What's An Amendment?

Rules, rules, rules! Does it seem that you have more rules as you get older? What's up with that? Well, just like you, as our country grew and developed, rules were necessary to keep everyone safe and provide equal opportunities for everyone. Schools have rules to help avoid and resolve conflict.

 

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln and the

government created some new rules that would help

America resolve conflict and meet the needs of its

citizens. These rules are called Amendments; the

baseword "amend" means to change and improve.

Amendments help to make the Constitution better.

During the Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th

amendments were signed into law.

 

The law of our land is the Constitution and 

amendments are made to it. Amendments begin as a 

bill which is a proposal for a new law. 

Essential Question: Is changing (amending) the 

law still necessary today?