1951 22nd Amendment Passed

(2/26/51) The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was ratified on February 26. The amendment limits the term of the Presidency to two terms.

The framers of the constitution had considered the question of term limits but decided not to include it in the constitution. However, the first President, President Washington established a clear precedent when he decided not to run for the third time. That tradition remained in place until 1940 when President Franklin Roosevelt decided to run for the third time. He justified his decision by citing the war in Europe and the dangers that America faced. Despite FDR popularity the fact that he ran for a fourth time despite not being well convinced most Americans that it was essential to limit Presidential terms to two terms.

The House of Representative passed a proposed constitutional amendment the limited the President to two terms on February 6, 1947. The Senate developed its version of the amendment, and they passed it on March 12, 1947. The House accepted the Senate version and March 24, 1947, and the amendment was sent to the states to be ratified. On February 27, 1951, Minnesota ratified the amendment, and it came into effect.