Formal Amendment
Chapter 3
Section 2
Formal Amendment Process
• Amendment  a change in the words or meaning of a law or
document.
• Article V sets out two methods for proposal and two methods for
ratification of amendments.
• So, there are four possible methods of formal amendment:
1. An amendment may be proposed by a 2/3 vote in each house of
Congress and ratified by ¾ of the State legislatures.
• 26 of 27 amendments adopted this way.
2. An amendment may be proposed by Congress and ratified by
conventions (a meeting to deal w/ matters of common concern) in
¾ of the States.
• Only 21st amendment was adopted this way.
3. An amendment may be proposed by national convention, called by
Congress at the request of 2/3 of the State legislatures; it must be
ratified by ¾ state legislatures.
4. An amendment may be proposed by a national convention and
then ratified by conventions in ¾ of the States.
• The four different ways by which amendments may be added
to the Constitution are shown here:
Article V = Federalism
• The Formal Amendment process emphasizes Federalism.
• Proposal takes place at the national level and ratification is a
State-by-State matter.
The 27 Amendments
• The Bill of Rights
• The first 10 amendments
• Proposed in 1789 and Ratified in 1791
• Guarantees of freedom of belief and expression, freedom and
security of the person, and of fair and equal treatment before the
law.
• The Later Amendments
• Grew out of different sets of circumstances.
• Last one Ratified in 1992