The Delayed Ratification of the 27th Amendment
<p>The 27th Amendment in the United States Constitution states that the <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/27th-amendment-what-is-the-twenty-sixth-amendment/">ability to implement salary increases</a> for members of Congress is limited until an election takes place.</p>
<p>But did you know this amendment <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/05/05/526900818/the-bad-grade-that-changed-the-u-s-constitution">was proposed 200 years before it was ratified?</a> It is a fascinating and popular story in the civics and history education space that has been told many times, including by BRI President David Bobb.</p>
<p>The most popular version of the story involves a University of Texas student, Gregory Watson, who wrote a paper on one of his favorite topics: the Constitution. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/05/05/526900818/the-bad-grade-that-changed-the-u-s-constitution">According to National Public Radio (NPR)</a>, he discovered during his research that the 27th Amendment had not yet been ratified, despite being first proposed in 1789.</p>
<p>A constitutional amendment must be approved by three-quarters of state legislatures to be ratified, so Watson wrote his paper arguing that the amendment was still alive and could be ratified.</p>
<p>However, he only received a “C” grade for his work. Undeterred, Watson wrote letters to members of the U.S. Congress asking for help in reaching state legislators who might help ratify the amendment.</p>
<p> Maine senator William Cohen responded to Watson and helped introduce the amendment in the Maine state legislature, which was passed in 1983. This led to other states passing the amendment over the next few years, culminating in the 27th Amendment being officially ratified on May 7, 1992.</p>
<p>The Bill of Rights Institute has several resources devoted to the Constitution available on our website, including <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/constitution/">primary sources</a>, <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/playlists/us-constitution-and-amendments-playlist/">playlists</a>, and our <a href="https://billofrightsinstitute.org/curricula/founders-and-the-constitution/">Founders and the Constitution curriculum</a>, which examines the direct impact our nation’s Founders had on the formation of our constitutional government.</p>