Blog Run-Down

Hello, and welcome to my blog on the Constitution. This project has been very informative, and took a lot of diligence and hard work to complete everything. Some of my most valued posts are amendments: 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 19, 21, and 25. If you desire to read all that works for me as well, but those are definitely the top 12. Thank you for taking the time to read this blog, and I hope you enjoy!

Thanks,
Allegra Wolff
UMKC '17
BBA, Enterprise Management

Amendment 27

"No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened."

In the final amendment of the constitution, they decided that senators and representatives cannot receive their raise until they face the electors. This keeps them accountable for their actions and helps the American people because this way, the people in these positions will have more pressure to get things done. I think it's important because they have to do what it best for the people before they receive their raise. 

In this video, he talks about how members of congress and the House of Representatives cannot get a raise until they face the electors, this way they are held accountable for their actions and their accomplishments. Politicians must watch their back so that they do not get more money than they have earned. 

In this comic, there are three members of congress trying to decide on what to do for the economy, unemployment rate, and then the shmuck on the right suggests that they deserve a raise before they have even done anything. This is why the 27th amendment is in place, so that this does not happen. 

Amendment 26

"Section 1.The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age.
Section 2.The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

In this amendment, required voting age was lowered from age 21 to age 18. The argument behind it was that there are young men fighting for the country at younger ages than 21 and are not allowed to vote, but they are serving in Vietnam. This was of great importance to families who had sent their sons to war, and knew they may not come back. Obviously, the amendment passed because they saw that it was unreasonable that someone who was serving our country could not vote for the way they wanted the country to be ran. 

Here is a video portraying the intensity of the war to convince voters to pass amendment 26. 

This is an image of a protest that happened during the Vietnam War, supporting the right to vote for people 18 and older. The majority of the people in this image look like they are in high school, not necessarily parents of sons in the war. 

Amendment 25

"Section 1. In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.

Section 2. Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority vote of both Houses of Congress.

Section 3. Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice President as Acting President.

Section 4.Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President. Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office."

In the 25th amendment, it outlines the process of impeaching the President and how the VP will take command if the President dies. There have only been a few circumstances in history where either of these events occurred. This amendment also states that the President can resign if he believes he is not fit for his duties. 

In this video, Hughes discusses the process of the 25th amendment. He also explains how we came up with the Vice President taking over if the President dies or resigns. The "Tyler Precedent" states that the VP will be the acting President if the current President dies/resigns. This happened because of William Henry Harrison after he died, his VP John Tyler sort of took over, but Congress had to pass a resolution for him to the the acting President. 

Pictured above is the moment Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President on Air Force One, after John F. Kennedy was killed. Jackie Kennedy is on the right in the photo, as you can see all people in the picture are in disbelief. This is, unfortunately, an iconic moment; anyone in or from the U. S. would know this picture and could tell you who these people are. 

Amendment 24

"Section 1.The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
Section 2.The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

The 24th amendment reserves voting as a right, rather than requiring a tax to vote, or "poll tax". This is important for a few reasons, one being that the people should not have to pay to have their voice heard, meaning that people who cannot afford to pay the poll tax will not be able to vote, so their voice will not be heard. Another reason why no poll tax is a good thing is because it will increase voter turnout. Again, with a lot of people, they wouldn't be able to afford it so they would not vote, and others who just don't want to pay the poll tax wouldn't bother voting. These are just a few reasons why not having to pay a poll tax is good for the country, I can see why it is an amendment in our constitution.

This cute little video seems to be a group project that some 8th graders made, but it does a great job of explaining the importance of the 24th amendment and why we need it. 

This comic is depicting why we don't have a poll tax and why we do have the 24th amendment. As simple as this is, it shows that the rich will be able to vote but the poor will not, and this creates a higher chance of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. 

Amendment 23

"Section 1.The District constituting the seat of government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct:
A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a state, but in no event more than the least populous state; they shall be in addition to those appointed by the states, but they shall be considered, for the purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by a state; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by the twelfth article of amendment.
Section 2.The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

In amendment 23, Washington D. C. is given the same rights a state has, even though it is not a state. It is considered a state for the sole purpose of voting for the general election so that the votes cast in that city count towards the election. This is important so that the people of D. C. have the same input as all the other people in the country. 

