How was the amendment created?
An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification.
The nation's founders believed that containing the government's power and protecting liberty was their most important task, and declared a new purpose for government: the protection of individual rights.
The Framers, the men who wrote the Constitution, wanted the amendment process to be difficult. They believed that a long and complicated amendment process would help create stability in the United States. Because it is so difficult to amend the Constitution, amendments are usually permanent.
The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures.
The spelling and punctuation reflects the original.
Ten of the proposed 12 amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791.
Adopted in 1791, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects many of the civil rights associated with life as an American, including free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press.
The amendment process is very difficult and time consuming: A proposed amendment must be passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress, then ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states. The ERA Amendment did not pass the necessary majority of state legislatures in the 1980s.
James Madison (1751–1836), the chief author of the Bill of Rights and thus of the First Amendment, was the foremost champion of religious liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press in the Founding Era.
Because any amendment can be blocked by a mere thirteen states withholding approval (in either of their two houses), amendments don't come easy. In fact, only 27 amendments have been ratified since the Constitution became effective, and ten of those ratifications occurred almost immediately--as the Bill of Rights.
Article V of the Constitution provides two ways to propose amendments to the document. Amendments may be proposed either by the Congress, through a joint resolution passed by a two-thirds vote, or by a convention called by Congress in response to applications from two-thirds of the state legislatures.
Which amendment is the most important why?
The First Amendment is widely considered to be the most important part of the Bill of Rights. It protects the fundamental rights of conscience—the freedom to believe and express different ideas—in a variety of ways.
There are three ways in which the Constitution can be amended: Amendment by simple majority of the Parliament. Amendment by special majority of the Parliament. Amendment by special majority of the Parliament and the ratification of at least half of the state legislatures.
The First Amendment is one of the most important amendments for the protection of democracy. Freedom of religion allows people to believe and practice whatever religion they want. Freedom of speech and press allows people to voice their opinions publicly and to publish them without the government stopping them.
During the summer of 1787, a group of politicians, including James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, gathered in Philadelphia to draft a new U.S. Constitution.
It was adopted into the Bill of Rights in 1791. The Supreme Court interprets the extent of the protection afforded to these rights. The First Amendment has been interpreted by the Court as applying to the entire federal government even though it is only expressly applicable to Congress.
The original first (proposed) amendment outlined representation in the House of Representatives—it allowed for one representative for every 50,000 people. The amendment came within one state of becoming adopted, but has not since been ratified by enough states to become part of the Constitution.
On June 8, 1789, James Madison introduced his proposed amendments to the Constitution, which would eventually become known as the Bill of Rights.
James Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution because of his pivotal role in the document's drafting as well as its ratification.
During the course of our history, in addition to the 27 amendments which have been ratified by the required three-fourths of the States, six other amendments have been submitted to the States but have not been ratified by them.
Can Amendments Be Repealed? Any existing constitutional amendment can be repealed but only by the ratification of another amendment. Because repealing amendments must be proposed and ratified by one of the same two methods of regular amendments, they are very rare.
Why are new amendments rare?
By design, amending the Constitution requires a degree of political consensus that seems in short supply these days. And many, if not most, proposed amendments have a distinct partisan tinge to them, making it that much harder to achieve the necessary supermajorities in both chambers of Congress.
First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is only 45 words long, yet it protects our most basic freedoms.
Defending freedom of expression has always been a core part of Amnesty International's work and is vital in holding the powerful to account. Freedom of expression also underpins other human rights such as the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion – and allows them to flourish.
The Founding Fathers wanted to make it difficult for one person, party, or group to get control of the government. To achieve these goals, the Founding Fathers proposed a national government where power was divided between three separate branches of government: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary.
The document was also practically impossible to amend. The Articles required unanimous consent to any amendment, so all 13 states would need to agree on a change. Given the rivalries between the states, that rule made the Articles impossible to adapt after the war ended with Britain in 1783.
They knew that to prevent tyranny in their young country, they would have to craft a Constitution that "checks power with power." What does this concept mean?
To ratify amendments, three-fourths of the state legislatures must approve them, or ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states must approve them.
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as ...
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the only limitation in the Constitution as to what can be the basis of an amendment? | No state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage (vote) in the Senate. |
If we didn't have the First Amendment …
Religious minorities could be persecuted. The government could establish a national religion. Individuals could be punished for expressing unpopular ideas. Protesters could be silenced.
How the First Amendment affects U.S. today?
Understanding your rights is vital
The First Amendment connects us as Americans. It protects our right to express our deepest beliefs in word and action. Yet most Americans can't name the five freedoms it guarantees – religion, speech, press, assembly and petition.
The Third Amendment seems to have no direct constitutional relevance at present; indeed, not only is it the least litigated amendment in the Bill of Rights, but the Supreme Court has never decided a case on the basis of it.
- A two-thirds vote in both houses of the U.S. Congress. Ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
- A two-thirds vote in both houses of U.S. Congress. ...
- A national constitutional convention called by two-thirds of the state legislatures.
- Step 1: Proposal.
- Step 2: Ratify.
- Step 3: Repeal (if necessary)
The Twenty-Seventh Amendment was accepted as a validly ratified constitutional amendment on May 20, 1992, and no court should ever second-guess that decision.
James Madison (1751–1836), the chief author of the Bill of Rights and thus of the First Amendment, was the foremost champion of religious liberty, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press in the Founding Era.
Writing the Bill of Rights
The amendments James Madison proposed were designed to win support in both houses of Congress and the states. He focused on rights-related amendments, ignoring suggestions that would have structurally changed the government.
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. James Madison wrote the amendments, which list specific prohibitions on governmental power, in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties.
Why was the first amendment added to the Constitution immediately? It protects the right to peaceful protest and to petition the government. The amendment was adopted in 1791 along with nine other amendments that make up the Bill of Rights - a written document protecting civil liberties under U.S. law.
If we didn't have the First Amendment …
Religious minorities could be persecuted. The government could establish a national religion. Individuals could be punished for expressing unpopular ideas. Protesters could be silenced.
Who wrote all of the amendments?
James Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution because of his pivotal role in the document's drafting as well as its ratification. Madison also drafted the first 10 amendments -- the Bill of Rights.
Who wrote the Second Amendment? The Second Amendment, ratified in 1791, was proposed by James Madison to allow the creation of civilian forces that can counteract a tyrannical federal government.
In all, 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirm that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair.