Blog #41 – Is the Constitution Still Relevant Today?
“Every word of a constitution is the difference between power and freedom.”- James Madison
Since we’re studying the Constitution in the next week or two, I wanted to look at places where you might find this document, written over 225 years ago, still relevant in your lives.
As you know, the Constitution is broken up into several articles which describe the powers of each of the branches of our federal government – legislative (Article 1), executive (Article 2), and judicial (Article 3). The document is further broken down to amend some of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, like the economic, social and political relationships between the states (Article 4), the amendment process (Article 5), supremacy of the Constitution over state and local laws (Article 6), and the process by which this framework document would be ratified after the conclusion of the convention in Philadelphia in 1787 (Article 7).
One of the main criticisms of the Constitution, when it was originally written, was that it did not contain a list of accumulated civil rights that each American has, and so quickly the Bill of Rights was added as a further bulwark to prevent abuses. The first ten Amendments to the Constitution contain many of our essential rights, like the freedom of speech, religion and press; the right to bear arms; right to privacy and to be free of unreasonable search and seizure; a speedy trial by jury of our peers; due process; prevention of excessive fines and punishments; and then rights reserved to the states and individual.
Since 1790, there have been 17 additional Amendments passed to further clarify our rights, provide additional guarantees to our liberties, or to make amends for those left out by the original document and the Bill of Rights. Some of these include the right for women and African-Americans to vote, the failed attempt at Prohibition, lowering the voting age, term restrictions for the President, income taxes, and direct election of U.S. Senators.
But where do we see the Constitution in action? Just about everywhere you see it in action, though you may not realize it. In the separation of state, local and federal powers, you see the concept of federalism. For instance, different levels of government may have paid for road repairs – a big source of frustration in Michigan. The presidential election coming up in November is mandated by the Constitution, yet there’s nothing in there about political parties or the billions being collected and spent by both groups and their supporters. A Supreme Court case in 2010, Citizens United v. FEC, allowed for the unlimited, record-breaking spending that we’re seeing in this year’s election cycle. In addition, the right to vote is guaranteed by the 15th and 19th Amendments, but some states are trying to make it more difficult for people to vote in the name of voter fraud. State supreme courts have been deciding the legality of these ID voting laws as we speak.
The current health care act, Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”) is being challenged in the Supreme Court on Constitutional issues – how much power should be allowed by the federal government. http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-considers-main-constitutional-question-in-health-care-law/2012/03/26/gIQAkyKWdS_story.html
Another issue was whether or not children born in the United States are actually citizens if they are born of parents who are here illegally. http://constitutionalprogressives.org/the-constitutional-a-todays-issues/79-born-under-the-constitution-why-recent-attacks-on-birthright-citizenship-are-unfounded These so-called “anchor babies” have come under attack by conservative critics who question the legality of the 14th Amendment (1868) which was originally passed to ensure citizenship and equal protection under the law for freed slaves after the Civil War.
What does “general welfare” mean in the preamble and in Article 1, Section 8? Does it mean that the government helps individuals who are down on their luck? Is the government going beyond its Constitutional powers by doing so? Does Social Security violate the Constitution? Former House of Representative and presidential candidate Ron Paul thinks so even though the Supreme Court has approved of Social Security in 1937 (Helvering v. Davis). http://www.nolanchart.com/article8669-ron-paul-schools-chris-wallace-on-the-constitution.html If Social Security is to be considered unconstitutional, then what other kinds of spending programs also go beyond the limits of our government’s powers? The American military? Welfare? Medicaid? Even some parts of the government itself?
What these arguments really boil down to are whether you interpret the Constitution as is or you try to infer what it could mean today (or what the Founders had originally intended)? The first concept, as is, is called strict interpretation. The latter concept, inferring, is called loose interpretation. For instance, the 2nd Amendment states that our right to bear arms is protected. But by today’s standards, are any and all gun laws unconstitutional? What about the types of guns today? It’s hard to imagine Alexander Hamilton or James Madison envisioning a .50 caliber machine gun that could cut cars in half and them saying that it’s o.k. to own one.
