The Evolution Of Constitutional Amendments

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There are currently 27 constitutional amendments, but what are they? The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights lists specific restrictions on government power. For example the first amendment states the freedom of speech and religion. This amendment restricts Congress from making laws to stop freedom of religion or freedom of speech. The only way this amendment could be amended is if 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.
So what do constitutional amendments do? These amendments change the Constitution by adding new rules or changing old rules. It is basically a modification of the Constitution. Our founding fathers new that a document couldn’t be perfect. They knew that over the years things would change and this is why they …show more content…
For example in the earlier years women did not have the right to vote. As time progressed more and more people thought that women should be able to vote. The Federal Government can’t just pass a law saying “women can vote now” because the Constitution has already created voting eligibility. Changes had to be made to the Constitution in order for this to happen. After the 19th amendment was ratified in 1920, all women in the U.S. were allowed to vote Other examples are in 1787, only white men over the age of 21 could vote and presidents could serve for as long as he was elected. The 15th amendment, ratified in 1870, said that no citizen's vote could be taken away because of his race or color or because he was once a slave. The 22nd amendment limits a president to two terms in office. George Washington started the presidential tradition of serving for two four-year terms. The 26th amendment was passed in 1971, and it gave people 18 to 20 years old the right to vote. The national voting age had been
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