Amending the Constitution

Since its ratification over 200 years ago, the U.S. Constitution has only been amended 27 times--and the first 10 (Bill of Rights) were included with the original document. Amending the Constitution defines amendments, discusses why the nation's founders thought they would be necessary, and details the process for creating them. Several are discussed, such as the post-Civil War amendments ending slavery and extending voting rights to black men (women of all races had to wait another 55 years and four more amendments to win the right to vote). Amendments from the last half of the 20th century are also highlighted, including the 25th (addressing presidential succession, created after the Kennedy assassination), 26th (lowering the voting age to 18--a direct reaction to the draft age for Vietnam) and 27th (Congressional pay raises). The 27th is the quirkiest of the lot: originally proposed in 1789 and ratified by some states but not the three-quarters needed to pass, the amendment resurfaced in 1982 when a student discovered that the original did not have an expiration date and began a campaign to ratify it in the remaining states--and the amendment was finally added in 1992, over 200 years after it had first been introduced. An informative introduction, backed by a good teacher's guide, this is highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Reagan)