1. Can we change the law of our land?
YES! The framers of the Constitution created a way to CHANGE the Constitution through the amendment process.
For example, in 1920, many Americans believed that alcohol should be illegal—it caused too many problems in society. When enough people agreed to this idea, we amended the Constitution with the 18th amendment, which banned (ended) the sale of alcohol in the U.S.
Did this amendment last very long? No! It was repealed with the 21st amendment to the Constitution.

2. THE PURPOSE:
The Founding Fathers knew that their plan of government wasn’t perfect and that a changing society in the future would require changes to the government.
For this reason, the framers of the Constitution made it a “living document”—this allowed for the adaptation (addition) of laws to the Constitution to reflect changes in society.
These additions and changes are what we call the Amendments to the Constitution.

3. THE PURPOSE:
The Amendment process allows lawmakers to change or add new laws to the Constitution.
With this power to change our plan of government, our lawmakers can ensure that the laws of today reflect the society of today.
Though the Founding Fathers died long ago, their plan of government continues to evolve as our American society grows and changes!

4. CHECK your UNDERSTANDING!
Thomas Jefferson said that the Constitution “belongs to the living and not to the dead.” What does he mean by this? Why do you think he wanted to include a way to amend the Constitution?

5. The Process of Amending the Constitution:
There are two methods that the government can take to amend the Constitution.

6. METHOD ONE:
STEP ONE: A new amendment is proposed by two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate in our national Congress.
STEP TWO: The new amendment is voted on by the states. If three-fourths of the states ratify (agree to) this new amendment, it becomes part of our Constitution.

7. METHOD TWO:
STEP ONE: Two-thirds of the states call for a new amendment to be added to the Constitution. Each state gathers at a convention (meeting) to discuss the new amendment.
STEP TWO: If three-fourths of the state conventions agree to the new amendment, the amendment becomes part of the Constitution.