The Constitution

In this topic you learned about the U.S. Constitution. The Preamble serves as the introduction of the entire document, clearly stating its intended goals. The Articles explain the specifics of how the government is organized. The Amendments are modifications made over time, to serve the continually changing needs of a society.

The process for proposing and ratifying amendments is stated in Article V. There are two ways Amendments may be proposed:

1. Congress can propose an amendment to the Constitution if two-thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives vote in favor.
2. A constitutional convention is called by two-thirds of the state legislatures.

There are two ways an amendment may be ratified after its proposal:

1. Three-fourths of the state legislatures approve the amendment.
2. Citizens of each state elect representatives to conventions. If conventions in at least three-fourths of the states approve the amendment, the amendment will be ratified.

You also covered six of the core principles of the U.S. Constitution, which are the consent of the governed, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and rule of law.