The Constitution of the United States has been amended 27 times, beginning with the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments, ratified on December 15, 1791. The process for making amendments is quite onerous to prevent arbitrary changes. An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The following is a summary of the amendments to the Constitution of the United States:
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Amendments 1-10: Known as the "Bill of Rights," these amendments were ratified on December 15, 1791. They include the right to freedom of speech, religion, and the press, the right to bear arms, and the right to a fair trial.
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Amendments 11-27: These amendments were ratified after the Bill of Rights. They include the abolition of slavery, the right to vote regardless of race or gender, and the establishment of presidential term limits.
The Constitution specifies that "the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people". The Constitution can be amended by a process that involves proposing an amendment by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress or by a convention called for that purpose, and then ratifying the amendment by three-fourths of the State legislatures or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification.
