Final answer:
Article V of the Constitution outlines the formal amendment process which includes proposing amendments and ratification by states. It has been used only 27 times, demonstrating the resilience and stability of the Constitution over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The procedures for amending the Constitution are found in Article V. This article of the Constitution lays out a two-step process for making amendments: proposal and ratification. An amendment can either be proposed by a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress, or by a convention called for by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Once proposed, the amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, or by conventions in three-fourths of the states, depending on which process Congress chooses. Notably, Article V includes specific restrictions, including that no amendment made before 1808 could affect the first and fourth clauses in section nine of Article I and no state can be deprived of its equal suffrage in the Senate without its consent.