This current law professor at Rutgers University believes that some of our current governmental problems can be solved by some amendments: http://blog.nj.com/njv_guest_blog/2011/08/constitutional_amendments_need.html
Take a moment or two to review some of the links included here to discuss where you think the Constitution is still relevant today. If you come up with another idea, please include some links to sources that you find / use. Also, discuss this topic with your parents and see what they come up.
Due Friday, October 12 by class time. 300 words minimum.
Info about the VFW contest:
https://www.vfw.org/uploadedFiles/VFW.org/News_and_Events/2012%20VOD%20Winning%20Speech.pdf = example of last year’s winning essay. The theme was, “Is there pride in serving in the military?”
Yes, the Constitution is still relevant in America today. Not only does the Constitution protect our individual rights, but it also maintains the balance of federal and state rights. The Articles explain the roles of the branches of government and make sure that the government does not violate any laws in the creation of policy. This is the system of checks and balances. For example, recently President Obama passed healthcare legislation. The President’s legislation was challenged by some Republican party members. The Supreme Court reviewed this legislation and ruled to uphold ‘ObamaCare.’ This exercise is a necessary part of our legislation process. Currently, we are in election year. The Articles demonstrate term limits for the Presidency and other elected officials, such as senators and house representatives. I believe this idea was created to ensure fairness for both the parties and the citizens they represent. The amendments reflect the ideas that the forefathers had about the future of the country. In the Constitution, they included the ability to amend the Constitution to fit the needs of our ever-changing society. The amendments protect the rights of the American people, regardless of gender, religion, or race. For example, the 14th and 15th amendments laid the foundation and gave argument for the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The 14th amendment, “equal protection under the law,” is the most utilized amendment in the Bill of Rights. Other acts, such as the ADA (American Disabilities Act) of 2008 which gives equality and accessibility to people with disabilities. Our forefathers wanted to create a “more perfect union,” which meant that our country was not perfect at its founding, and still is not perfect. For this reason, they created the Constitution, which could represent those ideas and adapt to meet the needs of the American people.
I strongly believe that the Constitution is still relevant today, but there also some ways it is not used anymore. I mean after all, it is called the “Supreme law of the land”. Without this piece of paper, this country would not even be close to the way it operates now. A brief summary of the Constitution is, it was not meant to, but actually replaced the Articles of Confederation. The point of this was to create a brand new government that would benefit the country much more. The Constitution was brought together at the Constitutional Convention. This document is very important still today. Some people in this country probably just know of the name, and know it’s important. But really this is not enough to know, and there is much more behind it. The Constitution helped the country be a more balanced and organized nation. A Bicameral legislature was created to balance and measure so one state will not have too much power. There is a House of Representatives, which is based on population, and the Senate, which is based on equal representations. Both houses must pass laws though. Both of these parts of government make up the congress in the Legislative branch. The Executive branch has the right to veto any laws the Legislative branch makes. The Congress needs a 2/3 majority to override the Executive’s veto. The Judicial branch has the power to check if the law is fair or if it’s “unconstitutional”. Some ways the Constitution is not used today is in the 2nd Amendment that states our right to bear arms is protected. This is not exactly used in the same way it was meant to be years ago. People everywhere today are taking advantage of this because of how different our societies are now. It is awful how people carry around dangerous guns and use it for horrible uses like murder. This being said, obviously back when the Constitution was being written, this never came into the delegates’ minds. Although abuse of these rights shows that the Constitution is not used exactly the same way as it was many years ago, it still is the structure of our government today. All of our rights come from the Bill of Rights that are still used today, such as freedom of speech and publishing. Also, the Constitution has been changed 27 times in the last two hundred years. This has been done to benefit the country more, and satisfy the American’s needs.
To decide if the constitution is relevant or not, you need to agree on what you mean by relevant. To me, the constitution’s relevance doesn’t mean that the various amendments should apply in the same way as when they were ratified.
