16 people at my house tonight and only one other person knew how many Constitutional amendments there are.

[claudhopper]

Originally Posted by tpk-nyc

Most constitutional amendments, especially the more recent ones, are uninteresting and hard to remember. Things like congressional pay and presidential term limits simply don't apply to most people. The crucial amendments are the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth. They're cited in Supreme Court decisions and affect the way we live.

Why would you select the 14th? They are all crucial to the way we live!

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by claudhopper

You just lost that round, when you have to resort to correcting someone's use of apostrophes, instead of addressing the subject.

I don't even know what the battle is here, but I have to agree with this post. I am well educated, but this is an internet board, not a term paper or a dissertation.

[Redshadowz]

Originally Posted by claudhopper

Why would you select the 14th? They are all crucial to the way we live!

Think of it like this, which amendment if removed would make the biggest impact on our country's government?


Most people would say the first amendment. But the reality is that, the first amendment is already enshrined in every state constitution. Moreover, the first amendment as well as most of the rest of the bill of rights didn't even apply directly to citizens of the states until 1868.

Even if the 13th amendment got repealed tomorrow, there still wouldn't be slavery anywhere in this country. Women's right to vote began in the individual states long before it became an amendment to the constitution.

So which amendment would radically change our government?

In my opinion, that would by far go to the 14th amendment. No other amendment has as large an impact on our society than the 14th amendment. Almost all major supreme court cases involve the 14th amendment.

Almost all Supreme court cases regarding the Bill of Rights, can only be decided by the Supreme court as a result of the 14th amendment. For instance, Roe v Wade is based on the 14th amendment. McDonald vs Chicago, which overturned Chicago's ban on firearms, 14th amendment. Citizens United case, which created all these superpacs, is from the 14th amendment. And the list goes on and on, slaughterhouse cases, Miranda rights, lawrence v. texas(sodomy laws). Everything from your first amendment to equal protection laws, to even birthright citizenship, is all from the 14th amendment.

Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Without the 14th amendment, the United States simply wouldn't exist in its current form. And whats really weird is, there is plenty of proof that the 14th amendment wasn't actually legally ratified to begin with. Don't take my word for it, go do your own research.

David Lawrence: There is No "Fourteenth Amendment"!