On a serious note, too few people seem to realize that amendments continue to be ratified even after a sufficient number of states have done so for an amendment to pass.
So, for example, Maryland did not ratify the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote, until 1958 when it was certified; Virginia was 1952; Alabama in 1953; Florida in 1969; South Carolina in 1973; Georgia and Louisiana in 1970; North Carolina in 1971............and backwards Mississippi in 1984.
It might surprise some readers to realize that there are still important landmarks in American history that states have not yet voted to support, even though it is already the law of the land because of the minimum having been reached by other states voting sooner.
Sadly in southern politics in particular, such votes on amendments are often saddled with terrible other baggage that makes what should be simple and straightforward unable to be passed by any means.
We, sadly, have some parts of our country that we are having to drag out of the 19th century, into the 21st, struggling and unwilling.
The original vote for Mississippi ratification was in 1995 (still more than 100 years after the ratification went into effect in 1865), but for some reason, as with the other states above with the 19th amendment, that ratification was not finalized by the process of certification.
Wikipedia had this to note about the certification of the Mississippi ratification:
So, in that larger context, and in recognition of black history month, here is a bit of new / old history:
So, for example, Maryland did not ratify the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote, until 1958 when it was certified; Virginia was 1952; Alabama in 1953; Florida in 1969; South Carolina in 1973; Georgia and Louisiana in 1970; North Carolina in 1971............and backwards Mississippi in 1984.
It might surprise some readers to realize that there are still important landmarks in American history that states have not yet voted to support, even though it is already the law of the land because of the minimum having been reached by other states voting sooner.
Sadly in southern politics in particular, such votes on amendments are often saddled with terrible other baggage that makes what should be simple and straightforward unable to be passed by any means.
We, sadly, have some parts of our country that we are having to drag out of the 19th century, into the 21st, struggling and unwilling.
The original vote for Mississippi ratification was in 1995 (still more than 100 years after the ratification went into effect in 1865), but for some reason, as with the other states above with the 19th amendment, that ratification was not finalized by the process of certification.
Wikipedia had this to note about the certification of the Mississippi ratification:
Mississippi's 1995 ratification was not formally filed with the U.S. Archivist for unknown reasons. The ratification was forwarded to the Office of the Federal Register on January 30, 2013, and on February 7, 2013, the director of the Register certified that he had received the ratification and that it was official.Delaware ratified the 13th Amendment in 1901, and Kentucky in 1976, for context.
So, in that larger context, and in recognition of black history month, here is a bit of new / old history:
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