How to Amend

What children learn in Level 80

• An amendment is a change or addition to the Constitution. Article Five of the Constitution explains how to make one. There are two steps.
• Step one is to propose. That means to put the idea forward. Two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate must vote yes. Two out of every three is a lot of agreement!
• Step two is to ratify. That means to approve officially. Three-fourths of the states must say yes. With 50 states, that's 38.
• Why 38? Three-fourths of 50 is 37 and a half, and you can't have half a state, so it takes 38.
• The president doesn't sign an amendment. There's also a second way to propose one: two-thirds of the states can ask for a national meeting. That way has never been used.
• Thousands of amendments have been suggested. Only 27 have made it. The system works slowly, on purpose.