Tag: Constitutional Convention

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Happy Constitution Day!

Stock Photo of the Consitution of the United States and Feather Quill

On this day in 1787, the United States Constitution was signed by 39 delegates in Philadelphia as it was sent on its way to the thirteen states for ratification. After rigorous debate in the states, this incredible document was ratified, officially creating a government that was based on the rule of law, not the rule of man. Today we celebrate this important moment in American history as a day when the revolutionary ideas of liberty and freedom, and a government by the people, overcame tyranny and oppression. Today we celebrate the Constitution.

Happy Constitution Day!

Rep. Scott Garrett

7 Things You May Not Know About the Constitutional Convention

SEPTEMBER 17, 2012 By Christopher Klein

For four months during the summer of 1787, the Constitutional Convention met “in order to form a more perfect union.” With the country’s legal framework finally drafted, the framers of the Constitution signed the document on September 17, 1787, before sending it to the states for ratification. Explore seven surprising facts about the delegates to the Constitutional Convention and their work in Philadelphia.

https://www.history.com/news/7-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-constitutional-convention?cmpid=Social_FBPAGE_HISTORY_20160917_584332866&linkId=28827627

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Constitutional Convention Gathers Some Steam

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Constitutional Convention Gathers Some Steam

337 NOV 30, 2014 10:59 AM EST
By Albert R. Hunt

Rising frustration with Washington and conservative electoral victories across much of the U.S. are feeding a movement in favor of something America hasn’t done in 227 years: Hold a convention to rewrite the Constitution.

Although it’s still not likely to be successful, the effort is more serious than before: Already, more than two dozen states have called for a convention. There are two ways to change or amend the founding document. The usual method is for an adjustment to win approval from two-thirds of the Congress and then be ratified by three-quarters of the states. There have been 27 amendments adopted this way.

The second procedure is separate from Congress. It requires two-thirds of the states, or 34, to call for a convention. The framers thought this was necessary because Congress wouldn’t be likely to advance any amendments that curtailed its powers. But this recourse never has been used.

Two states, California and Vermont, have called for a convention to overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision that permits huge amounts of unregulated money into federal campaigns. Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political scientist, wants a conventionto adopt sweeping changes, including a single six-year presidential term and concomitant House and Senate terms, to create more of a parliamentary system. Petitions to adopt term limits for members of Congress have circulated for years.

But much of the current impetus comes from fervent fiscal conservatives. This includes calls for an amendment requiring abalanced budget and other restraints on the federal government’s spending and taxation powers.

https://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-11-30/constitutional-convention-gathers-some-steam