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20th Amendment ratified...
20th Amendment ratified...
Item # 554403
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January 24, 1933
THE NEW YORK TIMES, New York, NY, January 24, 1933
* 20th Amendment ratified
* Lame Duck
* Presidential inaugurations now on the 20th of January
This 40 page newspaper has one column headlines on the front page that include: "39 STATES RATIFY AMENDMENT ENDING 'LAME DUCK' TERMS", "Missouri Is 36th to Vote Change in the Constitution, Effective on Oct. 15", "INAUGURATIONS ON JAN. 20" and more. Much more on page 6 including the amendment text.
Other news of the day throughout. Some margin wear with a page 2 tape mend and light browning, otherwise good.
wikipedia notes: This amendment's primary purpose was to reduce the amount of time between the election of the President and Congress and the beginning of their terms. Originally, the terms of the President, the Vice President, and the Congress began on March 4, four months after the elections were held. While this lapse was a practical necessity during the 18th century, at which time a newly elected official might need several months to put his affairs in order and then undertake the arduous journey from his home to the national capital, it had the effect of impeding the functioning of government in the modern age. This was seen most notably in 1861 and 1933, as Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt each had to wait approximately four months before they could deal with the crisis conditions the country was in.
Originally, under Article I, Section 4, Clause 2, the Congress was required to convene at least once each year in December. That resulted in a mandatory lame duck session following each election.
The amendment was ratified on January 23, 1933. Because of Section 5, Sections 1 and 2 did not take effect until October 15, 1933, thus the first meeting of the 73rd Congress and the inauguration of President Roosevelt and Vice President Garner were still on March 4 of that year.
On February 15, 1933, 23 days after this amendment was ratified, President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt was the target of an unsuccessful assassination attempt by Giuseppe Zangara. If the attempt had been successful then, pursuant to Section 3, John Nance Garner would have been sworn in as President on Inauguration Day (March 4, 1933).
The first Congressional terms to begin under Section 1 were those of the 74th Congress on January 3, 1935. The first terms of President and Vice President to begin under Section 1 were those of President Roosevelt and Vice President Garner on January 20, 1937.
As a result of this amendment, if the election of President and/or Vice President ends up in the Congress because it could not be resolved by the Electoral College, the new Congress, not the old one, is the one that becomes involved.
Category: The 20th Century
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