Why Have These 7 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution Failed to Be Ratified by the States?

There have been 27 amendments to our Constitution in the 246, soon to be 247, years of American history.

Many people are familiar with a few of them.

The First Amendment guarantees free speech and the practice of religion, and the second covers the right to keep and bear arms.

The fifth Amendment says you have the right to remain silent, and so on.

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery.

The 27th and last Constitutional Amendment happened in 1992.

It limited the ability of members of Congress to vote on their raises.

If they voted for a raise, it would not take effect until after the next House of Representatives election, when some of them might not be there to get it.

What Amendments Didn't Make the Cut?

One Constitutional Amendment that was first introduced in 1989 and has been on the senate committee agenda consistently is repealing the 22nd Amendment.

That Amendment says that the president of the United States restricts presidents to two four-year terms in office.

Many partisan politicians wanted Reagan, Clinton, Bush, and Obama to be able to serve more than eight years.

Thankfully cooler heads prevailed, and this action has always died before making it out of committee.

Former Rep. José Serrano introduced H.J. Res. 15 proposing an Amendment to repeal the 22nd Amendment, as he has done every two years since 1997.

He alone should be the poster child for congressional term limits.

Others who have introduced this same Amendment would be former Rep. Barney Frank, Rep. Steny Hoyer, and former Rep. Howard Berman, and former Senate Majority Leader, Sen. Harry Reid.

Amendments In Process But Not Yet Ratified by The States

The required number of states has not ratified six amendments adopted by Congress and sent to the states.

Four of these, including one of the twelve Bill of Rights amendments, are still technically open and pending.

The other two amendments are closed and no longer pending, one by terms set within the Congressional Resolution proposing it and the other by terms specified within the body of the Amendment.

• Congressional Apportionment Amendment (pending since September 25, 1789; ratified by 11 states)

It would strictly regulate the size of congressional districts for representation in the House of Representatives. No one wants to give up drawing those lines every two years.

• Titles of Nobility Amendment (pending since May 1, 1810; ratified by 12 states)

It would strip citizenship from any United States citizen who accepts a title of nobility from a foreign country. Maybe Trump could be King after all.

• Corwin Amendment (pending since March 2, 1861; ratified by three states)

It would make "domestic institutions" (which in 1861 implicitly meant slavery) of the state impervious to the constitutional amendment procedures enshrined within Article Five of the United States Constitution and immune to abolition or interference even by the most compelling Congressional and popular majorities.

• Child Labor Amendment (pending since June 2, 1924; ratified by 28 states)

It would empower the federal government to regulate child labor.

• Equal Rights Amendment (Ratification period, March 22, 1972, to March 22, 1979/June 30, 1982, Amendment failed; ratified by 35 states)

It would have prohibited the deprivation of equality of rights (discrimination) by the federal or state governments on account of sex. The Southern Legal Counsel found clauses officially declaring equal rights/non-discrimination based on sex in the constitutions of 168 countries.

• District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment (Ratification period, August 22, 1978, to August 22, 1985, Amendment failed; ratified by 16 states)

It would have granted the District of Columbia full representation in the United States Congress as if it were a state, repealed the 23rd Amendment, and granted the District full representation in the Electoral College system in addition to full participation in the process by which the Constitution is amended.

(Source: List of proposed amendments to the United States Constitution)

Some Final Thoughts on Constitutional Amendments That Didn't Make It

Over the years, some 11,539 ideas for amending our Constitution have been presented and considered between 1789 and 2023.

Virtually all died in committee, and only 27 became actual amendments, including the Bill of Rights.

It's not an easy task to amend our Constitution, and that's a good thing, in my opinion.

Changing the protection of citizens and our fundamental rights should be challenging.

What amendments would you like to make to our Constitution?

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