List of amendments to the United States Constitution
This is a complete full list of all ratified and unratified amendments to the United States Constitution which have received the approval of the Congress. The procedure for amending the Constitution is governed by Article V of the original text. There have been proposals for amendments to the United States Constitution for amendments introduced in Congress, but not submitted to the colonies. The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. Before an amendment can take effect, it must be proposed to the states by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress, and ratified by three-quarters of the states. Six amendments proposed by Congress have failed to be ratified by the appropriate number of states’ legislatures. Four of these amendments are still technically pending before state lawmakers—the other two have expired by their own terms.
