An amendment is ratified if three-fourths of the states legislatures voted for it or by conventions in three-fourths of the states. (b) Two informal methods that have been used to change the meaning of the Constitution are judicial interpretation and incorporation of traditions, precedent and practice. Judicial interpretation is the way which the Supreme Court chooses how the Constitution is to be interpreted to the extent of most constitutional. Interpretation can be changing with changing times, socially and culturally. Judicial review was established through judicial interpretation in court case Marbury v. Madison.
Constitution outlines the steps how an amendment can be proposed. Amendments can be proposed either through Congress or through a Constitutional Convention. Regardless of how an amendment is proposed, the final and most important step is ratification. The two methods of ratification are the three-fourths of the state legislatures and three-fourths of the states in convention (Mount, 2006). The most common method of ratification is the three-fourths vote of the state legislatures.
Just like proposing an amendment, there are also two separate ways for a proposed amendment to be ratified. The first option is for three-fourths of all state legislatures to vote in the amendments favor. This method is considered the “traditional” ratification method and has been used twenty-six times. (Sidlow & Henschen, 2012) The second option is, once again, the convention route. If the states request a convention and then three-fourths of them vote in favor, then that amendment is ratified.
The principle organ of the US state is to legislate, represent and scrutinise the other, safely separated, branches of the government. First of the three elements in which Congress’s primary role plays is in legislation. The very first article of the Constitution lays out how this is done. Bills initiated by both the President and members of Congress are almost certain to be substantially modified as they go through the legislative process, making it very difficult for the President or any political faction to force through their policy agenda. Congress has been somewhat effective in passing laws such as the PATRIOTIC Act under Bush and the Healthcare Reform Act under Obama both show’s that Congress can legislate when it needs be, especially with a majority in both houses.
Final Exam Research Paper In 1774 a group of delegates from each state got together and were called the continental congress. This so called continental congress got together the Declaration of Independence which started the beginning of the American politics, in which three main issues have builded ever since, the constitutional, congress, and the presidency. The constitution one of the most important documents of the united states grants specific powers to each branch of governments which are the: legislative branch, executive branch and the judicial branch. The congress is another way of law and authority of the United States. Congress has many powers in the United States, for example they can band some rules if they think it’s the right
I believe that the Civil War began with the debate over the future of slavery. That very issue led to secession, and secession caused a war where the Northern states fought for the ground of the Union, and the South for their independence as a new confederation of states under its own constitution. It seems to me that any disagreement leads to some form of resentment. We tend to not like what we don’t understand, and it was hard for the North to understand why the Southern states were itching for freedom from them. It seems from a broader point of view that the North has gone through so much just for the Southern states of America to exist.
Fundamentals of Constitutional History Judy Sigona March 28, 2012 Raymond Garubo America’s three core political ideas are; Liberty – The ability to think, acts, and choose freely. Individuals however can’t interfere with other individual freedoms and rights. Equality - Equality stands for the equal treatment under the law of the land, political views, and equal moral worth. Self Government – Is an idea that all Americans have a voice and we choose is government officials by way of majority votes. The three rules of American politics are: Democracy – Is a form of government where the people decide to govern or elect officials.
The American Civil War was fought over a few reasons, but slavery is thought to be the major reason for the war and even today, slavery is "front and center" as the reason for the war. Ultimately, the American Civil War was the result of economic, social, and political differences between the Northern States and the Southern States. The Southern economy was driven by the growth of cotton, which needed a huge amount of work force, in this case slaves. Some of the Northern states had abolished slavery, others agreed on the gradual emancipation after the American Revolutionary War, and their economy was industrial based. There was a dispute between free-states and slave states over the new territory, California, though the issue was temporally fixed with the Compromise of 1850.
As such, the Constitution underlies both the positive and negative functions of the separation of powers. For without some idea of what the branches' duties are, it is impossible to know when and how to defend their rights and their independence. This argument is not disproved by subsequent developments in American politics, in particular the rise of political parties. It is true that the Constitution of 1787 had to be amended to accommodate the practice of presidential and vice presidential candidates running for office on the same party ticket. The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, changed the method of voting in the Electoral College by requiring the electors to cast separate ballots for President and Vice President.
The state’s rights issue was embedded in the issue of slavery; this, would lead our nation to war. In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act would begin to strike conflict within both the North and South (The American Mosaic). This act would constitutionally require Northerners to return runaway slaves to their slave owners. Forcing the north to put aside an issue that most felt was unjust and/or immoral and participate in it immediately. While at first Southerners were very happy with this compromise, the reaction of the north would infuriate them.