The History of the 16th Amendment
by Devin Ellsworth
How Did This Amendment Get Ratified?
The main discussion around the amendment before it was proposed was if it was constitutional or not. Congress passed many laws for different ways of income tax and every time the court rejected it saying it was unconstitutional for similar reasons each time. Some of the main objections were:
1. It was a possible method of draining money from the rich and giving it to the poor.
2. It was not apportioned among the states
3. It violated Article I section 9 of the Constitution.
Every
state ratified the amendment except Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Utah. Also, Teddy Roosevelt supported it, along
with Taft, and about 90% of the voters because when the amendment was proposed,
90% of the voters wouldn’t have had to pay.
But that changed soon after.