27 Amendment Meaning

 Purpose: The modification forbids any legislation that alters the salary for members of Congress from becoming effective until after the subsequent election of Representatives has taken place. This seeks to avert Congress from awarding itself immediate salary increases without responsibility to voters.

Historical Context: Initially suggested by James Madison in 1789 as part of a collection of twelve amendments, it was not ratified at that time. Only ten of the amendments were confirmed in 1791, becoming recognized as the Bill of Rights.