Did You Know? The Second Edition of 2021

Did You Know? The Second Edition of 2021

Why was the 22nd Amendment Created?

And we're back! This week on our second edition of the Did You Know? series, we'll be examining a critical Amendment to the U.S. Constitution; the 22nd Amendment.

The 22nd (XXII) Amendment of the United States Constitution was first approved by Congress on March 21, 1947 and subsequently ratified into the Constitution on February 27, 1951. The purpose of the Amendment was to establish term limits for Presidents, limiting each President to two terms either served consecutively or separately. Additionally, the Amendment counts against someone who succeeds a President and serves more than two years of the unexpired term from being elected to the Presidency of the United States more than once.

The Amendment was created as a direct response to the overwhelming popularity and successive election of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR). FDR was and remains the only President that was elected President more than twice, bucking the time-honored precedent started by George Washington that no President would serve for more than two terms. FDR's popularity allowed for his election to four consecutive terms as President, beginning and ending his service on March 4, 1933 and April 12, 1945 respectively. His time as President ended only with his death caused by illness.

While term limits for the office of President had been discussed in the past, there was never any serious action taken until FDR's four-term cycle. In the midterm election cycle following FDR's death, the Republicans had begun campaigning extensively on the issue of establishing Presidential term limits and were able to deliver on this promise following their successful capture of majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate. As such, House Joint Resolution 27 was introduced as a check on the power of Presidents and to prevent populist dictators from remaining in power for life should they too buck the two-term tradition set by Washington. A key thing to note was the Grandfather Clause established in Section 1, which had precluded then President Harry S. Truman. Truman was capable of running for an unrestricted amount of terms, but had declined to do so based on the overwhelming negative perception of his Presidency late into his second term.

While there has been some support for repealing the 22nd Amendment, it has never been given any form of serious thought or legislative proposal since its ratification. Many consider it a vital piece of the checks and balances that uphold American democracy, and as such it remains a staple to our political dynamics for federal government.

By the People, for the People, of the People, for it is We the People.