Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the American people conscientiously amended the Constitution in accordance with Article V. Beginning with the New Deal, majorities in Congress, in effect, amended the Constitution by mere acts of Congress, which were upheld by the Supreme Court. The Court, acting on its own, also, in effect, amended the Constitution in several cases over the years. This change deprived the people in the less populous States of their right to participate in the shaping of amendments. The Declaration of True Meaning procedure proposed in this book would be a small step toward restoring the Founders' plan of self-government.