-
Washington Precedents
President George Washington delivered the first State of the Union Address to Congress. This address presented defense, foreign policy, economic, education, and immigration related topics. -
George Washington serves two terms
George Washington was 64 years old when he decided to retire from his presidency. He only served two terms in office and would not seek a third term. This is what created the Washington precedents. -
Ulysses S. Grant third term
Ulysses S. Grant wanted to serve for a third term in 1880. Although he tried, he did not win the Republican party nomination. He lost the nomination to James Garfield. -
Attacked for third term
Both FDR and Ulysses S. Grant ran for a third term in office. They were both very hated by many people for doing so even if Ulysses S. Grant didn't serve a third term. -
FDR's elected for third term
Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for a third term in office. Many people were very upset when he won the election. It made them upset because he broke the Washington precedent. The Washington Precedents say that the president will establish the constitutional authority to enforce laws and retire after two years. -
FDR Elected for Fourth Term
Franklin D. Roosevelt was not only elected for a third term but he was also elected for a fourth term in 1933. Many people were upset with him serving four terms because after already breaking the Washington precedents, he continued to serve another term in office. -
Proposal in Congress
There were many different people who were upset with FDR for serving a third term and breaking the Washington precedents. The idea of making a term limit of two years for presidents was introduced by Earl C. Michener. He introduced this idea on February 6, 1947 and gained the support of 47 democrats. -
Formal Proposal by Congress
The United States Congress formally proposed the 22nd amendment after 273 recommendations. Their goal was to reorganize and reform the federal government. -
Ratification of the 22nd Amendment
The 22nd amendment was ratified and added to the constitution on February 27, 1951. 36 out of the 48 United States ratified this amendment. At the time Harry S. Truman was president of the United States but the new amendment did not apply to him because of the Grandfather Clause. This amendment establishes term limits for presidents and outlines stipulations regarding the eligibility of succession for unfinished presidential terms. -
Attempt at repealing
Five years after the ratification of the 22nd amendment, Congress made the first efforts to repeal it. Later on many presidents would go on to express their complaints about the amendment and also want it repealed or changed. President Ronald Reagan said that he thought it infringed on people's democratic rights.