Amending America

Written by: Christine Blackerby & Jennifer N. Johnson


This is the exhibition catalog for the National Archives exhibit “Amending America.” Discover the remarkably American story of how we amended, or attempted to amend, our Constitution in order to form a more perfect union.

 

More than 11,000 constitutional amendments that have been proposed in Congress since the Constitution was written in 1787. What most of these proposals have in common, though, is that they failed to be enacted. Only 27 proposed amendments have been ratified to become part of the Constitution. So, what succeeded and what failed? Explore the National Archives’ exhibit “Amending America” to discover the remarkably American story of how we amended, or attempted to amend, our Constitution in order to form a more perfect union. Includes amendments about flag burning, school prayer, dueling, drunkenness, voting rights, equality, and electing the President by lot.