Amendment Process

When the Constitution was completed in the summer of 1787, approval by representatives from nine of the thirteen states was needed for it to become the nation’s law. The issue of individual rights was managed—though this, too, created conflict among the Framers—with the addition of the Bill of Rights. Change was written into the supreme law of the land; since then, legal institutionalization of changes has occurred. Since the Constitution’s adoption, change has taken place through the amendment process identified in the Constitution. Change has also occurred under the direction of the branches of government established in the Constitution: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.

Research

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Review the Bill of Rights in your textbook and select one of the first ten amendments to research more thoroughly. Using the University online library resources, select at least three peer-reviewed articles about the amendment you have selected. Look specifically for articles that focus on current events or controversies related to the amendment and be prepared to summarize the content of each article.

Annotated Bibliography

Prepare an annotated bibliography of your research. Please read Annotated Bibliography.pdf for an overview on annotated bibiographies.  Include the following:

• For each article, write details such as the article title, author name, journal title, and publication date.
• Write a summary of each article in 200–250 words.
• Write the conclusions you have drawn from research and your opinion in 1–2 paragraphs.
• Write a reference list of the selected articles in APA style.