Article 5: Amending the Constitution Explained

Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution explains how the Constitution can be changed. These changes are called amendments.

Who Is Involved in Article 5?

Article 5 explains who can propose and approve changes to the U.S. Constitution.

1. Congress

Congress may propose constitutional amendments.

2. State Legislatures

State legislatures may request a Constitutional Convention and may approve proposed constitutional amendments.

3. State Ratifying Conventions

State ratifying conventions are meetings held to vote on whether a proposed constitutional amendment should become part of the Constitution.

What Does Article 5 Do?

Article 5 establishes the process for changing the Constitution.

1. Who can introduce a proposed amendment.
2. How an amendment is approved.
3. How states approve an amendment before it becomes part of the Constitution.
4. Parts of the Constitution that cannot be changed without a state's agreement.

Article 1: Congress Explained

Learn how Congress works, the powers of the House and Senate, and how laws are made in this simple guide to Article 1.

Make It Make Sense ReportsMIMS Reports

How Does Article 5 Work?

Congress may propose a constitutional amendment when:

1. Two-thirds of the House of Representatives approve it
2. Two-thirds of the Senate approve it

Congress may also call a Constitutional Convention if two-thirds of the state legislatures request one.

State Legislatures may:

1. Ask Congress to call a Constitutional Convention
2. Approve proposed constitutional amendments

38 of the 50 states must approve an amendment for it to become part of the Constitution.

State Ratifying Conventions

A state ratifying convention is a meeting held to vote on whether to approve a proposed constitutional amendment.

Congress may choose to have a proposed amendment approved by state ratifying conventions instead of state legislatures.

Where Does Article 5 Apply?

Article 5 applies throughout the United States.

1. Congress
2. State legislatures
3. State conventions
4. The U.S. Constitution

Why Was Article 5 Established?

The Founding Fathers wanted the Constitution to be strong enough to provide stability while allowing future generations to make changes when needed.

Article 5 created a process that allows the Constitution to change without making those changes too easy.

When Was Article 5 Approved?

Article 5 was written during the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

It became part of the U.S. Constitution on June 21, 1788, when 9 of the 13 states approved the Constitution. Since then, more than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress, but only 27 have been approved and become part of the Constitution.

.