American Terri(s)tory
This week, we commemorate the dissolution of our English colonial identity by commemorating our uniquely American ones. Ironically, for a country that struggled with its own colonization, America has only grown larger.
This week, we commemorate the dissolution of our English colonial identity by commemorating our uniquely American ones. Ironically, for a country that struggled with its own colonization, America has only grown larger.
The 27th Amendment exemplifies the intricate (sometimes centuries-long) process of constitutional change in American history. When one imagines “recent” constitutional amendments, topics like the Equal Rights Amendment or voting age may come to mind. However, the 27th Amendment is unique in that it is both the most recent and one of the oldest amendments in America’s Constitution.
The Supreme Court’s May 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson cemented the Jim Crow social order in its declaration that separate spaces for Black and white Americans were “equal.” It was not until Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 that the era of legalized racial segregation began to chip away…