Malcolm Rivera
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was first drafted in 1787. The last amendment to the Constitution, the Twenty-seventh Amendment, was ratified in 1992, 203 years after it was first proposed in 1789. Also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, the amendment prevents members of Congress from receiving a salary increase without an election of Representatives having intervened.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Last Amendment | May 5, 1992 |
| Name of Last Amendment | Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII) |
| Date of Proposal | September 25, 1789 |
| Time Taken to Ratify | 203 years |
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
| Number of Proposed Amendments | 33 |
| Number of Pending Amendments | 4 |
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What You'll Learn
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was the last amendment
The Twenty-seventh Amendment, or the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, was the last amendment to the United States Constitution. It was proposed by Madison, along with 11 other amendments, on September 25, 1789, and passed by a two-thirds vote of both Houses. However, it was not ratified by enough states to come into force at that time.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress can only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives. Madison wanted to prevent Congress from having unlimited power over its pay but also did not want the President to control congressional salaries, as that would give the President too much power over Congress. Instead, he proposed that an election should occur before any pay raise could take effect, allowing the public to remove members of Congress from office if they disagreed with a congressional pay raise.
The proposed amendment was largely forgotten until 1982, when a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, Gregory Watson, wrote a paper arguing that the amendment should be ratified. This led to a renewed interest in the amendment, and it was finally ratified by the requisite number of states in 1992, more than 200 years after it was first proposed. On May 18, 1992, the Archivist of the United States, Don W. Wilson, certified that the amendment's ratification had been completed. The certification was published in the Federal Register the next day.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment has a unique history among the amendments to the Constitution. It took more than 200 years to be ratified, and its validity was questioned due to the lengthy ratification process. Despite this, it was recognized as a valid amendment, and its certification was agreed upon unanimously by the Senate and with a near-unanimous vote in the House.
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It was adopted in 1992
The US Constitution was last amended in 1992, with the addition of the Twenty-seventh Amendment. This amendment was proposed and submitted to the states for ratification in 1789, along with 11 other proposed amendments. It was finally ratified and adopted in May 1992, over two hundred years after it was first proposed.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was designed to reduce corruption in Congress. It requires an election to be held before a congressperson's salary increase takes effect. The long delay between the proposal and ratification of this amendment is unusual but not unprecedented. The Eighteenth Amendment, ratified in 1919, was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment in 1933, just fourteen years later.
The process of amending the Constitution is deliberately difficult and time-consuming. A proposed amendment must be passed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress and then ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures. This two-step process is outlined in Article Five of the Constitution. The framers of the Constitution intended it to endure for a long time and made the amendment process challenging to ensure that only ideas with a significant impact on the nation would be adopted.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was ratified by Michigan on May 7, 1992, believed to be the 38th state to do so. However, it was later discovered that Kentucky had ratified the amendment during its initial month of statehood. This meant that Alabama was the 38th state to ratify the amendment, finalising its addition to the Constitution. The amendment was certified by the Archivist of the United States, Don W. Wilson, on May 18, 1992, and published in the Federal Register the following day.
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The amendment was first proposed in 1789
The United States Constitution has been amended several times since its inception, with the most recent amendment being proposed over two centuries ago. On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed twelve amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. This was just a few months after the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789.
The 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress, proposing these amendments, holds a prominent place in the Rotunda of the National Archives Museum. It serves as a reminder of the early efforts to shape and refine the nation's governing document. Of the twelve amendments proposed in 1789, ten were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791, and they constitute the first ten amendments or the Bill of Rights. These amendments were designed to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of Americans and included guarantees of religious liberty, freedom of speech and the press, the right to peaceably assemble, and protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The remaining two articles proposed in 1789 had different fates. Article 2 was eventually ratified in 1992, a remarkable 203 years after its proposal, becoming the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. On the other hand, Article 1 never secured ratification and did not become part of the Constitution.
