Fiveable
Fiveable

Constitutional Amendment

Definition

A constitutional amendment refers to a formal change or addition made to the United States Constitution. It is a legal process that alters the fundamental laws of the country, ensuring that it remains relevant and adaptable over time.

Analogy

Think of a constitutional amendment as an update to your favorite app on your phone. Just like how developers release updates to improve and enhance the app's functionality, a constitutional amendment updates and improves the functionality of the Constitution.

Related terms

Ratification: The process by which an amendment is formally approved and added to the Constitution.

Bill of Rights: The first ten amendments added to the Constitution, protecting individual rights and freedoms.

Article V: The section of the Constitution that outlines the procedures for proposing and ratifying amendments.

collegeable - rocket pep

Are you a college student?

  • Study guides for the entire semester

  • 200k practice questions

  • Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab



© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.


© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.

AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.