This document outlines the four ways that the US Constitution can be formally amended. It states that an amendment can be proposed by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress and then ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures. Alternatively, Congress can propose an amendment which is then ratified by state conventions in three-fourths of the states. It notes that no amendments have been adopted through a national convention called for by two-thirds of state legislatures. Finally, it provides statistics on how few proposed amendments actually get ratified.

1. U.S. Government
Chapter 3 – Section 2

2.  Amendment
 Formal Amendment
 Bill of Rights

3.  Section Objectives:
 Identify the four different ways by which the
Constitution may be formally changed (amended).
 Explain how the formal amendment process illustrates
the principles of federalism and popular sovereignty.
 4.6 – Understand the concept of federalism
 5.4 – Understand the U.S. Constitution as a living
document in both principle and practice

4.  Amendment is proposed by 2/3 vote in each
house of Congress
 Ratified by ¾ of state legislatures (38 states)
 26 Amendments have been adopted this way

5.  Amendment is proposed by 2/3 vote in each
house of Congress
 States call conventions to ratify an
amendment
 ¾ states needed to ratify
 One amendment adopted this way (21st)

6.  Proposed by a national convention that has
been called for by 2/3 of the state legislatures
 Ratified by ¾ of state legislatures (38 states)
 No amendments have been adopted this way

7.  Proposed by a national convention that has
been called for by 2/3 of the state legislatures
 Ratified by ¾ of state conventions (38 states)
 No amendments have been adopted this way

8.  Amendments are always proposed at the
national level and ratified at the state level
 2/3 votes to propose, ¾ votes to ratify

9.  Nearly 15,000 joint resolutions have called for
amendments to Constitution since 1789
 Only 33 have been sent to the states for ratification
 Of those, only 27 have passed.
 That is 1 out of every 555 resolutions that ends up
going to the states for ratification.
(In other words, a proposed amendment has 1/5 of 1%
chance of success – about the odds of catching a ball
at a major league baseball game)

10.  Each of you will create a poster to illustrate
an amendment.
 Be creative. Use your imagination and artistic
ability.
 This will count as a test grade.