Jonah Patel
The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXII, limits a person to being elected to the office of President of the United States to twice. The amendment was ratified in 1951 and prohibits anyone who has been elected president twice from being elected to office again. The Twenty-second Amendment was a reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to an unprecedented four terms as president, and it has since limited the ability of presidents to remain in office beyond two terms.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Amendment Number | 22nd Amendment |
| Date of Ratification | 27th February 1951 |
| Number of Terms a Person can be Elected to the Office of President | Twice |
| Eligibility for Presidents Succeeding to Unexired Terms of their Predecessors | Allowed, but with conditions |
| Applicability to Persons Holding Office when Proposed by Congress | Not applicable |
| Applicability to Persons Holding Office when Amendment Becomes Operative | Allowed to hold office during the remainder of the term |
| Requirements for Operative Amendment | Ratification by legislatures of three-fourths of the states within seven years of submission |
| Reaction to | Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to four terms as president |
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What You'll Learn
- The 22nd Amendment limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President to twice
- The Amendment was a reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to an unprecedented four terms
- The Amendment does not apply to anyone holding the office of President when it was proposed
- The Amendment was ratified in 1951 after almost four years of deliberation
- The Amendment has experienced a split reception, with attempts made to modify or repeal it
The 22nd Amendment limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President to twice
The 22nd Amendment, also known as Amendment XXII, limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President to twice. This amendment was passed in reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to an unprecedented four terms as president. Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term dominated the 1940 election campaign, and his subsequent bid for a fourth term in 1944 further fuelled concerns about a president serving unlimited terms.
The 22nd Amendment was approved by Congress on March 21, 1947, and submitted to the states for ratification. The amendment was ratified in 1951, when 36 of the 48 states at the time approved it, and it came into force on the same date. The amendment prohibits anyone who has been elected president twice from being elected to office again. It also stipulates that someone who fills an unexpired presidential term of more than two years is prohibited from being elected president more than once.
The 22nd Amendment states: "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once." This amendment has been the subject of debate and has faced unsuccessful attempts at repeal.
The amendment's applicability has been questioned, particularly in relation to the Twelfth Amendment, and it has yet to be applied in any unique scenarios. The 22nd Amendment's plain language, however, clearly restricts an elected president to two terms and has been upheld by the Supreme Court. This amendment has been in force since 1951, and all subsequent presidents have adhered to the two-term limit.
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The Amendment was a reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to an unprecedented four terms
The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, which limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President to two terms, was a reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to an unprecedented four terms as president. Roosevelt was elected four times, in 1932, 1936, 1940, and 1944, serving as president from 1933 to 1945. Roosevelt's decision to seek a third and fourth term was influenced by the outbreak of World War II in Europe. While Roosevelt's unprecedented third and fourth terms were supported by his Democratic Party, citing the war in Europe as a reason to break with precedent, they also sparked concerns about a president serving unlimited terms and dominated the election campaigns of 1940 and 1944.
In the 1944 election, Roosevelt's Republican opponent, Thomas E. Dewey, announced his support for a constitutional amendment to limit presidents to two terms. Dewey's statement reflected a broader debate in American politics about presidential term limits, which had been extensively considered by delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. While the first and third presidents of the United States, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, had established a two-term tradition by choosing not to run for a third term, there were no formal laws regarding term limits until the 22nd Amendment was passed.
The 22nd Amendment was approved by Congress on March 21, 1947, and ratified in 1951, when the required number of states (36 out of 48 at the time) had ratified it. The amendment not only limits individuals to being elected president twice but also sets additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors. Specifically, it prohibits anyone who has served as president for more than two years of a predecessor's term from being elected president more than once.
The 22nd Amendment's limitation on presidential terms has been a subject of debate, with several presidents expressing their opposition to it. For example, Harry S. Truman described the amendment as "one of the worst" amendments to the Constitution after leaving office. The Supreme Court also struck down term limits for members of Congress in a 1995 ruling, stating that term limits restrict voters' ability to vote for their preferred candidates. However, the Court acknowledged that the 22nd Amendment imposes a limit on the number of terms a president may serve.
