The constitutional amendment process exists to fix problems with the structure of the federal government or to address problems in society that either cannot be addressed with a simple law or that people want to address in as strong a way as possible.

Problems with Federal Government: Bill of Rights

The first set of constitutional amendments, the Bill of Rights, was a massive response to perceived problems with the structure of the federal government. In 1787, people were concerned that the new Constitution had given the government too much power without adequately protecting the rights of the people. Therefore, Madison wrote a bill of rights, which was ratified in 1791, to ensure that the natural rights of the people would not be taken away.

Problems in Society: Civil War Amendments

The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments, also known as the Civil War amendments or Reconstruction amendments, are good examples of amendments written in response to problems in society at large and the desire to address them as strongly as possible. After all the blood spilled in the Civil War, fought largely over slavery, the victorious North wanted to make sure that slavery was gone forever and that the newly freed slaves received equal rights as citizens of the United States.

These amendments are a tour de force (exceptional achievement) of equal rights. One of the greatest tragedies in U.S. history is that these were not properly enforced by the federal government until the middle of the 20th century. Click on the pictures below to learn more.

Activity

Download a copy of the amendments to the Constitution after the Bill of Rights. You will encounter a series of problems that were fixed by amendment to the Constitution. For each card, you will need to select whether it's a problem of the structure of the federal government or a general problem in society. Then, you will need to choose the amendment that addressed it.

That Problem, Again?

Missing from the above activity was any mention of the problem that more amendments address than any other — voting rights. That subject is addressed in the next section.