The 22nd Amendment – A Look Inside
On February 27, 1951, the United States Constitution was amended to include a new law limiting the amount of time that the president has to rule the land. This is the 22nd Amendment. While people do not generally hold the 22nd Amendment in as much regard as they do for the Bill of Rights it is still a valuable rule in that it helps to make the country different from others in terms of how one person rules the land.
Before the 22nd Amendment came around the idea of limiting oneself to only two terms as president was generally unofficial. George Washington started the precedent, and Franklin Roosevelt broke it. The 22nd Amendment makes sure, however, that the president only holds offices for two terms.
According to the 22nd Amendment no president will be allowed to hold office for more than two terms. Also, any person who has hold the office of President for over two years in a term where another person was elected to the office can be elected to the office more than one time.
The purpose of the 22nd Amendment was to help and make the style of rule that is used in the United States different from what is done in other countries. The concept of this is that the United States will never be run like a monarchy where one person runs the country for life. In other words, there will be no “president for life” or any type of rule that is done by someone who acts as a king.
This also is reflective of why the United States was created in the first place. The people who moved to this country were not fond of the rule of kings and how they had unlimited powers. The 22nd Amendment, along with the rules of the system of checks and balances, work to make sure that this never happens in the United States. This means that all people in the country’s government are going to be held accountable for everything that they do. It also allows for others to be competitive for governmental positions. The idea of “citizen rulers” has been used as a result, meaning that the idea of the “career politician” is now obsolete.
The 22nd Amendment has also helped to secure a system of elections that will be especially useful in giving the general public the power to determine who is going to be running the country. Every two years people can vote out those who they either disagree with or feel who has not been effective enough. This makes for a more democratic nation where people will be able to replace who they are unsupportive of and a nation where there will be no rule like what a king would have in earlier times.
Overall, the 22nd Amendment, while it may sound simple, is valuable to the country. It helps to protect the country from a monarchy-like rule and gives more power to the general public in terms of who they are going to elect for president.
