Question

amendments to u.s. constitution what is the process? adding the bill of rights to the u.s. constitution in 1789 was the first time the u.s. constitution was amended. after this change, over the next 200 years, there would be only 17 more changes to the constitution. currently, there are a total of 27 amendments. this doesn’t mean they have not tried to change the constitution often. in fact, there have been over 11,000 amendments introduced in congress. however, very few amendments are ever approved. to protect the constitution, the writers of this document made it very difficult to change the constitution, but not impossible. they understood that things change over time; thus, they wanted the constitution to be able to change as well. however, they only wanted the constitution to be changed if enough people agreed that a change was needed. to do this, they wrote clear directions or rules in the constitution on how to add an amendment to the constitution. another protection to the constitution is the u.s. supreme court. the job of the supreme court is to interpret and clarify the meaning of the constitution or the amendments. this is to help prevent the government and others from violating our liberties and rights. so, what does it take to add an amendment? a whole lot of discussion and effort. first, two - thirds of both the senate and house of representatives must approve an amendment. next, an amendment is sent to all fifty states. each state will spend time debating the amendment and then vote on it. three - quarters of the states must agree to approve the amendment before it can be added to the constitution. the entire process can take years and is difficult to accomplish. answer each question with a complete sentence on a separate piece of paper. 1. how many amendments does the u.s. constitution have? 2. how many amendments have been introduced in congress? 3. why did the writers of the constitution make it difficult to change? 4. where are the directions for changing the constitution located? 5. what is another protection to the constitution? 6. what is the job of the u.s. supreme court? 7. what branch of government must first approve an amendment? 8. how many states must agree to approve an amendment?

Explanation:

1. The text states there are 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
2. It mentions over 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress.
3. The writers made it difficult to change to protect the Constitution and ensure changes were only made when enough people agreed they were needed.
4. The directions for changing are written in the Constitution.
5. Another protection is the U.S. Supreme Court.
6. The job of the Supreme Court is to interpret and clarify the meaning of the Constitution or Amendments.
7. Two - thirds of both the Senate and House of Representatives (legislative branch) must first approve an amendment.
8. Three - quarters of the 50 states, so 38 states, must agree to approve an amendment.

Answer:

1. The U.S. Constitution has 27 amendments.
2. Over 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress.
3. The writers of the Constitution made it difficult to change to protect the Constitution and ensure changes were made only when enough people agreed they were needed.
4. The directions for changing the Constitution are located in the Constitution.
5. Another protection to the Constitution is the U.S. Supreme Court.
6. The job of the U.S. Supreme Court is to interpret and clarify the meaning of the Constitution or the Amendments.
7. The legislative branch (two - thirds of both the Senate and House of Representatives) must first approve an amendment.
8. 38 states must agree to approve an amendment.