The Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified on July 9, 1868, defined citizenship and guaranteed the rights of citizens. Below is an overview of constitutional amendment processes in the 50 states.I discuss the various possible ways of amending state constitutions. 12th Amendment (ratified 1804). It gives electors to the District of Columbia – the capital city of the United States – so that it may participate in presidential elections. The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified on February 3, 1870, and granted the right to vote to African American men. "So today, I'm proposing the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution to do just that. CONSTITUTIONAL LAW IN THE UNITED STATES 224–25 (3d ed. 1898). The United States Constitution was written "to endure for ages to come" Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in the early 1800s. The United States Constitution was written "to endure for ages to come" Chief Justice John Marshall wrote in the early 1800s.