An amendment is a formal change or addition made to an important document, especially a law or constitution. When people realize that a rule needs updating or fixing, they can propose an amendment rather than throwing out the entire document and starting over.

The word comes from amend, which means to improve or correct something. When you amend your essay after your teacher suggests changes, you're making it better. An amendment works the same way, but for official documents.

Americans know amendments best from the United States Constitution. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in 1787, but they knew it might need changes over time, so they included a process for adding amendments. The first ten amendments, called the Bill of Rights, were added in 1791 to protect fundamental freedoms like speech, religion, and the press. Later amendments abolished slavery, gave women the right to vote, and made other crucial improvements to American law. Creating a constitutional amendment is intentionally difficult: it requires approval from two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the state legislatures, ensuring that only changes with overwhelming support become permanent law.

Schools, clubs, and organizations also use amendments. A student council might amend its bylaws to change meeting times, or a sports league might amend its rules to make the game safer or fairer.