Constitutional convention (political meeting) facts for kids
A constitutional convention is a special meeting where people come together to create, change, or update a country's or organization's constitution. A constitution is like a rulebook that explains how a government works and what rights people have. Sometimes, a convention is called to write the very first constitution for a new country or group. Other times, it's held to completely replace an old constitution. A convention might also be called to make small changes to an existing constitution. However, sometimes these meetings decide to do more than they were originally planned for. For example, the United States Constitutional Convention of 1787 was supposed to only make changes to the existing rules, but instead, they wrote a brand new constitution!
Contents
How the United States Handles Conventions
Rules for a Constitutional Convention
The U.S. Constitution doesn't clearly say how a constitutional convention would work. There are no clear rules for how states should ask for one. It's even possible that requests from 50 or 100 years ago, about totally different topics, could still count towards the 34 states needed to call a convention. For instance, Oklahoma asked for a convention in 1976 but then took back its request in 2009. They were worried that a convention might make unexpected changes to any part of the Constitution. But people who want a convention might still try to count Oklahoma's original request.
Amending the Constitution with Article V
Article Five of the United States Constitution explains two main ways that changes, called amendments, can be suggested for the Constitution:
- Two-thirds of both the Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) can propose an amendment.
- Two-thirds of the state legislatures (the law-making bodies in each state) can ask Congress to call a convention to propose amendments.
Once an amendment is proposed, it must be approved, or ratified. Article Five gives two choices for how an amendment can be ratified. Congress decides which way to use:
- The first way is for state legislatures to ratify the amendment. If three-fourths (75%) of the state legislatures approve it, the amendment becomes part of the Constitution.
- The second way is for Congress to ask each state to create a "ratifying convention." This is a group of people, not members of the state legislature, who would decide whether to approve the amendment. If ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states approve the amendment, it becomes part of the Constitution.
Congress has only used this second option once. This happened when they proposed the 21st Amendment. This amendment canceled the 18th Amendment, which had made certain drinks illegal in the United States. The 21st Amendment made them legal again. At the time, Congress believed this would be a more democratic way to get the amendment approved.
Organizing a Convention
When an organization already has a constitution, leaders, and rules, they usually set up special groups before a convention starts. One group, called the credentials committee, checks the identity of all the people attending, called delegates. They give each delegate a name badge or card to show they belong there. Another group, the program committee, makes sure everyone has copies of the convention's schedule before it begins. Other groups can be formed if needed to help the convention run smoothly.
Images for kids
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Opening session of the 2021 Chilean constitutional convention
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The Virginia Constitutional Convention, 1830 (George Catlin, ca. 1830). Many state meetings like this one were very formal.
See also
In Spanish: Asamblea constituyente para niños
