Final answer:
Article V of the U.S. Constitution outlines the two-step process for amending the Constitution, either through Congress or state legislatures, and requires ratification by three-fourths of the states, with two specific restrictions on amendments.
Step-by-step explanation:
Features of Article V of the U.S. Constitution
The amendment process detailed in Article V of the U.S. Constitution provides a method for making changes to the nation's foundational legal document. This formal process includes two steps: the proposal of amendments and their subsequent ratification. Amendments can be proposed either by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress or by a convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures.
Once proposed, amendments must be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, or by conventions in three-fourths of the states, based on which mode of ratification Congress decides to employ. Article V also contains two restrictions on the amendment process. Firstly, no amendment made before 1808 could affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article (which related to the slave trade and taxation); secondly, no state may be deprived of its equal representation in the Senate without its consent.
It is noteworthy that the Constitution has been amended 27 times throughout American history, with the first ten amendments constituting the Bill of Rights. The relatively infrequent amendments underscore the enduring nature of the Constitution and the deliberate difficulty of the amendment process designed to ensure careful consideration before making constitutional changes.