Two hundred and two years, seven months, and twelve days is what it took our twenty-seventh amendment to be ratified onto our constitution. Was this a very sensitive and complex amendment that needed meticulous studying and logistics planing? No, the twenty-seventh amendment simply states that no Senators or Representatives can alter their pay during their tenure and only can it be changed when their term is up. In the constitution it states "No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened". While this seems so simple, there seems to be some inherent complexity to it. Maybe one of the reasons why it took so long is the human’s …show more content…
Watson stumbled upon a list of so-called "lost" amendments which included the twenty-seventh amendment. He was so perplexed by it that he launched a national movement in the hopes to getting the amendment approved. In a video interview published by Dallas County Community College District Watson describes how he concocted a letter to members of congress describing the found amendment and asked if they could find someone in state legislature that could help him get the amendment ratified. The appeal got sent through a couple of people in the state then a year later in 1982 it got introduced and ratified in Maine and by 1992 the 38th state, Alabama, ratified it and officially got the amendment onto our constitution. A great victory for citizens of America and a great personal triumph for Mr. Watson. This shows us that we truly do live in a democratic society accepting of citizen input. Gregory Watson’s resilience in government process is a truly honorable feat, even though all he did was simply write a letter and got involved with his nation and its government. His story opens so many doors in the hopes that if things need to be changed things can get changed. Personally it has prompted me and made me more comfortable in becoming a more involved citizen. If a twenty year-old in a university can be the catalyst in ratifying an amendment
The amendment process as stated in the Constitution is the process that “An amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress, or, if two-thirds of the States request one, by a convention called for that purpose. The amendment must then be ratified by three-fourths of the State legislatures, or three-fourths of conventions called in each State for ratification.”. There are many pros and cons of the amendment process and I will discuss a few of them in this essay. In my opinion, there are more cons than pros of the amendment process. A con of the amendment process is that there isn’t much room for change as time goes on Better said as the amendments are outdated.
@listen, [above] Abraham Lincoln and the Corwin Amendment (13th). I did check it out at; Abraham Lincoln and the Corwin Amendment www.lib.niu.edu/2006/ih060934.html The part of the article you leave out is very interesting. One resolution�not included in Lincoln 's proposals�offered that "no amendment shall be made to the Constitution, which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish, or interfere within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State."
John is a young 17 year old young man that lives in the poor side of chicago, this man killed a man when he was walking home from school because he was being robbed. The second man is Dawson he is a 19 year old man who is wealthy and lives in a nice house in beverly hills. This man killed his best friend because he was drunk and thought his friend was a burglar who was robin his house. Both of these men committed similar crimes who do you think is going to be let off easy and who was sentenced to life in prison or the harsher consequences?
Consequently, the 27th Amendment, the most recently ratified, was proposed to the states in 1789 without a seven-year time limit on ratification. It requires that congressional salary increases can take effect only after an intervening election. Despite having been pending for 203 years, this amendment was revived, ratified by more states, and was ultimately declared to have been ratified in 1992. As it is clear from this that not having a proper time limit may at times defeat the purpose of the amendment. The reason with which this amendment was proposed must have lost its importance in 203 years.
The thirteenth amendment freed African American people from slavery, and the nineteenth amendment gave women the right to vote; but that doesn’t mean these people still have the same amount of freedom as others. However free some may seem, every race and gender is still restrained by the same discriminatory shackles that held back their ancestors many years ago. Contrary to popular belief, the civil liberties of the United States have not been solved; and although some citizens would disagree, the act of forgetting previous experiences on how the nation was built, misusing the rights people are given, and treating other ethnicities or genders as inferiors, would prove otherwise. Although America has highly improved on civil liberties by imposing amendments such as the 13th and the 19th;
All I remember on March 25th, 2011 is that my family received a phone call that sent my sister and I into a state of turmoil and denial. We were informed that both our aunt and uncle were murdered the day before by their neighbor. In the mid 1990s, this neighbor was diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This neighbor lived alone in a home where he possessed 10 firearms. After hearing this news I had mixed feelings of frustration and betrayal.
An amendment to the Constitution is an improvement, a correction or a revision to the original Constitution which was made in 1788. Today, 27 Amendments have been approved, many have been disapproved and thousands have been discussed. Amending the constitution can be a hard and sometimes very long process. There are three basic steps to amend the Constitution, that are explained to be easy, but completing them is a really difficult process. First, the Congress or States pass a bill proposing a change in the Constitution.
The Eleventh Amendment of Crime and Punishment 1) The crimes of pre-mediated murder, abortion, pedophilia, rape, treason or committing a terrorist act is punishable by beheading. 2) The crimes of reckless and negligent manslaughter, attempted murder or attempted rape is punishable by banishment. 3) The crime of attempted or actual kidnap is punishable by banishment. 4)
The amazing amendment If we did not have the first amendment we would not be a free country. The first amendment gives us many rights. The first amendment gives us the right to freedom of speech, religion,press,assembly, and petition. The first amendment’s meaning and purpose is on the right to bear arms and including impact on the citizens of America. The first Amendment is very important in the Bill of rights.
Three quarters of the total Legislatures, or three quarters of total Conventions held for this purpose, are required to ratify amendments, as both constitute the Congress. However, it is provided that amendments made will not affect the first and fourth Clauses in Section Nine of the first article, and that no state will be deprived of its equal right to Suffrage in the Senate without its Consent (Thomas Jefferson
The Second Amendment essay If you were walking on the streets and some body came up and tried to hurt you, how would you react? The second Amendment allows us to keep and bare our arms to ourselves. This Amendment guarantees that We can that we could defend ourselves just like what a twelve year old girl in Bryan County did.
In a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy in the year 1789, Benjamin Franklin wrote, “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Just over two hundred and twenty five years later, his statement still holds its validity. Before the Sixteenth Amendment was ratified in The right for the government to tax income (the 16th) is less damaging to society than the right to keep and bear arms (the 2nd) because the Sixteenth Amendment applies to everyone, income tax is a vital component to the running of the United States, and income tax allows Americans to make a positive contribution to the country. America is known for its diversity.
In her book “Our Declaration”, Danielle Allen argues for changes in teaching style in the classroom in order to promote democratic participation and civic responsibility amongst other things. While Allen's approach to teaching democracy in classrooms seems to be superior to current methods, it may also have its limitations and create other issues. Authors such as Simone Chambers, Deva Woodley, and Susan McWilliams, along with court cases can provide insight that supports or challenges Allen's unique perspective on the role of political education in classrooms. Simone Chambers' article, "Citizenship in Times of Crisis," contributes to Allen's argument in Our Declaration by providing an analysis of the role of citizenship in modern day politics.
Does the death penalty violate the Eighth Amendment? The U. S. Supreme Court found to uphold the last penalty in Gregg v. Georgia (1976) as an acceptable sentence, when an offender has committed murder and ruled that the judgment did not offend the Eighth Amendment. Yet Americans have a fear of putting an innocent person to death. However, offenders are given the opportunity to have the death sentenced overturned. In fact, a direct appeal begins immediately in some of the sentencing state's highest courts when an offender is sentenced to the death penalty.
They Did It ! Recently a decision was made that will change America forever. On August 18th Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment, therefore granting women the right to vote in all states. This decision with certainly be met with both support and opposition from many.