...Merrit Duke History of American Women May 27, 2015 Equality: Too Much to Ask For? The Equal Rights Amendment has been the source of much debate for almost an entire century now. Since first purposed by Alice Paul in the 1920s one’s stance on the potential amendment has been a dividing factor in the political sphere. Though the amendment was shut down in the 1920s there has been discussion about adding the Equal Rights Amendment into the constitution today. If the potential amendment was to be brought back up my stance on the debate would be in support of the amendment. For some background on the debate on the Equal Rights Amendment it would be good to look back and see where activists in the past were split and what about the Equal Rights Amendment has divided them. The Antebellum era gave two different types of women activists, the true women and the Early Feminists. The True Women argued for gender distinctions, separate spheres, domesticity, and women as moral guardians in their natural role as a mother. The True Women would be the women who be apposed to the Equal Rights Amendment and would be active in the fight against it. Arguing against the True Women were the Early Feminists who stressed gender equality, suffrage for women, equal education, human rights, and saw women as rational beings. This group of activists would be in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. Next would be the Progressive era where the two parties in the debate would be the Early Feminists and...
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...The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was written in 1923 by Alice Paul. The purpose of the ERA was to ensure the equal application of the Constitution to all United States citizens, regardless of their sex. This is stated succinctly in the first section of the amendment: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”1 The ERA was proposed in every Congress between 1923 and 1972.2 In 1972, it was finally passed and sent to individual states for ratification. At the end of the ERA’s proposing clause in 1982, it had been ratified by 35 states, making it fall just short of the 38 required to put it into the constitution.3 As the political tide turned more conservative...
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...In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment was drafted by Alice Paul, who believed that the amendment was the appropriate follow-up to the 19th Amendment in guaranteeing equal rights for all. The ERA was aimed at the large number of state laws that restricted women’s jury service, controlling property, and guardianship rights over their children, among others. However, the ERA did not get passed in the United States Congress until 1972, forty-nine years later. It was quickly sent to the states for ratification. Initially, the amendment was met with great support and was approved by 30 out of the needed 38 state legislators within the first year. Because Congress put a seven-year deadline on the ratification process, the ERA needed to be approved three-fourths of the states by March 22, 1979. The amendment seemed promising as federal politicians and a majority of the public showed support (Stidolph). In Oklahoma, the ERA received following from many organizations such as the American Bar Association, Church Women United, and the American Association of University Women. The amendment passed in the Oklahoma Senate with a voice vote. However, there was growing controversy...
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...In class today I was pro-ERA. I felt that this amendment would give men and women constitutional equality, so why would I vote against it? Although, I did feel it wasn’t 100% necessary today I felt that this amendment could help women even if it was in small ways. However, after reading "Nine Reasons to Reject Equal Rights Amendment" I felt that I was leaning more towards the anti-ERA side of the argument. The ERA would give more power to the Federal Government. The Federal Government would have a vast amount of power in topics that "include traditional differences of treatment on the account of sex." Such as, marriage, divorce and alimony, child custody, adoptions, abortion, sex crimes, and private and public schools. I never thought that...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Bill of Rights and Amendments The United States Constitution was recognized to Americans as a vague statement in clarifying the privileges and the rights of individuals and centralizing the power within the government itself. With the passing of the Bill of Rights and the first ten amendments, it grants the people to what is said to be their “natural rights” following additional rights that have significantly changed our society. Amendments and Constitution According to the Constitution, an amendment may be proposed and be presented, where it is put to a two thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The original article is then forwarded for processing and publication to NARA's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) (U.S. Constitution, 2011). The OFR maintains the document until it is either adopted or a failed amendment, then it is transferred for protection to the National Archives. Soon after a proposed amendment is ratified by three-fourths of the states, it becomes a part of the Constitution. (U.S. Constitution, 2011) Not all proposed amendments are accepted and must meet certain constitutional purpose to be passed, for example: after the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and stating that “all men are created equal” the institutionalized system of servitude was a reason to pass to what is now the 13th Amendment of the Constitution and the abolition of slavery. This amendment provided that neither...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Tahitia G. Brown HIS/301 May 17, 2012 Abeba Salter-Woods Bill of Rights and Amendments The original United States Constitution was ratified in 1787. However the current document by which all laws are governed was confirmed and made into law on September 17th of 1789. This document enabled the people some control over government, which was created not only for them by also by the said people. