The Constitution: A Living Document

Providing for Change Framers of Constitution knew the plan of govt. they were creating would have to adapt to a growing nation Three ways in which the government and Constitution can be adapted to changes in society: Amendments Interpretation Custom

The Amendment Process Amendment- a written change made to the Constitution Not an easy process- requires approval of ¾ of all the states Can take a long time Amendments can be proposed in two ways Two-thirds vote in both houses Two-thirds of the state legislatures (34 out of 50) can ask Congress to call a convention to propose a new amendment Never been done successfully

The Amendment Process After an amendment is proposed, it must be ratified (approved) by three-fourths (38) of the states Two ways in which an amendment can be ratified: Send the proposed amendment to the state legislatures for approval Send the proposed amendment to state conventions for consideration Once ratified, an amendment becomes part of the Constitution If people don’t like the effects of an amendment, it can be repealed (canceled) by another amendment

Changes in Government When the Constitution is changed, government is changed as well Constitution can be interpreted by government to allow it to do things not explicitly written in the Constitution i.e. set minimum wage laws Supreme Court decides if the govt. interpreted the Constitution correctly/did not violate other rights or amendments Supreme Court’s decision is FINAL Some things govt. does also come about through custom and tradition, not guidelines stated in the Constitution i.e. President meeting with his cabinet member

? What are the three ways in which the Constitution can be changed? What is an amendment? How can amendments be proposed? How can amendments be ratified? If the govt. takes action through interpreting the Constitution, who decides if that interpretation is correct/fair?