called by political parties in the United States. They have been a permanent feature of the government since its founding. Federal Conventions Under Article One of The United States Constitution After the Civil War, Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts, resulting in the states that once comprised the Confederate States of America being divided into military districts. These Acts of Congress mandated that the rebel states revise their constitutions by means of conventions of elected delegates, to include the ratification of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments to the United States Constitution. Federal Conventions Under Article Four of The United States Constitution Congress has also frequently employed conventions for the admission of new states to the Union under Article Four of the United States Constitution. In all, a total of thirty-one states were admitted to the union in this manner. In each and every case, under the authority derived directly from the federal constitution, Congress mandated an election of delegates with the passage of an enabling act; such as these notable examples: Enabling Act of 1802, for the formation of Ohio from the Northwest Territory Enabling Act of 1864, for the formation of Nevada Enabling Act of 1889, for the formation of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington Enabling Act of 1894, for the formation of Utah Enabling Act of 1906 for the formation of Oklahoma from Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory Enabling Act of 1910, for the admission of Arizona and New Mexico Conventions Under Article Five of The United States Constitution Federal Proposal Convention Among the most enigmatic of all conventions, Article Five of the United States Constitution provides for the calling of a constitutional convention, more commonly known as a Convention to propose amendments, whereby delegates are elected in equal fashion to Members of the United States Congress, to deliberate and propose amendments to the Constitution. Under Article Five, Congress is obligated to call such a convention when thirty-four states have formally submitted to Congress, a joint resolution known as a state application. To date, the Clerk of the United States House of Representatives has identified nearly two hundred of these applications. Yet, this method of proposal remains elusive and has never occurred in the history of the United States. State Ratification Conventions Article Five also provides that Congress may choose among two modes of ratification, either by means of state legislatures or by state conventions. To