What Do We Call a Change to the Constitution?

A change to the Constitution is called an amendments, which is just a fancy word for changes. Some  questions that come to mind are, “How do we make these changes?” and, “Why does the Constitution need to be changed?” Read on for answers to these questions and more.

The official word for a legal change in the Constitution is “Amendment.” When the Constitution was written in 1787, a section was included on how to make changes should they be necessary, and while none of the amendments that have been made have altered the original seven articles of the Constitution dramatically, they have served to clarify the rights, powers and limitations of the people, the states and the federal government.

Ratification of Amendments

According to Article Five of the U.S. Constitution, there are two ways in which an amendment may be proposed, and there are two ways it can be ratified. The proposal method does not have to correlate with a specific ratification method. That is, either proposal method may be used, and either ratification method may be used for each amendment.

In both proposal procedures, two-thirds of the states must agree that an amendment is necessary. That means that either two-thirds of both houses of Congress can propose an amendment, or that if two-thirds of state legislatures agree that an amendment is necessary, Congress will call a convention to propose it. After an amendment has been proposed, Congress decides how it will be ratified.

There are two choices for ratification. Either three-fourths of state legislatures will ratify the proposed amendment, or state conventions in three-fourths of the states will ratify it.

The president has no direct role in either proposing or ratifying Constitutional amendments. He does not have to approve an amendment, he cannot propose an amendment, and he cannot veto an amendment that has been ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Why the Constitution Needs Changing

Although the Constitution of the United States was written as a blueprint for how our country should run, it did not originally include specific liberties or limitations for the people. It laid out rules and procedures for the three branches of the federal government, but as the country has grown geographically, demographically, politically, socially and in population, we have periodically realized a need for new clarification.

For example, slavery was abolished in the United States in 1865 by the 13th Amendment, and until then, not only were slaves not considered citizens, they were barely considered people. In all of the censuses up to that point, a slave was only counted as three-fifths of a person. However, as a result of the abolition of slavery, a few other amendments became necessary to ensure that the former slaves and their descendants would be guaranteed the same rights as other citizens. Therefore, the 14th and 15th Amendments were ratified to define citizenship and give former slaves and people of color the right to vote.

Similarly, as women gained greater recognition and power in society, the federal government decided that they should be given an equal voice alongside men in government affairs. So in 1920, women were granted full suffrage.

History Time Capsule

The U.S. Constitution stands as a sort of time capsule for American history with each amendment, an additional snapshot from a particular time period, placed inside. As we look back through the amendments, we can see America forming, growing, becoming what it is today.