Changing the Constitution

The act of changing the text or interpretation of the U.S constitution is called an amendment. There are two types of amendments to the constitution. A formal amendment, and an informal one. The very basic difference between the two is the process in which they are proposed and ratified.

A formal amendment is where something is added to the end of the constitution. It could be something that changes a statement already in the constitution, or it could introduce an entire new concept. Every time a formal amendment is introduced it must first go through two steps. It must be proposed on a national level, and then ratified at the state level. There are four different ways to go through these levels. The first two are where the congress proposes and either the state legislature, or the state convention ratifies. The second two are where the national convention proposes, and either the state legislature or convention ratifies.

An informal amendment doesn’t actually change any of the wording or add anything to the constitution. There are five ways an informal amendment can be made to the constitution. The first is a judicial interpretation. The supreme court has a very heavy influence on the constitution because it has the power to decide how it is interpreted. The second way is by legislation. When the congress passes a law they are interpreting the constitution and making a law to uphold it. The third way is executive changes. This is where the president makes an interpretation on what the constitution says. The fourth is, customs. There are certain customs in place that all presidents do that aren’t outlined in the constitution. For example, the president choosing a cabinet. And the fifth being party practices. The constitution doesn’t mention anything about republicans and democrats but it plays a huge role in the way the government is run today.

These practices of changing the constitution are quite necessary. The world, and this nation have changed so much over the years that if there was no ability to make amendments to the constitution it probably wouldn’t exist anymore. While the constitution has a lot of power to hold people back from having to much power, and treating others unjustly. It also has the flexibility to change or add things to make it more relevant to the world we live in today.