Group 10's 28th Amendment

(Note: A portion of Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution is to be modified by the 28th Amendment.)

A person does not have to be a natural born citizen of the United States to be eligible for the Office of President. The only qualifications for the Office of President are that the candidate be a citizen of this country, a resident of this country for at least 14 years, and a person of at least 35 years of age.

Amendment XXVIII (Group 4)

Text of the Amendment

The manufacture, transportation, sale, purchase, and consumption of all psychoactive drugs, psychopharmaceuticals, or any other illicit medication formerly prohibited by federal law, is hereby deemed legal within the United States and all territory subject to its jurisdiction.  

Reasons Behind the Amendment

Similar to the eighteenth amendment, federal bans on psychoactive drugs - such as marijuana and cocaine - have not thwarted drug use, rather, they have catalyzed organized crime and created a black market for illicit drugs. Drug laws have also siphoned precious tax dollars to federal agencies that insist on engaging in an endless “war on drugs.”  Rather than impose stricter drug laws, full-fledged legalization of all drugs will dismantle black markets, free up tax dollars, and lessen drug related crimes. Citizens of the United States should have the right to purchase whichever drugs they fancy, and should have the responsibility to deal with whatever repercussions their drug use may bring about.

Amendment XVIII

Amendment XVIII

Text of the Amendment

Section 1. After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.

Section 2. The Congress and the several States shall have concurrent power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress

Understanding the Amendment

Any manufacture, sale, or transportation of inebriating liquor within the United States or its territory is illegal. Importation and exportation of liquor is also illegal. This amendment shall be put into effect one year after its ratification. Congress, along with the States, have the power to enforce this law. Still, the consumption and purchase of liquor remains legal.

History of the Amendment

The National Prohibition Act of 1919, also known as the Volstead Act, was the inspiration for the eighteenth amendment to the constitution. The bill was originally vetoed by President Woodrow Wilson, however Congress overturned his veto the very same day. The text of the amendment itself is brief, however the law to implement it was twenty-five pages long and very difficult to understand. The law was violated by tens of millions of Americans, spawning organized crime throughout major cities throughout the nation.  

Effects of the Amendment on the United States

This amendment has been rendered obsolete by the the twenty-first amendment, therefore, it yields no direct effects on the United States today. However, in its time, this amendment, ironically, did not dampen the general use of intoxicating beverages within the United States. Instead, it spawned illicit sales and manufacturing (bootlegging) of liquor, which resulted in a sharp increase in crime. Today, the amendment does have some lingering, indirect effects, as temperance has been more culturally endorsed, and states have imposed stricter age requirements for the use of alcohol.

Effects of the Amendment on Me

Because this amendment was cancelled by the twenty-first, and it is illegal for me to carry/consume alcohol, this amendment has virtually no effect on me. However, through observing how this amendment effected the United States historically, I understand that it is unwise to prohibit alcohol in this country...

Amendment XIII

Amendment XIII

Text:

Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.

Section 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Background info: 

(Proposed January 31, 1865, Ratified December 6, 1865) Conflict in America over the legality of slavery lead to the start of the Civil War, which began in 1861. By the end of the war, Congress had agreed to ban slavery in the country, and the southern states that had succeeded and formed the Confederate States of America had to ratify the new amendment as a part of their re-initiation into the United States. (Mississippi was the last to ratify in 1995.)

Effect:

This protects us citizens from enslavement, thus preventing travesties like the American Slave Trade. It also provides argument against child labor.

In addition, we agree that this amendment should separate and distinguish slavery and criminal punishment within the amendment. The exception for dealing with criminals should be kept separate from the banning of slavery. This amendment could be interpreted to only concern the matters of prison. Certain psychopaths may believe that they are justified in enslaving people.

Group 8's Twenty-Eighth Amendment

The United States government will have the capability of raising the national age of employment from sixteen years of age to eighteen years of age - incentivizing students and the youth of the United States of America to stay in school and continue in their education.

It's no lie that the state of education in the US is "somewhat" flawed, and perhaps it may be that the working age starts at 16, providing an opportunity for students to drop out of their upper education to go and earn money. By raising that age to 18 years, it would allow a student to remain in, and complete, a high school education, which is a bare essential of a decent resume. Additionally, it may have the affect of bettering the quality of the workforce. More education means more knowledge, more knowledge means better foundation, and better foundation means better quality workers, and thus that would lead to a better educated workforce as a whole.

10th Amendment

Original Text

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Translation 

Any power not given to the federal government by the Constitution is given to the States.

Passage and Ratification

The tenth amendment was the last amendment ratified in the Bill of Rights. It was written into the US Constitution on September 5, 1789. James Madison introduced the amendment to the delegates, reasoning that the powers of the states needed to be declared in the new Constitution. This would deny the federal government any implied powers that are not under the “Necessary and Proper Clause”. A balance of power between the federal and states governments was an important issue to the founding fathers, who distrusted the federal government and wanted to prevent an usurpation.

During the revolutionary war, the colonies declared independence from Great Britain and they became thirteen separate colonies. A committee then came together to united the thirteen colonies under the Articles of Confederation. It took a long time for each colonies to join the Union and become one country because of the distrust of a centralized government. They were afraid to give up their local rights to a national government. The biggest argument during the Constitutional Convention was states rights v. national rights.

A group of delegates called the Anti-Federalists argued that the Constitution would lead to a centralized power that would destroy the liberty of everyone else.The Anti-Federalists were the ones who directly influenced the passage of the tenth amendment. By giving the federal government specified powers, the Constitution leaves all other powers for state sovereignties. The founding fathers wanted as much power as possible to be retained by state legislatures. The tenth amendment was necessary for the liberty of the states.

The Effect on the United States

The tenth amendment gave the states many rights. It gave them the right to be exempted from federal mandates, or orders given by the government. States can ignore orders given by the court. It worked in the case of New York v. United States, where the government attempted to get radioactive waste from each states, but New York exempted themselves under the tenth amendment. 

However, the government still tries to create economic sanctions for each states. Instead, states collect federal funds, such as gas tax and income tax, for the federal government and pay the government each month for the funds to be used for purposes which are allowed in the Constitution. If the government were to actually impose economic sanctions on states, the states would just stop funding the government. Because of this amendment, the federal government tries not to impose on states rights, since it could lead to its own destruction.

The Effect on Us

Last month, my class did a project that followed the actions of our state representative. Through this project, I discovered how much power my state representative and all other representatives actually had. They are the ones who get to decide on the laws of our nation. Congress represents the states, and the states represent us. Without the tenth amendment, state legislatures would not have any power. The President has to work with the States to be able to get anything accomplished.

I, and everyone else, can have a direct effect on this nation through state legislators. I can contact my representative, John Sabatina, and discuss my thoughts on decisions he should make on my behalf. The state legislatures were created to give the people power, instead of the national government having all the power. I think the tenth amendment worked well to balance the power.

XXVIII (Group 2)

Our XXVIII Amendment

The rights of citizens of the United States shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sexual orientation. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.