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Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Hugh Damright on November 30, 2006, 05:56:40 PM

Title: Did States have a Right to Withdraw Their Ratification of the 14th Amendment?
Post by: Hugh Damright on November 30, 2006, 05:56:40 PM

It is my understanding that in 1868 the States of New Jersey, Oregon, and Ohio withdrew their ratification of the 14th Amendment. But they were told that they had no such right, that if you voted for ratification, you could not take it back. Yet the Southern States which voted "no" were put under military rule until they changed their vote to "yes" ... so the rule was that if you voted "no" then you could change it to "yes", but if you voted "yes" you could not change it to "no". It sounds arbitrary to me.

My thinking is that an amendment does not become binding until ratified by 3/4 of the States, and so until that time, a State can change its vote because it is not bound otherwise.

Title: Re: Did States have a Right to Withdraw Their Ratification of the 14th Amendment?
Post by: Cosmoline on November 30, 2006, 06:04:07 PM

I wonder if they'd let me change my vote for GW.

Title: Re: Did States have a Right to Withdraw Their Ratification of the 14th Amendment?
Post by: Fly320s on December 01, 2006, 07:20:17 AM

How do you know that your vote wasn't changed?

Title: Re: Did States have a Right to Withdraw Their Ratification of the 14th Amendment?
Post by: Werewolf on December 01, 2006, 08:24:04 AM

You've heard the saying I'm sure that:

To the Victor go the spoils...

The North won. They got to make the rules. It's that simple. If some northern states wanted to change their vote and the rest told 'em to pack it - well - that's just the way it was.

Title: Re: Did States have a Right to Withdraw Their Ratification of the 14th Amendment
Post by: MechAg94 on December 01, 2006, 11:43:13 AM

That is sort of what happened when some states wanted to change their vote on ratification of the constituation.