Twenty Third Amendment example essay topic

In preparation for changing times, amendments were introduced as a way to create changes or addition the constitution. Framers of the constitution provided two methods in which amendments could be proposed. The first way an amendment could be proposed is by a two-thirds vote from both houses of Congress. The second way to propose an amendment is to have a national convention called by Congress. The request for a national convention must come from the legislators from two-thirds of the states.

The first ten amendments comprise The Bill of Rights. These ten amendments were passed in the twentieth century and are representative of today's society. The first amendment is the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition. The second amendment states the right to bear arms. The third is protection against quartering of soldiers in private homes, and the fourth is the protection against unreasonable search and seizure of people, homes, papers, and effects, and a provision for search warrants.

The Fifth Amendment protects someone from being a witness against himself or being prosecuted twice for the same crime. The sixth is the right to a speedy and public trial in criminal cases and also provides the right of representation by a lawyer. The seventh, grants the right to a jury trial in civil cases. The eighth obstructs excessive bails or fines, or cruel and unusual punishment. The ninth amendment states that the enumeration of rights in the Constitution cannot deny other rights preserved by the people. The tenth amendment gives states, or the people, powers not delegated to the federal government.

The first ten amendments were originated to defend Americans against the authority of the federal government. Amendments eleven through twenty-seven were later added to the constitution. These amendments were added from 1795, up until 1992. The eleventh amendment protects states from being sued by another citizen or state in a federal court. The twelfth amendment was created in 1804. This amendment was established to enforce presidential electors to vote separately for president and vice president.

The next three amendments were created as a result of the civil war. The thirteenth amendment forbids slavery. The fourteenth amendment turned former slaves into citizens, and the fifteenth amendment stopped federal and state governments from refusing any citizen the right to vote due to race. The sixteenth amendment allowed the government to generate federal revenue from income tax. The seventeenth amendment allowed people to elect senators rather than the power of this election being with state legislatures.

The eighteenth amendment was created in 1919 and prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages. This abolishment of alcohol led people to bootlegging and resulted in the increase of organized crime. The nineteenth amendment granted women the right to vote although this right was already granted to women in a few states. The twentieth amendment, also known as the lame duck amendment, was created due to the controversy over the terms of the president, vice president, and congress. It also provided options in the case of the president's death.

The twenty-first amendment revoked the prohibition of alcohol implied by amendment 18. The twenty-first amendment also created the provision for a state to choose to remain dry. The twenty-second amendment restricts presidents from serving more than two terms. Franklin D. Roosevelt is a wonderful example of why this amendment was created since he served four terms.

The twenty third amendment permitted the District of Columbia's citizens the right to vote for presidential elections. In 1964 the twenty-fourth amendment came into affect. It was created because five states in the south, imposed poll tax on citizens as a requirement for voting privileges. The poll tax hindered blacks from voting, which also kept them from partaking in federal democracy. The twenty-fifth amendment came into affect after Eisenhower's heart attack and Kennedy's assassination. These circumstances allow a vice president to take over office when the president suffers from a mental or medical illness.

The only limitation of this amendment is that the decision is subject to a majority vote from congress. The twenty-sixth amendment allows eighteen to twenty year olds more freedom. Eighteen years olds were given the right to vote in federal, state, and local elections. The last of the additional amendments is the twenty-seventh. This amendment barred Congress from enacting self-increased salary raises. It also states that if a vote to increase salary wins, it cannot take affect until the next congressional representatives are elected.

Although there were only twenty-seven amendments passed throughout a two hundred year period, the ability for the creation of future amendments will exist forever because of the never-ending changes in society. As evident by the provision to add amendments to the constitution, the original framers of the constitution knew there would be changes needed to allow for accommodation of future conditions.