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The Amendment does not apply to anyone holding the office of President when it was proposed
The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, also known as Amendment XXII, limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to twice. It also sets additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors. The Amendment was a reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to an unprecedented four terms as president, which raised concerns about a president serving unlimited terms.
The Amendment includes a provision that it "shall not apply to any person holding the office of President when this Article was proposed by Congress". This means that it did not apply to President Roosevelt, who was in office when the Amendment was proposed and ratified. Roosevelt was elected to four terms in office between 1932 and 1944, going against an unwritten precedent set by George Washington that limited presidents to serving a maximum of two full terms, or eight years.
The Amendment was proposed by the House of Representatives in 1947, two years after Roosevelt's death and the ascension of Harry S. Truman to the presidency. It was then approved and sent to the states for ratification, a process that was completed in 1951 when the requisite 36 of the 48 states had ratified it. Since the Amendment's ratification, all subsequent presidents have served for no longer than two elected terms.
The Twenty-second Amendment's plain language clearly states that a person twice elected as president cannot run for a third term. However, there is debate over the Amendment's applicability to scenarios where a two-term president could serve in a non-elected capacity or be elected as vice president. The Amendment's language only addresses the election of a president and does not explicitly prohibit a former two-term president from holding other roles that could lead to the presidency, such as Speaker of the House.
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The Amendment was ratified in 1951 after almost four years of deliberation
The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1951, limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President to twice. This amendment was passed after nearly four years of deliberation, during which time the office of the President was not subject to term limits.
The 22nd Amendment was a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as President. Roosevelt was elected four times between 1932 and 1944, serving for more than eight years in total. His multiple terms in office raised concerns about a President serving unlimited consecutive terms. Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term dominated the 1940 election campaign, with his opponent, Republican Wendell Willkie, running on a platform opposing open-ended presidential tenure.
The 22nd Amendment was approved by Congress on March 21, 1947, and submitted to the states for ratification. The amendment prohibits anyone who has been elected President twice from being elected to office again. It also sets additional eligibility conditions for Presidents who succeed their predecessors before their terms expire. On February 27, 1951, the amendment was ratified when 36 out of 48 states had ratified it, and its provisions came into force.
Since the ratification of the 22nd Amendment, there have been unsuccessful attempts to modify or repeal it. The amendment has also sparked debates about the nature of the presidency and the eligibility of two-term Presidents to serve in other government roles, such as Vice President or Speaker of the House.
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The Amendment has experienced a split reception, with attempts made to modify or repeal it
The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, which limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President to twice, has experienced a divided reception. While it successfully put an end to the possibility of a president serving unlimited terms, it has also faced opposition and attempts to modify or repeal it.
The 22nd Amendment was a response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as president, which raised concerns about unlimited presidential terms. The amendment was ratified in 1951, prohibiting anyone from being elected president more than twice. This amendment also sets additional eligibility conditions for presidents who complete their predecessors' terms.
However, the 22nd Amendment has not been without its critics. Some scholars debate the exact interpretation of the amendment, questioning whether it prohibits affected individuals from ever becoming president again or if it only applies to consecutive presidential elections. Over the years, several presidents have expressed their disapproval of the amendment. Harry S. Truman, for instance, described it as one of the worst amendments to the Constitution.
Despite these objections, no successful attempts have been made to modify or repeal the 22nd Amendment. It continues to be a significant aspect of the United States Constitution, shaping the country's political landscape by ensuring that no individual can hold the office of the president indefinitely.
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Frequently asked questions
The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution limits the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to twice.
The Twenty-second Amendment was a reaction to Franklin D. Roosevelt's election to an unprecedented four terms as president.
Congress approved the Twenty-second Amendment on March 21, 1947, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification. That process was completed on February 27, 1951, when the requisite 36 of the 48 states had ratified the amendment.
Some people have criticised the Twenty-second Amendment for limiting the ability of voters to vote for whom they wish. Others have argued in favour of repealing the amendment to allow for consistent leadership in response to a crisis.
