Amendments 16-19
16th Amendment- It states that Congress may tax the citizen’s income and they may use for whatever they like. This may very well be one of the most unpopular amendments, but it is still in place today. Congress needed a source of income after the Civil War, and they got it from the people. “The financial requirements of the Civil War prompted Congress to levy the first American income tax in 1861, a flat 3-percent tax on all incomes larger than $800; the wartime income tax expired in 1872.” (Beschloss 138)
17th Amendment- This amendment lays down how the US Senate will work. Each state will elect two Senators. They shall have one vote. They are to serve six years in office. If for some reason there is a vacancy, then the governor of that state will appoint someone. This amendment was ratified on April 8, 1913. Before this, the members were chosen by State legislatures. “Until 1913, when ratification of the 17th Amendment made them subject to popular vote, Senators were elected by the State legislatures.” (Reader’s Digest 66)
18th Amendment- This states that any alcoholic beverage is to be banned within the United States. Importing, exporting, manufacturing, and consuming was all illegal. This amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919. It would later be repealed by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933. More bad things came from this amendment than good things. “The national liquor ban, widely ignored, spawned bootlegging, corruption, and organized crime.” (Reader’s Digest 63)
19th Amendment- It simply states every US citizen shall be given the right to vote regardless of their gender. Or in other words, women are now given the right to vote. The women had been fighting for this for a long time and they finally got it. In 1918, the National Women’s Party urged women to vote against anti-suffrage Senators.
Beschloss, Michael. Our Documents. Oxford University Press: New York. 2003
Readers Digest, The Story of America, Creating a System of Government. Readers Digest Association: Pleasantville New York 1975.
17th Amendment- This amendment lays down how the US Senate will work. Each state will elect two Senators. They shall have one vote. They are to serve six years in office. If for some reason there is a vacancy, then the governor of that state will appoint someone. This amendment was ratified on April 8, 1913. Before this, the members were chosen by State legislatures. “Until 1913, when ratification of the 17th Amendment made them subject to popular vote, Senators were elected by the State legislatures.” (Reader’s Digest 66)
18th Amendment- This states that any alcoholic beverage is to be banned within the United States. Importing, exporting, manufacturing, and consuming was all illegal. This amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919. It would later be repealed by the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933. More bad things came from this amendment than good things. “The national liquor ban, widely ignored, spawned bootlegging, corruption, and organized crime.” (Reader’s Digest 63)
19th Amendment- It simply states every US citizen shall be given the right to vote regardless of their gender. Or in other words, women are now given the right to vote. The women had been fighting for this for a long time and they finally got it. In 1918, the National Women’s Party urged women to vote against anti-suffrage Senators.
Beschloss, Michael. Our Documents. Oxford University Press: New York. 2003
Readers Digest, The Story of America, Creating a System of Government. Readers Digest Association: Pleasantville New York 1975.