The process of amending the Constitution, as outlined in Article Five, involves two critical steps: proposal and ratification. An amendment can be proposed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress, or through a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of state legislatures. However, for an amendment to become part of the Constitution, it must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, either through their legislatures or state ratifying conventions. This process ensures a careful and deliberate approach to altering the nation's foundational document.
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It was ratified by Michigan, the 38th state, in 1992
The US Constitution was last amended in 1992, when Michigan became the 38th state to ratify an amendment. This process of amending the Constitution is a two-step procedure, as outlined in Article Five of the US Constitution. Firstly, an amendment must be proposed, either by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, or by a national convention called by Congress on the application of two-thirds of state legislatures. Secondly, for an amendment to be successful, it must be ratified by three-fourths of US states, or 38 states.
Michigan's history with constitutional amendments is an interesting one. The state's own constitution has been amended several times, with the most recent significant change being in 1992, when term limits were adopted. This amendment restricted senators to two terms within a 24-year period and representatives to three terms within a 12-year period. However, this was later deemed unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court. Michigan's constitution also establishes the basic rules for elections in the state, including voting rights for citizens over 18, and the ability to exclude people from voting due to mental incompetence or imprisonment.
The US Constitution has seen 27 amendments since its implementation in 1789, with the first ten, known as the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791. The process of amending the Constitution is designed to balance the need for change with stability. Amendments can be proposed and ratified by states, with the most recent example being Michigan's ratification of an amendment in 1992, becoming the 38th state to do so.
The specific amendment ratified by Michigan in 1992 is not entirely clear. However, it is known that Michigan has played a significant role in shaping the US Constitution, and the state's own constitution has undergone several amendments to adapt to the changing needs of its citizens.
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The amendment aims to reduce corruption in Congress
The US Constitution was last amended on May 5, 1992, with the addition of the Twenty-seventh Amendment. This amendment was proposed and ratified over 200 years after the Constitution was put into operation on March 4, 1789.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment aims to reduce corruption in Congress by addressing Congressional salaries. It requires an election before a congressperson's salary increase takes effect, allowing the public to remove members of Congress from office before their salaries increase. This amendment was proposed by several states during the debate over whether to ratify the Constitution. North Carolina and Virginia's ratifying conventions proposed amendments to postpone the operation of laws determining Congressional compensation until after an election.
The amendment was largely forgotten until 1982, when Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper arguing that the amendment could still be ratified. Watson subsequently launched a nationwide campaign to complete its ratification. The amendment was certified by the Archivist of the United States, Don W. Wilson, on May 18, 1992, after 38 states had ratified it, with Kentucky's ratification during its initial month of statehood being the final step.
While the Twenty-seventh Amendment specifically targets Congressional salaries, other recent legislative efforts have aimed to reduce corruption in Congress more broadly. For example, Representative Jared Golden has introduced or co-sponsored 15 bills as part of his Government Integrity & Anti-Corruption Plan. These bills include the Lifetime Lobbying Ban Act, which seeks to ban former members of Congress from working as federal lobbyists, and the Stop Foreign Payoffs Act, which would prohibit members of Congress and certain other officials from earning salaries or holding investments in foreign businesses while in office. Golden's plan also includes the Democracy for All Amendment, which calls for an anti-corruption amendment to the Constitution, and the TRUST in Congress Act, which would restrict stock ownership by members of Congress and their families.
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Frequently asked questions
The last amendment to the US Constitution, the Twenty-seventh Amendment, became effective on May 5, 1992, so it has been 31 years since the Constitution was last amended.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII), also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress may only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives.
There have been 27 amendments to the US Constitution, including the first 10 amendments, which were ratified on December 15, 1791, and are known as the Bill of Rights.
Amending the US Constitution involves a two-step process. First, an amendment must be proposed and sent to the states for ratification by either a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives or a national convention called by Congress on the application of two-thirds of state legislatures. Second, to become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states, either through their legislatures or state ratifying conventions.
The process of amending the Constitution is deliberately difficult and time-consuming. It can take many years or even centuries for an amendment to be ratified by the required number of states.