An example of a part of the constitution that is most subject to argument today, and perhaps amendment, is the 2nd Amendment, the right to bear arms. I can’t remember the last time an American militia was called upon to defend the nation. I’m pretty sure that the last time an American militia comprised and organized solely by private citizens to fight a foreign army was in the Mexican-American War, a little less than 200 years ago. Clearly, if you look at our current army and how much we spend on it compared to other nations, then why would we need to have a ready militia to protect us from an “attack”? We already have a National Guard, which fill the role of armed militias.
You simply can’t say that the entire constitution is useless today because it defines much of the power of the state and federal governments. The “checks and balances” system still is effective because it makes it so no one person or group becomes too powerful. Even though many other countries throughout the world have adopted similar democratic principles, there are still dictators and rulers who control many nations. These principles of the constitution are definitely relevant today because they prevents a tyrant from grasping power and protects our society and livelihood.
Excluding the 2nd Amendment, every other amendment in the Bill of Rights is relevant because they protect the people and states’ rights. The 9th and 10th Amendments that give power to the people and states are essential because the federal government only has power if they have the support of the people.
The 4th Amendment that protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures is definitely relevant because it protects people from oppressive police conduct. Its protections should be invoked more to stop states that are trying to legalize the racial profiling of minorities. Hopefully the state and Supreme Courts will recognize that these identification laws are unconstitutional and shoot them down. In my view, there are relevant parts of the constitution and parts where the founding fathers made some mistakes.
I think that the constitution is still relevant today. There is a reason that the constitution is still being used today, and that reason is that the constitution was made to last and is probably the most important piece of paper in all of American history. Why else would a 200 year old document still be used today? It shaped our whole country by making three equal branches of the government: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. It didn’t just create them but it also keeps all of the branches of government in line. It uses the checks and balances system to prevent one branch from becoming too powerful. Imagine that these regulations didn’t exist. Everything would be chaotic. For example if the Executive branch couldn’t stop the laws that the Legislative branch made, the Legislative branch could do whatever it wanted (vice versa). It keeps the authority of state, federal, and local governments separate. And above all the constitution protects us and our rights as American citizens. The first amendment protects freedom of speech, religion, and press. Do you think America would be such a great country as it is today without those thing? If you were prosecuted for saying something that someone didn’t, how would you feel to be an American citizen? Or if the 13th amendment hadn’t been enacted. We wouldn’t be where we are today if slavery still existed. Our whole nation depends on the constitution to keeps things in order. That’s why it is still relevant today, because it defines what America stands for.
Because the constitution was written hundreds of years ago in a completely different context, some people consider it to be outdated and useless today. However, I believe that the constitution is the backbone of our government and is still applicable today. Some argue that the constitution is irrelevant today because of developments in technology since the ratification of the constitution. However, the framers wrote the constitution knowing that things would change over time and therefore wrote the constitution based on human nature. Although a few changes, the amendments, would have to be made to the constitution, the constitution has been and still is relevant. The constitution ensures that America will never become a tyranny, which means that it will always be relevant. The system of checks and balances makes sure that none of the three branches of government becomes too powerful and the power of the government is limited by the people. Today, we still use the constitution as a guideline for our decisions. The constitution cannot be overruled, only amended. The constitution is used every day in extremely important decisions around the country. Today, our government is set up the same way that it was the way the constitution was written. This alone means that the constitution is still relevant today because the government itself was the same as the government when the constitution was written. The constitution is the basis on which the government was created in 1787, and because the government is the same today, the constitution still applies to the modern world. Even though the constitution was written centuries ago, the fundamental ideas behind America are still there, even if the constitution is not perfect.
