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The legal reason is that Article 5 of the Constitution requires amendments to be ratified by 3/4 of the states either through their legislatures of ratifying conventions as Congress may direct. The Constitution itself when it was created had to be accepted by 3/4 of the states in order to become effective. This was to ensure that the new union would consist of a large number of states to be stable enough to survive as a union of states. Anything less would leave too many states unwilling to support the union if the federal government did something contrary to some state's interests. An amendment to the Constitution is the same as re-writing the contitution, therefore it was felt that the same type of super-majority should be required. Without this requirement, it is theoretically possible to change an agreement that had to be ratified by at least 3/4 by some smaller majority.

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Q: How come only three fourths of the states approve amendments to the constitution?
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Related questions

Who must Amendments to the Constitution be ratified by?

Amendments to the constitution must be ratified by the states. To become part of the Constitution the Amendment must be approved by three-fourths of the states.


What were the changes to the contition of the US called?

Changes to the Constitution are called amendments. Three-fourths of the states or 38 must ratify amendments for them to become part of the Constitution.


What take two-thirds congress and three-fourths states to approve?

a amendment to constitution in usa


How can amendments be proposed and ratified in the United States Constitution?

Amendments to the United States Constitution can be proposed by either a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or by a national convention called by two-thirds of state legislatures. Once proposed, amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures or by conventions in three-fourths of states to become part of the Constitution.


How many states must approve an amendments before it takes effects?

13 colonies/states have to sign/ratify the Constitution.


Is anyone rewriting U S constitution and Bill of Rights?

No, no one is rewriting the US Constitution. Occasionally Congress proposes amendments (changes) to it, but these amendments must be approved by three fourths of the States


What decisions needed to be ratified by the states?

Any changes or amendments to the Constitution need to be ratified by three-fourths of the states. Out of 50 states, this totals 38.


How many states does it take to ratify the new plan of government?

I assume that you mean the procedure to amend the United States Constitution. Amendments to the U.S. Constitution require the approval of three-fourths of the states.


What fraction of the the states can ask for a convention to propose new amendments?

States Needed to Ask for a ConventionThree-fourths of the states are needed in order to ask for a convention to propose new amendments.


If you were a member of a state legislature what would you need to do to get an amendment ratified?

Three-fourths of the states must ratify (approve) an amendment before it becomes part of the Constitution.


Blank of congress must propose blank of states must ratify How many amendments have been added to the constitution blank?

17 amendments has been added to the constitution blank.


If three fourths of the states vote to amend the constitution how many states are needed?

Today, there are 50 states. 3/4 of 50 is 37.5, so we would need 38 states to approve an Amendment to the United States Constitution.