Prompt Cast
The 27th Amendment: A Long Journey to Ratification
TLDR The 27th Amendment to the American Constitution, which prevents Congress from giving itself a pay raise until after an election, took 204 years to be ratified. Gregory Watson's campaign to get the amendment ratified gained momentum, leading to its ratification in 1992 and also resulting in Mississippi finally ratifying the 13th Amendment.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The 27th Amendment to the American Constitution prevents Congress from giving itself a pay raise until after an election, and it was ratified in 1992.
02:12
The 27th Amendment took 204 years to be ratified and was originally part of a collection of 12 amendments known as the Bill of Rights.
03:19
The Congressional Pay Amendment, which was originally intended to be the first amendment of the Bill of Rights, came close to being ratified but ultimately fell short, with only nine states approving it over the course of 81 years.
04:32
Gregory Watson, a 19-year-old undergraduate, discovered the Congressional Pay Amendment and became determined to get it ratified after receiving a C on a paper about the amendment for a political science class.
05:41
Gregory Watson's campaign to get the Congressional Pay Amendment ratified gained momentum as more states began to pass it, eventually leading to its ratification in 1992.
07:04
Gregory Watson's successful campaign to get the Congressional Pay Amendment ratified also led to Mississippi finally ratifying the 13th Amendment, and his college professor who originally gave him a C for his paper on the amendment changed his grade to an A 35 years later.
08:20
A listener named Dean gives a glowing review of the podcast, praising its ability to provide interesting and informative content on a wide range of topics in just 10 minutes.
