Amendments History

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) of 1972 National Archives Museum

• https://archivesfoundation.org/documents/equal-rights-amendment-era-of-1972 Feb 13, 2025 "The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) passed Congress in 1972 and was quickly ratified by 35 of the 38 states needed for it to become part of the Constitution. As the seven-year time limit for ratification approached in 1979, Congress and President Jimmy Carter controversially extended the deadline three years. However, no additional states ratified." National Archives Foundation

Watch these videos and review all of these resources to better understand the process of how an amendment is proposed, passed, and ratified according to the Constitution of the United States of America. Each student in this class will propose an amendment on the Propose an Amendment to the Constitution Senator Slide and then collaborate as a Committee in the class (if possible) using the Propose an Amendment to the Constitution Slides.

"The Constitution is based on the principle of popular sovereignty. As the text says, “Exercising the right to vote is probably the most important responsibility of a citizen,” but U.S. citizens do not get to vote directly on either laws or Constitutional amendments; these are both done through their elected representatives at the local, state, and national levels. Despite this, citizen engagement can and does have an impact on the lawmaking and Constitutional amendment process. Have students find out about a proposed Constitutional amendment, or devise their own proposal for a new amendment, and instruct them to devise a plan for citizens to take action to get that amendment passed by Congress and the states" (McGraw-Hill IJ 6 - Citizenship Taking Action - The Constitution p 172)