This simple video shows the importance of including the votes for the general election of the people who live in D. C. It makes complete sense for this to be an issue, and for it to be an amendment. Even though D. C. will never be a state, they deserve the same rights of people who live in the "states".

This comic is making fun of the fact that the capital of the U. S. doesn't have the rights of all the states it has united. I think its a great representation of some of the "common sense" items left out of the constitution, or the strange things that we had to add to the constitution. 

Amendment 22

"Section 1.No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.
Section 2.This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within seven years from the date of its submission to the states by the Congress."

In amendment 22, it establishes the term limits of President. This is important because they didn't want anyone to become like a King and be in office longer than they should. Having term limits on the Presidency encourages the country to advance and move forward with the modernization of the world. Unfortunately, sometimes we take steps backward in leadership and that has an affect on the country as a whole. There is good in everyone, and I will try to stay positive this coming January, but I will be renewing my passport by then. 

This video discusses the possibility of abolishing the 22nd amendment. The last President to serve more than two terms was FDR. In 1951, the 22nd amendment was passed. Representatives are trying to pass a bill to put term limits on House members so that they do not have a "Lame Duck" congress. 

In this comic, we see an old man, possibly a prophet, stating a proverb. This is making fun of the fact that without term limits, the American people may become comfortable and just continue to vote for the same person every four years. This is a major concern because it happens all over the world without limits on terms. 

Amendment 21

"Section 1.The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.
Section 2.The transportation or importation into any state, territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
Section 3.This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several states, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the states by the Congress."

The repeal of the 18th amendment was something that the majority of the country saw coming. Crime in the U. S. had skyrocketed and there was more pressure to on the government to change amendment 18 than they had ever predicted. With the 21st amendment, the Prohibition era came to a close, creating a more peaceful country. We are going through somewhat of a prohibition right now, this being the debate on legalizing marijuana. I think that if it this product is used for a medical purpose, than it should be legal because if a doctor is prescribing something that will help someone function in their daily life, wouldn't you want that for yourself or loved ones? Everything is based on perspective, so it is important to keep an open mind when dealing with these subjects. 

This video describes what it was like during the prohibition. The most interesting part in my opinion is that it says that more people partied when alcohol was illegal. The sad part is that many, many more people died due to alcohol related incidents during the prohibition than ever before. 

Here are a couple of interesting photos that I found after the amendment passed and ended the Prohibition. I honestly know that I would be celebrating, but I also probably would have been in the speakeasies and partying during the Prohibition... so I'm happy that it is very hard to change the constitution for this reason. 

Amendment 20

"Section 1.The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.

Section 2.The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 3.If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until a President or Vice President shall have qualified.

Section 4.The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right of choice shall have devolved upon them.

Section 5.Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the ratification of this article.

Section 6.This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within seven years from the date of its submission."

This amendment was brought up because of the time between elections, where the elects could not get anything done until a certain time. In section 2, it states the meeting time of Congress each year, this helps if a new Congress would need to decide a new President. Section 3 states that the VP would take office if something happened to the President-elect. In section 4 states that Congress can state what the secession of the Presidency. That is the majority of the information for this amendment. 

Here is a nice video created by a student (most likely) that explains why we have this amendment and where is came from. 

This comic shows some humor by maybe implying that Obama is a "Lame Duck" President. 

Amendment 19

"The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation."

As a woman, I find it interesting that this had to be an amendment in the first place. I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering we enslaved an entire people, so equality was not something on the forefront of their minds. Unfortunately, we do see differences in people everyday because that is how we function as humans. We notice when someone acts different, looks different, and feels different. I am happy that this amendment made its way to the constitution so that we don't have to think about whether or not our daughters or sisters or mothers can vote, and I do believe that things have been getting better each year for gender equality. There are still distinct issues for women that are not present for men, so we have a lot of room to grow, but it is a good thing that we don't have to worry about losing our voice or our momentum. 

I remember watching this School House Rock video as a student in junior high school and knowing that my right to vote would not be taken away from me, and it is because of the great women mentioned in this video that made that possible, even though some of them did not see the day that women got to vote. 

Here is a campaign poster for encouraging men to vote for women's right to vote. It points out three key reasons why women deserve the right to vote: working women, paying taxes, and obeying laws deserve to have a voice when deciding how the country and states will be ran.