There are now a total of 27 amendments including the first ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. Amendments require approval by two-thirds of both the Senate and the House of Representatives. After congressional approval, the amendments are submitted to the states and must be ratified by three-fourths of the states in order to take effect. Since 1789 over 10,000 Constitutional amendments have been introduced in Congress. The following are the subsequent amendments that have been ratified.