Why does the Constitution insist that only the states have the authority to ratify an amendment??

Question

Why does the Constitution insist that only the states have the authority to ratify an amendment??

Answer 1

I'm not sure how to answer this.  That's the way they set it up, in the 5th amendment, which was ratified with the others of the first ten amendments.  Philosophically, I suppose it is better that way than allowing Congress to ratify, since a Constitutional Amendment should be important enough to have to go through the state ratification process, and you can't count on Congress to always do what their constituents want.

Answer 2

Because it is the States who chose to be part of the constitution. Remember we are not one big country ruled by the feds, we are 50 sovereign States in a republic.

Answer 3

The states do NOT have that authority on their own.  Article V of the Constituion of the United States spells out the procedure for amending the Constitution.

Answer 4

The constitution is supposed to prevent the federal government from having to much power. By having the states ratify amendments the states control what the federal government is supposed to do.

The federal government has decided that there isn't anything they can't do  so the system is a little broke write now. One of the Supreme Court justices even asked an administration lawyer what the Federal government was limited from doing...he couldn't think of anything. Should have asked me.  

Answer 5

What part of "United States" don't you understand?

Answer 6

Who else should ratify one, then? The states are closer to the people than the feds. Further, we have a Federalist government, meaning that the central government as well as the states have the power to run it. Back when the constitution was written and ratified, states were much more powerful than the seem to be now. That's the way they wanted it, which is why the allowed the states to have control of the amendment ratification process.