preview

The Constitution Of The United States Essay

Better Essays

In May of 1787, fifty-six delegates from the newly founded thirteen states of the United States of America met in Pennsylvania to amend the ineffective Articles of Confederation. In doing so, they drafted a Constitution that would serve as the law of land for that thirteen states and any others that would join the Union. The Framers designed the Constitution for the purpose that it could be amended in the future. This is because they would not be able to foresee all the circumstances that the state would face in the future, therefore they wanted it to be able to be easily amended in the future. Today, lawmakers in Washington D.C. are trying to utilize this structure to pass what would be known as a State Repeal Federal Laws amendment.
The power to amend the Constitution comes from Article V of the Constitution of the United States of America. An amendment can be proposed through joint resolution by Congress with two- thirds approval in both houses, the House of Representatives and the Senate (Constitutional Amendment Process, Cox, Zernike). A joint resolution is a measure approved by both houses of Congress and is signed by the President (Constitutional Amendment Process). However, the President does not have any power in amending the Constitution, so the states’ Governors receive information regarding the amendment and present it to the state legislature for approval (Constitutional Amendment Process). Another way that an amendment can be proposed is through a

Get Access