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The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXII, was ratified on February 27, 1951. The amendment imposes term limits on the President of the United States, stating that no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice. This amendment was a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as president and the long-standing debate surrounding presidential term limits. It is worth noting that this amendment also applies to the eligibility of succession for unfinished presidential terms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) |
| Date of Ratification | February 27, 1951 |
| Purpose | To limit the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to two terms and to set additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors. |
| Applicability | Does not apply to any person holding the office of President when the amendment was proposed. |
| Exceptions | Does not prevent a person who is acting as President during the term within which the amendment becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of that term. |
| Impact | Has barred six twice-elected presidents from election to a third term: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. |
| Related Amendments | 12th Amendment (ratified in 1804), which addresses the constitutional qualifications of age, citizenship, and residency for the president and vice president. |
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What You'll Learn
The 22nd Amendment to the US Constitution
The 22nd Amendment was a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as president, and the long-standing debate around presidential term limits. The issue of term limits was extensively discussed during the Constitutional Convention of 1787, with figures like Alexander Hamilton and James Madison supporting lifetime tenure for presidents, while others, including Virginia's George Mason, argued that this would create an elective monarchy.
The 22nd Amendment was proposed by the House of Representatives in 1947, two years after Roosevelt's death, as House Joint Resolution 27, which called for a limit of two four-year terms for future presidents. The Senate made revisions to the proposal, and it was approved and sent to the states for ratification on March 21, 1947. The ratification process was completed on February 27, 1951, when 36 out of 48 states had ratified the amendment.
Since its ratification, the 22nd Amendment has prevented six twice-elected presidents from seeking a third term: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. The amendment has also been the subject of attempts to modify or repeal it, with arguments ranging from the need for consistent leadership in times of crisis to allowing non-consecutive terms.
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Limits the number of terms for presidents
The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified on February 27, 1951, limits the number of terms for presidents. The amendment prohibits anyone who has been elected president twice from being elected to office again. It also prohibits someone who fills an unexpired presidential term of more than two years from being elected president more than once.
The 22nd Amendment was a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as president. The issue of presidential term limits had been debated since the Constitutional Convention of 1787, with some delegates supporting lifetime tenure for presidents while others favoured fixed terms. The 22nd Amendment was proposed by the House of Representatives in 1947, two years after Roosevelt's death, as Joint Resolution 27, which called for a limit of two four-year terms for future presidents. The resolution passed the House with support from Democrats and Republicans.
The Senate made revisions to the House proposal, including clarifying the procedures governing the number of times a vice president who succeeded to the presidency could be elected to office. The Senate's revisions were approved by the House, and the resolution was submitted to the states for ratification on March 21, 1947. The ratification process was completed on February 27, 1951, when 36 of the 48 states had ratified the amendment. The 22nd Amendment has since barred six twice-elected presidents from seeking a third term: Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
The 22nd Amendment has been the subject of several attempts by presidents and Congress members to modify or repeal it. Arguments in favour of repealing the amendment include having consistent leadership in response to a crisis and allowing non-consecutive terms. However, the amendment remains in force and continues to shape the American political landscape by ensuring regular transitions of power and preventing indefinite presidential tenure.
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Reaction to F.D Roosevelt's four terms
The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1951, was a direct response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as president. Roosevelt's four terms were made possible by a combination of factors, including the absence of formal laws on term limits at the time, and the outbreak of World War II, which led to Roosevelt's focus shifting towards America's involvement in the war.
The Twenty-second Amendment imposes term limitations on the presidency, restricting individuals from being elected to the office of President more than twice. This amendment was introduced as a measure to prevent any future president from serving more than two terms, as Roosevelt had done. The amendment was approved by Congress and submitted to the states for ratification on March 21, 1947, just a few months after Roosevelt's death in April 1945. The ratification process took almost four years, with 36 out of 48 states ultimately ratifying the amendment.
Reactions to Roosevelt's four terms were mixed. On the one hand, Roosevelt's commitment to the working class and the unemployed made him a favourite among blue-collar workers, labour unions, and ethnic minorities. His expansion of government programs redefined the role of government in the United States, and his leadership during World War II solidified his popularity.
