Malcolm Rivera
In 1982, Gregory Watson, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, discovered a 200-year-old proposed amendment to the US Constitution while researching a paper for a government course. Watson's discovery led him to write a term paper arguing that the amendment, which pertained to congressional pay raises, could still be ratified and added to the Constitution. Despite receiving a 'C' grade for his paper, Watson started a grassroots campaign to get the amendment ratified. Watson's efforts, combined with public anger about congressional pay raises, resulted in the amendment's ratification in 1992, making it the 27th Amendment to the US Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the Amendment | Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII), Congressional Compensation Act of 1789 |
| What it states | Any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress may take effect only after the next election of the House of Representatives has occurred. |
| Who proposed it | Founding Father James Madison in 1789 |
| Who revived the proposal | Gregory Watson, a student at the University of Texas at Austin |
| Year of revival | 1982 |
| Year of ratification | 1992 |
| Number of states needed for ratification | 38 |
| Number of states that ratified the amendment | 38 |
| States that ratified the amendment | Maine, Colorado, Michigan, Kentucky, Alabama, and 32 others |
| States that did not ratify the amendment | Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, and Pennsylvania |
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What You'll Learn
The 27th Amendment
In 1982, Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper for a government class in which he argued that the amendment could still be ratified. Watson received a “C” grade for his paper, with his professor dismissing the idea as a "dead letter" issue. Undeterred, Watson started a grassroots campaign to get the amendment ratified, writing letters to state officials and urging them to push for ratification.
Watson's efforts eventually gained traction, and between 1983 and 1989, several states ratified the amendment, including Maine, Colorado, and five other states. In 1992, Michigan became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, and on May 18, 1992, the Archivist of the United States certified that the amendment had been ratified. Congress confirmed this decision on May 20, 1992, and the 27th Amendment officially became part of the United States Constitution.
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The Congressional Compensation Act of 1789
In 1982, Gregory Watson, a sophomore at the University of Texas-Austin, wrote a paper for a government course on the long-forgotten Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, also known as the Twenty-seventh Amendment. Watson's paper argued for the revival and ratification of the amendment, which had initially been proposed by Founding Father James Madison in 1789.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment, or the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, 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. It was one of the first amendments proposed by the First Congress on September 25, 1789, along with 11 other amendments (Articles I-XII). However, it was not ratified by enough states to come into force at that time.
The amendment was largely forgotten until Watson's paper brought it back into the spotlight. Watson received a "'C'" grade for his paper, with his professor, Sharon Waite, not finding it particularly outstanding. Undeterred, Watson started a self-financed grassroots campaign to get the amendment ratified. He wrote letters to state officials, and his efforts gained momentum. The amendment was ratified in Maine in 1983 and Colorado in 1984, followed by five more states in 1985 and several others in subsequent years.
On May 18, 1992, the Archivist of the United States certified that the amendment's ratification had been completed, making it the most recently adopted amendment to the Constitution. The Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, or the Twenty-seventh Amendment, aimed to reduce corruption in the legislative branch by allowing the public to remove members of Congress from office before their salaries increased.
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The amendment's revival
The 27th Amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, states that any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress may take effect only after the next election of the House of Representatives has occurred. In other words, members of the United States Congress are not allowed to raise or lower their salaries mid-term.
The amendment was first proposed by Founding Father James Madison in 1789, along with several other amendments that became the Bill of Rights. However, it took over 200 years to become law. In 1982, Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, discovered that the proposed amendment could still be ratified and started a grassroots campaign to get it passed. Watson was also an aide to a Texas state legislator, Ric Williamson.
Watson's interest in the amendment began when he wrote a term paper on it for a government course. He noticed that the amendment had been ratified by six states by 1792, but then there was little activity. Despite receiving a "'C'" grade on his paper, with his professor calling the idea a "dead letter", Watson was undeterred. He started a self-financed campaign to get the amendment ratified, writing letters to state officials. The amendment was ratified in Maine in 1983 and Colorado in 1984, with several more states following suit in subsequent years.
Finally, on May 7, 1992, Michigan became the 38th state to ratify the 27th Amendment, and the amendment was certified as ratified by the Archivist of the United States under Article V of the Constitution. Watson's persistence and dedication had led to the revival and passage of a long-forgotten amendment, demonstrating the power of one person to create change.
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The amendment's ratification
In 1982, Gregory Watson, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, was researching a topic for a government course. He stumbled upon a 200-year-old proposed amendment written by James Madison, which read: "No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect until an election of representatives shall have intervened.". This amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, stated that any increase or decrease in the salary of members of Congress could only take effect after the next election of the House of Representatives.
Despite receiving a "'C'" grade for his paper, Watson was determined to get the amendment ratified. He started a grassroots campaign, writing letters to state officials and urging them to push for ratification. He achieved his first success in 1983 when Maine's senators forwarded his proposal to the state legislature, which ratified the amendment. Colorado followed suit in 1984, and by 1989, seven more states had ratified the amendment.
Watson's campaign tapped into public anger about congressional pay raises, and it gained wide bipartisan support. On May 7, 1992, Michigan became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, now known as the 27th Amendment. The Archivist of the United States certified the amendment as ratified under Article V of the Constitution, and Congress voiced its support in a near-unanimous vote.
The 27th Amendment is the most recently adopted amendment to the United States Constitution, but it was one of the first proposed. Its journey from 1789 to 1992 demonstrates the dedication and perseverance of Gregory Watson, who proved that one dedicated individual can make a significant impact on the course of history.
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The amendment's content
In 1982, Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, discovered a 200-year-old proposed amendment while researching a paper for a government class. The amendment, written by James Madison, read: "No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives shall take effect until an election of representatives shall have intervened."
Watson wrote his paper on the possibility of reviving and ratifying the long-lost amendment, which had been largely forgotten since its proposal in 1789. Despite his enthusiasm, Watson received a "'C'" grade on his paper, with his professor, Sharon Waite, not finding anything particularly outstanding about it. Undeterred, Watson started a self-financed campaign to get the amendment ratified. He wrote letters to state officials, urging them to push the matter.
The amendment, known as the Twenty-seventh Amendment or 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 has occurred. In other words, members of Congress are not allowed to raise or lower their salaries mid-term.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was finally ratified in 1992, more than two centuries after it was first proposed. The journey to ratification began with Watson's letter-writing campaign, which resulted in the amendment being ratified in Maine in 1983 and Colorado in 1984. This was followed by several other states in the subsequent years, with Michigan becoming the 38th and final state needed for ratification in 1992.
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Frequently asked questions
Gregory Watson favored the 27th Amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789.
The 27th Amendment 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.
Gregory Watson first discovered the proposed 27th Amendment while researching a paper for his sophomore government class in 1982. Watson noticed that the amendment, despite lacking sufficient state support to be passed at the time, did not have an expiration date. He wrote his paper on the possibility of reviving and ratifying the long-forgotten amendment.
After receiving a "C" grade for his paper, Watson started a self-financed campaign to get the amendment ratified. He wrote letters to state officials and members of Congress urging them to push for ratification. The amendment was ratified in Maine in 1983, Colorado in 1984, and several other states in subsequent years.
Yes, Gregory Watson was successful in getting the 27th Amendment ratified. On May 7, 1992, Michigan became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, and on May 18, 1992, the Archivist of the United States certified that the amendment's ratification had been completed.
