Prevents shortlived trends becoming amendments e.g. at ne point there was a 200-year gap between amendments
Length and difficulty
Ensures amendments are well thought out
A balanced budget amendment had been proposed 134 times since 1999
Length and difficulty
Means that most of day-to-day governance is left to Congress and state government, protecting federalism
Length and difficulty
Means that the principles of the Constitution remain unchanging and citizens know their rights
Supermajorities
Ensure broad support - recent mass shootings may make repealing the 2nd Amendment an obvious move but a 2018 YouGov poll showed that only ⅕ Americans wanted it repealed
Supermajorities
Prevents tyranny of the majority - ratification process recognises individual states, most populous 5 states account for nearly 37% of the US population
Supermajorities
Requring supermajoirties prevents a single party from dominating
Principles of the Constitution
Are upheld - Trump describes the system of checks and balances “archaic” following policy defeats like his travel ban and healthcare bill in his first 100 days. His frustration demonstrates how well protected these principles are
