Constitution Test: Chapter 3.

The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights. These amendments were added to the Constitution in 1791 and outline the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals. The Bill of Rights includes important protections such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to a fair trial.

The correct answer is the 18th Amendment: prohibition of alcohol. This amendment, also known as "the noble experiment," banned the production, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the United States. However, it was ultimately repealed by the 21st Amendment, which ended prohibition due to its failure to effectively reduce crime and consumption of alcohol.

Since 1789, nearly 15,000 joint resolutions calling for amendments have been proposed in Congress. Out of these, only 33 have been sent to the States, and out of those, only 27 were ratified.

An amendment to the Constitution can be proposed by a 2/3 vote in each house of Congress and can be ratified by 3/4 of the State legislatures. This means that a significant majority of both houses of Congress and a large majority of the state legislatures must agree to the proposed amendment in order for it to be ratified.

The 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18, was first proposed during the Vietnam War. This conflict had a significant impact on the American society and led to a growing sentiment that if young people were old enough to be drafted into the military and fight in the war, they should also have the right to vote. The amendment was ratified in 1971, reflecting the changing attitudes towards young people's political participation during this specific conflict.

The Constitution can be formally changed in four different ways. These methods include amendments proposed by Congress and ratified by the states, amendments proposed by a national convention called by Congress and ratified by the states, amendments proposed by Congress and ratified by conventions in the states, and amendments proposed by a national convention called by the states and ratified by conventions in the states.

Since 1917, when the 18th Amendment was proposed, it has been customary for Congress to set a ratification deadline of seven years. This means that once an amendment is proposed, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states within a period of seven years in order to become part of the Constitution. This deadline ensures that there is a sense of urgency and a reasonable timeframe for states to consider and ratify amendments.

The subject of an unratified amendment was equal rights of women. This means that there was an amendment proposed to grant equal rights to women, but it was not ratified and therefore did not become a part of the Constitution.

The 27th Amendment took the longest to be ratified because it was proposed in 1789 but was not ratified until 1992, a span of 203 years. This amendment deals with congressional pay and states that any change in the compensation of members of Congress cannot take effect until after the next election. The long ratification process can be attributed to the fact that it took a long time for enough states to approve it, with the final ratification coming after a grassroots campaign by a college student in the 1980s.

The formal amendment process in the Constitution illustrates the principles of federalism and popular sovereignty. Federalism is the principle that power is divided between the national government and the state governments, and the formal amendment process allows for changes to be made to the Constitution at both levels. Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of the government comes from the people, and the formal amendment process allows for the people to have a say in making changes to the Constitution through the ratification process.