Over 11,000 Amendments

A new exhibit at the National Archives is about the over 11,000 amendments proposed to the US Constitution. All of the attempts are listed on a 225 foot banner in the National Archives.

Of the 11,372 at last count, only 27 have passed and two of those, Prohibition and the Repeal of Prohibition, canceled each other out.

Some of them have been real doozies including:

A proposed amendment in 1861 to protect slavery.

An amendment proposed in 1912 that would have banned blacks from marrying whites or people of other races.

An amendment to replace the presidency with an executive council.

An amendment to change the selection of the president to a lottery. Each state would nominate a candidate and then the name would be chosen by chance.

An amendment to outlaw drunkenness.

An amendment to prohibit anyone who had participated in a duel from holding public office.

An amendment in 1888 to give the vote to widows and spinsters. Married women didn't need it because they had their husbands to vote for them. Hmm, interesting idea.

And last, but not unexpected, a 19th century amendment to put the authority for the Constitution in God and Jesus Christ rather than We the People.

The almost zero chance of success is why I ignore e-mails about any attempt to amend the Constitution.