The Constitutional Amendments

th th
(The 18 -27 Amendments)

What is the significant of these

Amendment?
What controversies has it inspired?
 What is the significant of these
Amendments?
n Two (2) Parts:
n Part 1: Voting Rights
n Part 2: Political Issues

n Each one of these

amendment has influenced
our society as a whole &
caused enduring
controversies
 What is the 19th Amendment?
n 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

n Meaning:
n Women get the right to vote
 How did the womens suffrage
movement originate?
n The Constitution
Convention left suffrage
undefined
n Left it up to the states

n Female suffrage
developed a strong
following after the Civil
War
Where did the 19th Amendment
originate?
n Suffrage leader Susan B.
Anthony helped to draft
the Amendment
n Major issue in the 1912
Presidential election

n The amendment was

ratified in 1920
Anthonys Suffragettes
 What is the 20th Amendment?
n Another one that is way too long

n Meaning:
n Established the Inauguration
n Sets sessions of Congress
n Allows for the filling of vacancies in Federal
offices (President, Vice-President, etc.)
 Where did the 20th Amendment
originate?
n Founding Fathers wanted their
elected representatives to be
accountable to the people
n Congress
n The President

n Congress created this

amendment to address this issue
n Sets inauguration date (1/20)
n No lame ducks officials
n Allowed for the filling of
vacant offices
The Presidential Inauguration
Richard Nixon & Spiro Agnew
Gerald Ford (1974-77)
 What is the 21st Amendment?
n The eighteenth article of amendment to
the Constitution of the United States is
hereby repealed

n Meaning:
n The 18th Amendment is repealed /
Prohibition is over
 Where did the 21st Amendment
originate?
n Review of 18th
Amendment

n President Franklin D.
Roosevelt pushed for
the repeal of
Prohibition in 1933
n Bring jobs
n Let the people drink
Let the People drink
 What is the 22nd Amendment?
n 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

n Meaning:
n Limits of Presidential terms (Two [2] terms)
 What is the history of
Presidential terms of office?
n The 2-term principle
was established by
George Washington
n Why?

n All president up until

the 1930s adhered to
the 2-term principle
 Where did the 22nd Amendment
originate?
n Congress passed the
amendment to prevent
another four (4) term
president
n Pushed by a Republican-
dominated Congress

n Makes for interested

discussion every election
year
No more 4-term presidents
Who can run again?
 What is the 23rd Amendment?
n 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

n Meaning:
n District of Columbia gets Presidential electoral votes
YAY!! We got the vote!!!
 What is the 24th Amendment?
n The right of citizens of the United States to vote
in any primary or other electionshall not be
denied or abridged by the United States or any
State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or
other tax

n Meaning:
n Poll taxes / voting obstacles are declared illegal
What were poll taxes / other
obstacles?
n Poll taxes were laws
designed to keep
African-American
from voting without
violating the 15th
Amendment
n Economic status
n Education
Poll Taxes / Literacy Tests
 How did the 24th Amendment
originate?
n In 1944, Lonnie E. Smith
attempted to vote in the
Democratic primary
n Was denied due to his inability to
pay a poll tax

n Case came before the Supreme

Court (Smith v. Allwright)
n Ruled that his rights were violated
n Congress worked to correct the
problem in 1964
 What is the 25th Amendment?
n In case of the removal of the President from
office or of his death or resignation, the Vice
President shall become President. 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

n Meaning:
n Presidential succession
Where did the 25th Amendment
originate?
n Questions have always
existed about Presidential
succession
n The Constitution is unclear

n Congress attempted to
correct this problem
following the assassination
of President Kennedy
President John Tyler (1841-45)
The Lincoln Assassination (1865)
Andrew Johnson (1865-68)
Kennedy Assassination / LBJ
Lyndon Johnson (1963-1968)
Richard Nixon & Spiro Agnew
Gerald Ford (1974-77)
 Presidential Line of Succession
n President
n Vice-President
n Speaker of the House
n President Pro Tempore
(Senate)
n Secretary of State
n Secretary of Treasury
n Secretary of Defense
n Attorney General
n Secretary of the Interior
n Secretary of Agriculture
n Secretary of Commerce
n Secretary of Labor
n Secretary of Health /
Human Services
n Secretary of Housing /
Urban Development
n Secretary of Transportation
n Secretary of Energy
n Secretary of Education
n Secretary of Veterans
Affairs
n Secretary of Homeland
Security
Gerald Ford & Nelson Rockefeller
 What is the 26th Amendment?
n The right of citizens of the United States,
who are eighteen years of age or older, to
vote shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or by any State on account of
age

n Meaning:
n Lowering the voting age to 18 year old
 Where did the 26th Amendment
originate?
n The Constitution left the
setting of voting age up
the states
n Most states set it at 21

n Following World War

II, a movement starts to
have the age lowered
n Some states respond
Where did the 26th Amendment
originate?
n During the Vietnam
War, anti-war sentiment
was extremely high
n Active youth movement

n President Richard Nixon

pushed for this
amendment
n Congress passed it in
1971
 What is the 27th Amendment?
n No law, varying the compensation for the
services of the Senators and Representatives,
shall take effect, until an election of
Representatives shall have intervened

n Meaning:
n Congressional pay raises take effect during the next
term
 Where did the 27th Amendment
originate?
n This amendment took
forever to get approved
n First proposed in 1791 by
James Madison
n Continually repurposed
until passage in 1992

n Purpose:
n Politicians should serve
for love of country, not
money