This season, More Perfect
is taking its camera lens off the Supreme Court
and zooming in on the words of the people: the 27 amendments that We The
People have made to our Constitution. We're taking on these 27 amendments both
in song and in story. This episode is best listened to alongside 27: The
Most Perfect Album , an
entire album (an ALBUM!) and digital experience of original music and art
inspired by the 27 Amendments. Think of these episodes as the audio liner
notes.The 25th and 26th Amendments-- ratified in 1967 and 1971, respectively-- are
some of the newest additions to our founding document. However, they tackle
some pretty basic questions: who gets to rule, and who gets to vote? If a
president dies or is incapacitated, who takes over? And how old do you have to
be in order to participate in American democracy?
In recent months, the 25th Amendment has swirled in and out of news cycles as
Americans debate what it takes to declare a president unfit for office. But
this episode looks back, even before the 25th Amendment was ratified: a moment
in 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson became bedridden by stroke, and his
wife, Edith Wilson, became our country’s unofficial first female president.
The 26th Amendment is best encapsulated in a Vietnam-era slogan: “Old enough
to fight, old enough to vote.” Eighteen-year-olds at the time argued that if
they were old enough to be drafted to fight in the War, they were old enough
to have a voice in our democracy. But what about today, when even younger
Americans are becoming victims of gun violence and finding themselves at the
center of national political debates? Does it mean we should lower the voting
age even further?
When you're done with the episode, check out songs by Pavo Pavo and Suburban
Living inspired by Amendments 25 and 26 on
27: The Most Perfect
Album.
Special thanks to The White House Historical Association.
Read more
This season, More Perfect
is taking its camera lens off the Supreme Court
and zooming in on the words of the people: the 27 amendments that We The
People have made to our Constitution. We're taking on these 27 amendments both
in song and in story. This episode is best listened to alongside 27: The
Most Perfect Album , an
entire album (an ALBUM!) and digital experience of original music and art
inspired by the 27 Amendments. Think of these episodes as the audio liner
notes.The 25th and 26th Amendments-- ratified in 1967 and 1971, respectively-- are
some of the newest additions to our founding document. However, they tackle
some pretty basic questions: who gets to rule, and who gets to vote? If a
president dies or is incapacitated, who takes over? And how old do you have to
be in order to participate in American democracy?
In recent months, the 25th Amendment has swirled in and out of news cycles as
Americans debate what it takes to declare a president unfit for office. But
this episode looks back, even before the 25th Amendment was ratified: a moment
in 1919 when President Woodrow Wilson became bedridden by stroke, and his
wife, Edith Wilson, became our country’s unofficial first female president.
The 26th Amendment is best encapsulated in a Vietnam-era slogan: “Old enough
to fight, old enough to vote.” Eighteen-year-olds at the time argued that if
they were old enough to be drafted to fight in the War, they were old enough
to have a voice in our democracy. But what about today, when even younger
Americans are becoming victims of gun violence and finding themselves at the
center of national political debates? Does it mean we should lower the voting
age even further?
When you're done with the episode, check out songs by Pavo Pavo and Suburban
Living inspired by Amendments 25 and 26 on
27: The Most Perfect
Album.
Special thanks to The White House Historical Association.
Read less