Eleanor Finch
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times, with the last amendment being the Twenty-seventh Amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789. This 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. It was proposed in 1789 and finally ratified and adopted in 1992, making it the most recent amendment to the US Constitution.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Amendment | Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII), also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789 |
| Purpose | To reduce corruption in the legislative branch by requiring an election before a congressperson's salary increase takes effect |
| Date Proposed | June 8, 1789 |
| Date Adopted | May 5, 1992 |
| Number of Amendments | 27 |
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What You'll Learn
The Twenty-seventh Amendment (Congressional Compensation Act of 1789)
The Twenty-seventh Amendment, also known as the Congressional Compensation Act of 1789, is the most recently adopted amendment to the United States Constitution. It 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.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment has one of the most unusual histories of any amendment to the Constitution. It was first proposed in 1789, by James Madison, then a Virginia congressman, along with eleven other amendments. The first ten of these, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. However, the Twenty-seventh Amendment was not ratified by enough states to come into force at that time. In fact, it lay dormant for almost a century until the Ohio legislature ratified it in 1873 to protest a congressional pay raise.
The amendment was then largely forgotten until 1982, when Gregory Watson, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, wrote a paper arguing that the states could still ratify the amendment. Watson's paper sparked a nationwide effort, and from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, more than 30 state legislatures ratified the amendment. Finally, on May 7, 1992, more than two centuries after it was first proposed, the Twenty-seventh Amendment was officially proclaimed as part of the Constitution.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment addresses the issue of congressional pay raises and was designed to reduce corruption in the legislative branch. By requiring an election before a congressperson's salary increase takes effect, the public has the power to remove members of Congress from office if they disagree with the raise. This amendment ensures that Congress does not have unlimited power over its own pay and provides a check on their ability to set their compensation.
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The amendment process
The United States Constitution has been amended 27 times since it was drafted in 1787, with the first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, being ratified in 1791. The process of amending the Constitution is outlined in Article V of the Constitution and is a two-step process. Firstly, an amendment must be proposed, and secondly, it must be ratified.
An amendment can be proposed in two ways. Firstly, the U.S. Congress can propose an amendment whenever a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives deem it necessary. Secondly, a national convention can be called by Congress on the application of two-thirds of state legislatures (34 since 1959). This second option has never been used.
Once an amendment has been proposed, it must be ratified to become operative. An amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states (38 since 1959) through either the legislatures of three-fourths of the states or state ratifying conventions in three-fourths of the states. The Archivist of the United States is responsible for administering the ratification process and, upon completion, issues a certificate proclaiming that an amendment has become an operative part of the Constitution.
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The Bill of Rights
The amendments add to the Constitution specific guarantees of personal freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the right to publish, practice religion, possess firearms, assemble, and other natural and legal rights. The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
The Second Amendment states that "a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The Third Amendment states that "no soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law."
The Fourth Amendment safeguards citizens' right to be free from unreasonable government intrusion in their homes through the requirement of a warrant. It states that "the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."
The Ninth Amendment states that "the enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." The Tenth Amendment states that "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."
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The Reconstruction Amendments
The 13th Amendment, proposed in 1864 and ratified in 1865, abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The measure was swiftly ratified by all but three Union states (Delaware, New Jersey, and Kentucky).
The 14th Amendment, proposed in 1866 and ratified in 1868, addresses citizenship rights and equal protection under the law for all people. Thaddeus Stevens, the Republican floor leader in the House of Representatives, was a strong advocate for this amendment, which transformed the Constitution from a document primarily concerned with federal-state relations and property rights to one that protected the rights of vulnerable minorities.
The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, was the third and final Reconstruction Amendment. It prohibits federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This amendment was proposed in response to the narrow election of Ulysses S. Grant to the presidency in 1868, which convinced a majority of Republicans that protecting the franchise of black men was important for the party's future.
While the Reconstruction Amendments were a significant step forward in guaranteeing the freedom and civil rights of formerly enslaved people, their promise was eroded by state laws and federal court decisions throughout the late 19th century. It was not until the mid-20th century, with Supreme Court decisions like Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 and legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that the full benefits of these amendments were realized.
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The Eighteenth Amendment
The amendment also sparked a new category of crimes, with organised criminal syndicates taking control of alcohol distribution. Prisons became overcrowded, and law enforcement struggled to keep up with the illegal liquor trade, often resorting to "sting" operations. While the murder rate initially decreased, it eventually rose to record highs due to gangland killings. Overall, crime rates climbed, including increases in assault, theft, and burglary.
The challenges and negative consequences associated with the Eighteenth Amendment led to the formation of anti-prohibition groups, advocating for its repeal. On December 5, 1933, the amendment was repealed through the adoption of the Twenty-first Amendment, marking a unique moment in American history as the only constitutional amendment to be repealed.
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Frequently asked questions
The last time the US Constitution was amended was in 1992, with the addition of the Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII).
The Twenty-seventh 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.
The Twenty-seventh Amendment was first proposed in 1789, along with 11 other amendments.
More than 11,000 amendments have been proposed, but only 27 have been ratified.
Amendments must be proposed and ratified before becoming operative. They can be proposed by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, or by a national convention called by Congress. To become part of the Constitution, an amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states.
