Jonah Patel
The Twenty-second 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 passed in 1951, six years after Franklin D. Roosevelt's death. Roosevelt was the only US president to exceed eight years in office, serving an unprecedented four terms as president. The amendment was passed in response to Roosevelt's unprecedented tenure, as well as concerns about the rise of dictators overseas, and the potential for executive overreach.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for the Amendment | To limit the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to twice and set additional eligibility conditions. |
| Reason for Roosevelt's Third Term | The war in Europe was cited as a reason for breaking the two-term precedent. |
| Roosevelt's Death | 12 April 1945, 11 weeks into his fourth term. |
| Amendment Proposal | Proposed by the House of Representatives in 1947, two years after Roosevelt's death. |
| Amendment Ratification | 27 February 1951. |
| Amendment Applicability | Does not apply to any person holding the office of President when the Amendment was proposed. |
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What You'll Learn
FDR's unprecedented fourth term
Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, was elected to an unprecedented four terms as president. He was first elected in 1932 in response to the Great Depression. After serving two full terms, he ran for president again in 1940. This decision to seek a third term dominated the election campaign. Roosevelt's popularity and his leadership during the Great Depression helped him win the election.
Roosevelt's unprecedented third term took place as the United States neared its entry into World War II. He was re-elected in 1944, and his fourth term began in the same year. However, he died in April 1945, just 11 weeks into his fourth term.
The continual re-election of FDR, and his death early into his fourth term, caused concern about the rising power of dictators overseas, such as Adolf Hitler and Mussolini. This led to fears that the same could happen in the United States. The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed in response to these fears. The amendment limits a person to being elected to the office of President of the United States twice and sets additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed to the unexpired terms of their predecessors.
The 22nd Amendment was approved by Congress in 1947, two years after Roosevelt's death, and was ratified in 1951. Since the ratification of the amendment, all subsequent presidents have served for no longer than two elected terms.
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The 22nd Amendment
The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution was passed in 1951, six years after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was elected to an unprecedented four terms as president. The amendment was a reaction to Roosevelt's unprecedented fourth term and 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 passed in an era when Americans were concerned about the rising power of dictators overseas, such as Adolf Hitler and Mussolini. This concern was exacerbated by Roosevelt's continual re-election, which was seen as a threat to democracy and a potential step towards autocracy or dictatorship. Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term in 1940 broke a longstanding tradition established by early presidents such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, who chose not to seek re-election after two terms.
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 to the unexpired terms of their predecessors. Specifically, it states that 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 President more than once. This means that a person who serves as President for more than two years of another President's term due to that President's death or removal from office is prohibited from serving more than one additional elected term.
The Twenty-second Amendment was approved by Congress on March 21, 1947, and submitted to the state legislatures for ratification. It was ratified on February 27, 1951, when 36 out of 48 states had ratified it, and its provisions came into force on that date. Since the ratification of the amendment, all subsequent presidents have served no more than two elected terms.
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Preventing dictatorship
The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution was passed to prevent dictatorship and limit the number of times a person can be elected to the office of President of the United States to twice. This was a direct response to Franklin D. Roosevelt's unprecedented election to four terms as president.
The amendment was ratified in 1951, six years after Roosevelt's death, and states that "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."
The issue of presidential term limits had long been debated in American politics, with the Founding Fathers extensively considering the issue during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. While some, like Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, supported lifetime tenure for presidents, others disagreed, arguing that it would be tantamount to an elective monarchy.
The concern of Americans about the rising power of dictators overseas, such as Adolf Hitler and Mussolini, also played a role in the passage of the amendment. There was a fear that without term limits, a president could become a king or dictator, with Sen. Chapman Revercomb stating that power given to a president without term limits "would be a definite step in the direction of autocracy, regardless of the name given to the office."
The Twenty-second Amendment was thus a reaction to Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as president and the desire to prevent any future president from accumulating too much power and potentially becoming a dictator.
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Popular opposition to FDR's third term
Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term as president was met with significant opposition from various quarters. Roosevelt's move broke the longstanding two-term precedent set by George Washington in 1796. This precedent was viewed as a safeguard against the concentration of power, akin to the tyrannical rule witnessed during the Colonial era.
Roosevelt's own vice president, John Nance Garner, vehemently opposed his bid for a third term. Garner entered the 1940 race as a Democratic nominee for president, garnering support from the conservative wing of the Democratic Party. Roosevelt, however, outmaneuvered him by arranging his own “spontaneous” nomination at the 1940 Democratic National Convention, where Eleanor Roosevelt delivered a rousing speech. This resulted in a rift within the Democratic Party, with some key supporters and advisors leaving Roosevelt's campaign.
The Republicans also campaigned heavily against Roosevelt's third term. Their candidate, Wendell Willkie, ran on a platform opposing open-ended presidential tenure, warning, "if one man is indispensable, then none of us is free." Willkie gained momentum by tapping into the concerns of Americans who feared the concentration of power and potential abuse of power in the presidency. Political buttons from the time reflected this sentiment, with slogans like "FDR Out at Third," indicating a substantial segment of the population opposed to Roosevelt's third term.
The popular opposition to Roosevelt's third term was driven by concerns about the potential abuse of power and the preservation of democratic norms. Roosevelt's decision sparked a broader debate about presidential term limits, which ultimately led to the ratification of the 22nd Amendment in 1951, two years after his death. This amendment limited presidents to two terms, ensuring that no individual could accumulate power by holding the office for an extended period.
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Presidential term limits
The Twenty-second Amendment (Amendment XXII) to the United States Constitution was passed in 1951, six years after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the only US president to serve four terms. The amendment limits the number of times a person can be elected president to twice, and sets additional eligibility conditions for presidents who succeed their predecessors' unexpired terms.
The amendment was a response to Roosevelt's unprecedented four terms as president, but the debate over presidential term limits had been ongoing in American politics since the Constitutional Convention of 1787. At that time, several delegates, including Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, supported lifetime tenure for presidents, while others, such as Virginia's George Mason, argued that this would be tantamount to an elective monarchy.
The issue of term limits gained new urgency during Roosevelt's presidency, particularly after he was elected to a third term in 1940, breaking a longstanding two-term tradition established by early presidents such as George Washington. Roosevelt's decision to seek a third term was highly controversial, with some arguing that it posed a threat to democracy and could lead to executive overreach or even dictatorship. In 1944, Republican candidate Thomas Dewey campaigned in favour of a constitutional amendment to limit presidents to two terms.
Two years after Roosevelt's death in 1945, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment, which was ratified in 1951. The amendment prohibits anyone who has been elected president twice from being elected to office again, and also applies to those who have served as president for more than two years of a term to which another person was elected. This amendment ensured that no individual could serve as president for more than two full terms, addressing concerns about the concentration of power and the potential for autocracy or dictatorship.
Despite the amendment, there remains some ambiguity regarding term limits. For example, it does not explicitly state a maximum limit of ten years of service for any individual, regardless of how they became president. Additionally, while the 22nd Amendment limits the number of terms a president can serve, it does not prevent a "termed-out" president from becoming Vice President and potentially ascending to the presidency again.
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Frequently asked questions
FDR, or Franklin D. Roosevelt, was elected to an unprecedented four terms as president. This broke the two-term tradition that had been set by George Washington in 1796. Two years after FDR's death in 1945, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment, which limited presidents to two terms.
The 22nd Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed to prevent a president from serving more than two terms. It 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."
FDR's decision to run for a third term was controversial. It resulted in key Democratic supporters and advisors leaving his campaign, and some people refused to say his name, instead calling him "That Man". One-third of Americans voted against him, arguing that he was taking America down the road of socialism.