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in a manner, that the text could evolve and mature just as the persons for which it was written. This paper will detail how and why amendments become a part of the constitution, problems which have arisen due to the original document motivating the adoption of the Bill of Rights and their effects. Further listing other issues arising, due to changes in society which have led to amendments thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen, and their affects (University of Phoenix, 2010). Amendments In Article V of the Constitution an amendment process was adopted to ensure that as changes in society occur, so should the document by which all inalienable rights and freedoms are explained in depth. The aforementioned article stipulates the ways in which the Constitution may be amended. The first is by a two-thirds vote from both the House and Representatives and the Senate and 38 of the 50 states must ratify the proposed amendment, which has been the only manner in which all...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Bill of Rights and Amendments The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures. Since the President does not have a constitutional role in the amendment process, the joint resolution does not go to the White House for signature or approval. The original document is forwarded directly to NARA's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) for processing and publication. The OFR adds legislative history notes to the joint resolution and publishes it in slip law format. The Archivist submits the proposed amendment to the States for their consideration by sending a letter of notification to each Governor along with the informational material prepared by the OFR. The Governors then formally submit the amendment to their State legislatures. When a State ratifies a proposed amendment, it sends the Archivist an original or certified copy of the State action, which is immediately conveyed to the Director of the Federal Register. The OFR examines ratification documents for facial legal sufficiency and an authenticating signature. If the documents are found to be in good order, the Director acknowledges receipt and maintains custody of them. The OFR retains these documents until an amendment is adopted or fails, and then transfers the records to the National Archives...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper On September 17th, 1789 The United States Constitution was ratified and made law. The founders of United States Constitution had the foresight to give the constitution a way to grow and adapt with America’s needs, by including an amendment process to change or add to the rights of Americans. The amendment process has allowed America to continue growth and prosperity throughout the years and become one of the most powerful nations in the world. The amendment process will be covered in this paper along with the. The author of this paper will also look at later amendments to the constitution with an emphasis on amendments 13, 14 and 15 and the effects they had on America culture and society. The Purpose of Amendments The constitution was created with an amendment process in Article V to allow the document to adapt to changes in American society. According to article V of the Constitution an amendment can be passed by either a two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a convention where two-thirds of the legislatures meet over an amendment. After the Amendment is approved in the convention process it must then be ratified by 75% of the state legislatures (UMKC School of Law, 2013). Without the Amendment process the United States would have been bound by the same rules that applied back in the late 1700’s. The Amendment process has made it possible for the Constitution to change...
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...The Bill of Rights and Amendments Throughout history the United of States experiences several of events. These events made an impact on our nation which left a mark. The impact of the events led to the changes of the constitution which are referred to as amendments. The original ten amendments made to the United States Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights, these were created by our forefathers. This essay will discuss, the understanding of why did our amendments became a part of the constitution, and what issues of the original documents motivated the adoption of the Bill of rights. People and the government are constantly making changes which could affect their lives as well as others. Therefore, there were many effects because the Bill of Rights. This essay will further discuss the problems with the original document, the changes in society, which led to later amendments, and the effect of those amendments. How and why the amendments become part of the Constitution In order to adjust to society constantly changing, there are changes made to the constitution. It is mention within an article that changes could be made to the constitution. Making changes involves proposing an amendment following ratification, through this process the amendment become a part of the constitution. This process consist of The Constitution provides that an amendment may be proposed either by the Congress with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments HIS/301 September 12, 2011 Professor James Newman Bill of Rights and Amendments The Constitution became ratified and the supreme law of the land September 17, 1787. Our forefathers understood that the possibility of changes may need to occur to this document to continue to grow with the expanding nation. The act of amending is the way the founders have set up to create any possible changes Americans feel need to be made. Without these changes the nation inhibits itself, and remains in the context of a black and white document. In a nation of unique individuals change is constant and what keeps this country thriving. This paper will continue to discuss how and why amendments become part of the Constitution, what problems with the original document motivates the adoption of the Bill of Rights, the effects of the Bill of Rights, what problems or changes in society led to Amendments XIII through XV, and the effects of these later Amendments. Amendments: The Why and How The United States of America is a country constantly growing and filled with different ideas of change. For the United States to keep up with the constant change, they must be able to add amendments. For example slavery and women’s right to vote, both added in later generations because the normal perception of these individuals had changed. If the amending process had not been created people of such high power would not exist today. For example, President Obama,...
