); 26 of our 27 amendments were adopted this way;
2. proposed by Congress and ratified by conventions called for that purpose; ¾ of
States; *21 st Amendment – 1933 – reflected public opinion

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3. proposed by a national convention, called by Congress at the request of 2/3 State legislators (34); then, ratified by ¾ State legislators; method not used to date;
4. proposed by national convention and ratified by conventions in ¾ of the States;

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Article V – “no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the
Senate”;
Nearly 15,000 joint resolutions calling for amendments to the Constitution have been proposed in Congress since 1789;
 33 have been sent to the States;
 27 have been ratified;

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The Bill of Rights – first 10 Amendments added to the Constitution due to ratification controversy;
Many felt (IE Thomas Jefferson) that they could only support the Constitution if people’s basics rights were included;
Constitutional guarantees of freedoms and rights;

 Later amendments were added due to particular circumstances throughout our history;

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11 th (1795) – no State may be sued in federal courts by a citizen of another State or citizen of a foreign state;
12 th (1804) – changes in electoral college procedure; based on bitter election of 1800;
13 th (1865) – abolished slavery in the US as a result of the Civil War;

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18 th (1919) – nationwide prohibition of alcohol; in
1933, repealed by the 21 st Amendment;
22 nd (1951) – terms limits for president; after
Republicans gained control of Congress; FDR had won the Presidency 4 times;
26 th (1971) – lowered voting age to 18 in all elections in the US;
27 th (1992) – forbids members of Congress from raising their own pay during that term; *proposed in
1789 and ratified 203 years later!