On the other hand, there were concerns about the concentration of power and the potential threat to freedom posed by a president serving for an extended period. New York Governor Thomas Dewey, during the 1944 presidential race, stated that "Four terms, or sixteen years, is the most dangerous threat to our freedom ever proposed," reflecting the worries of those who believed in fixed terms for the presidency.
The Twenty-second Amendment addressed these concerns by establishing a clear limit on the number of terms a president could serve, ensuring that no individual could accumulate too much power through consecutive terms in office.
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The 1st Amendment Act of India
The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, which was ratified in 1951, imposed term limits on the President of the United States. Now, for some information on the First Amendment Act of India:
The Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951, was passed by the Parliament of India to amend Article 19 of the Constitution, which guaranteed citizens the right to freedom of speech and expression. The amendment was a response to the State of Madras v. Champakam Dorairajan, which went before the Madras High Court and then the Supreme Court of India. In that case, a Brahmin woman challenged the state's Communal General Order, which established caste quotas in government-supported schools, on the grounds that it denied her equality under the law. The courts upheld her petition, and the government faced severe criticism in the press. The administration censored the press, but this was held unconstitutional by the Courts, forcing the government to look for new ways to control freedom of speech.
The First Amendment Act also included minor amendments to Articles 341, 342, 372, and 376, dealing with the convening and proroguing of the sessions of Parliament. It also inserted provisions to secure the constitutional validity of zamindari abolition laws and certain specified State Acts. Article 15(3) was also amplified to ensure that any special provision made by the State for the advancement of any backward class of citizens could not be challenged on the grounds of being discriminatory.
Furthermore, the amendment added Article 31B, which validated certain Acts and Regulations specified in the Ninth Schedule, stating that they should not be deemed void or inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution. Finally, Article 85 was amended to include details about the sessions of Parliament, prorogation, and dissolution, with the President given the power to summon each House of Parliament to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit.
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Limited freedom of speech and expression
The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1951, imposed term limits on the President of the United States. This amendment was a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as president and aimed to prevent any future president from serving more than two terms.
While the 22nd Amendment limited the freedom of the American people to elect a president of their choice for a third term, it did not directly curtail freedom of speech and expression. However, the topic of free speech and expression in the United States is a complex and evolving issue, with a long history of legal interpretation and debate.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution explicitly protects the right to free speech and expression. It states that "Congress shall make no law...abridging freedom of speech." This amendment has been interpreted and applied by the Supreme Court in numerous cases over the years, with the legal protection of free speech becoming stronger than ever before in recent times.
Despite the strong protections afforded by the First Amendment, there are certain limitations to free speech and expression. For example, the Supreme Court has held that restrictions on speech because of its content, where the government targets the speaker's message, generally violate the First Amendment. However, there are situations in which the government can constitutionally restrict speech. For instance, in Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), the Court upheld the right of students to wear black armbands to school to protest a war, protecting their political expression. On the other hand, in Buckley v. Valeo (1976), the Court allowed the government to limit the amount that individuals could contribute to political candidates to prevent undue influence.
The interpretation of what constitutes protected speech under the First Amendment continues to evolve. While the Supreme Court has, at times, allowed punishment for blasphemy and promoted the restriction of speech that encouraged anarchism or condemned the military draft (Schenck v. United States, 1919), it has more recently taken a broader view of free speech protections. The Court's interpretation of the First Amendment directly impacts the limitations of free speech and expression in the United States, shaping the boundaries of what individuals are constitutionally allowed to say and express.
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Frequently asked questions
The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution was ratified in 1951.
The Twenty-second Amendment limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to twice, and outlines additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors.
The Twenty-second Amendment was significant because it established term limits for the President of the United States and addressed concerns about limiting individuals from being elected to the presidency more than twice. It also provided clarity on the eligibility of vice presidents who succeeded to the presidency and sought to prevent an elective monarchy.
Alternatively, if you were referring to the First Amendment Act of 1951, this was passed by the Provisional Parliament of India and related to freedom of speech and expression, the right to equality, and the abolition of zamindari.