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...Although the Equal Rights Amendment itself has never been ratified by the states, it is far from the only legislation on the topic. A variety of other amendments, Supreme Court decisions, and laws work to establish and protect equal rights under the law. Many of these protect rights specifically on the basis of race, but many also include discrimination on the basis of sex, which is what the ERA aimed to do. The first of these acts dates back to July of 1868, when the 14th Amendment was ratified following the Civil War, and was the first piece of legislation that would provide equal rights under the law. It guaranteed that “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States;...
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...threat to the national security of our country, the government, a person, or an organization. Although Americans have First Amendment rights, which are important and provide access to the Internet for information, knowledge, and freedoms of speech, sometimes it may be necessary to violate those rights. It is necessary to monitor the Internet when Cyberbullying in schools occurs and schools may need to monitor the social media accounts of students. The government may need to monitor the Internet when the national security of a country is threatened or the government may need to monitor e-mails and the social media accounts of ordinary citizens in order to identify international and domestic terrorism....
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...Do you know how the 15th Amendment was treated, and how people avoided it. The 15th amendment allowed the black to vote and if it wasn’t for the civil war African Americans still might not be able to vote. The 15th Amendment was passed by Representatives on February 25, 1869 by a vote of 39 to 13. The amendment did help a lot of slaves, but even though they were given the right to vote, some people put obstacles in their way. A poll tax, which is a tax put on voting, block slaves from voting (poll tax). Most slaves didn’t have much money so, putting a tax on voting, targeted most African Americans from voting. Even though most slave couldn’t make money, some could make money by having special abilities or such. Those how made money though, would usually want to spend it on their freedom not on voting. Poll taxes were pretty harsh, but there were still some that are way worse....
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper Jessica Ruiz HIS/301 April 4, 2013 Ryan Tarr Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper The Constitution is a fundamental law, which describes how a strong government should work (Zink, 2009). The Framers had stated that America’s Constitution was a vast contribution to the governments practice, and offered a new form of government to the United States. The United States Constitution is also known as the ultimate law, which was created by our founding fathers to establish a strong governmental structure, to meet the needs of the people in our nation. The Constitution was created to protect the rights of the people and their freedom by enforcing laws on the individuals who did in fact hold power on a political level. The vision of the Framers of an appropriate government for American’s was incorporated in the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights. Amendments becoming part of the Constitution In the Constitution Article V reads, that there are two ways for an amendment to become a part of the United States Constitution. The first way is with a two third vote in both houses of Congress the House of Representatives and the Senate. Today the most common used method of the amendment process is the first way by having the Representatives and Senate vote. The second way is a convention that has been set up by two thirds of the state’s legislatures followed by ratification for the amendment (Patterson, 2009). The ratification process is...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper Jeremy Hall, Sheila Henderson, Sondra Lettsome, Elvina Scott, Desmond Thomas University of Phoenix U.S. Constitution HIS/301 Dr. John Theis November 10, 2011 Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper The founding fathers of our country had it right when they put in place an irrefutable plan of action and order. Although many things have changed since the inception of the original documents, the process and ways of which something must be done and adopted remains viable to us today. This example is not only found in the legislative democracy but also in the educational, religious, and social genres of the world. The constitution shares with all who take the time to peruse, the reasoning behind it, the amendments that are attached, and the rights of each person living the American Dream. After Congress proposes an amendment, the Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is charged with responsibility for administering the ratification process under the provisions of 1 U.S.C. 106b (Archives.Gov.) If two-third of the number of votes of both the Senate and the House of Representative are in favor an amendment can be proposed by the Congress. Otherwise, two-thirds of the legislatures of the fifty states can call for a constitutional agreement for the purposes of proposing amendments to the Constitution. After an amendment to the Constitution has been proposed, it must be ratified...
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