Is the Constitution still relevant today? I believe it is not still relevant. I believe that what makes it irrelevant is the way it’s interpreted by people today. Some people go for a strict interpretation which means that the words written on the Constitution are meant to be taken literally and there is no leeway in them. Another problem is the way people abuse the rights they have. For example, the shooting at that movie theater in Colorado. We as citizens of the U.S. have the right to bear arms, as stated in the Constitution, but going out and abusing these rights is not the way the Founding fathers meant it to be interpreted.I think it is to be loosely interpreted because the dudes who made it also knew that the american government would be different in 200 years, so they made it so that it could be changed to fit the needs of the present times. Senator Ron Paul thinks that Congress has too much power. He believes this because of the statement about general welfare in Article 1 section 8. The statement reads,”The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States”. Most politicians see this as a listing of congressional powers and the general welfare clause as a blank check, but Ron Paul argues that this isn’t true. He argues that we wouldn’t need the listing of congressional powers or the 9th and 10th amendments if the general welfare clause was a blank check. James Madison also argued this point in the Federalist Papers. I believe it to mean that Congress has the power to collect taxes to gain money, and use that money to help the citizens of the U.S. when we are in trouble. That means that they probably would tax the rich and would maybe create a government program. But, in today’s world, the government is not great at spending wisely for it isn’t their money they are spending, it’s our tax dollars. Anyway, I think there needs to be new amendments made to fit society today, for isn’t our job to do that?
I definitely think that the constitution is still relevant today. Although it was written over 200 years ago, it still serves as a basis for the American government today. The executive, legislative, and judicial branches still so their jobs perfectly well and go about their business relatively smoothly. I think that most of what is in the original document is still relevant, and probably will never lose its relevancy. However, some of what is in the Bill of Rights and some Amendments need to be updated. For example, the right to bear arms is no longer relevant in today’s world. Personally, I believe that people DO have the right to bear arms in their own home, but I don’t think that assault weapons should be legal under that law. Weapons such as the AR-15 (the gun used to kill 12 innocent people in the Colorado Theatre Shootings this summer,) should not be legal to the general public under any circumstance. They are built to do nothing other than kill people, and there is absolutely no reason for anyone to own a weapon of that caliber. Another outdated policy in the bill of rights is the allowing for “anchor babies” This policy was originally intended to insure citizenship for freed slaves after the civil war. It was NOT, however, intended to give a loophole to illegal immigrants in America. This civil right is outdated and EXTREMELY abused in today’s world. In my opinion, it should be abolished completely, but there is also the option of amending or changing it in some way. Although the constitution was written in a time that was much, much different then ours, its fundamental set up of American government remains an extremely important part of American history. The constitution is definitely still relevant today, and that probably will not change.
The constitution is definitely still relevant today! The three branches are well kept in line by checks and balances. I don’t think it should be taken so literally because obviously 2012 is a lot different from 1787. People can take what is says any way they want to. It is the building blocks of our current nation, and without it, we would have nothing to base our criminal justice or legal rights on. The ways that the constitution has been amended over the years keeps it up to date. If something is not current in the constitution, we can just make the decision to change it or add something to modernize it. The fact that someone can say that our constitution is irrelevant contradicts itself because the constitution is the thing that lets someone say that without prosecution. Freedom of speech is just one of the many rights that the constitution and bill of rights grants us. No offense Mr. W but this question baffles me. Is the constitution still relevant? Of course! Think of all the criminals that would be running around if it wasn’t! People would still have slaves and women would not have the right to vote! The constitution is a crucial part of our nation, and it is what keeps us from subsiding into a dysfunctional society. If someone thinks the constitution is so ‘irrelevant’ why don’t they just write a new one? No? Okay then, don’t complain if you are not willing to do something about your problem.
Though the constitution has been used often over the last 225 years its openness for interpretation and changes also makes it a problem for complete use now. Similar to the bible times change and the situation discussed become less or completely irrelevant just like the 2nd Amendment to bear arms has many problems. There are too many complicated gun control laws and too many idiots who know how to get around them . Though the Constitution is very relevant in the supreme court their are many conflicts with that aswell and how many new aged seemingly helpful acts are unable to be passed because they slightly contradict the constitution . Also the government is having difficulties determing if the constitution needs to be updated and do so without going agianst it. Though amendments like freedom pursuit of happiness etc are still very relevant the constitution should be more open though only to rational and helpful ideas not just new holidays and for laws that will be repealed anyway. To simply say the constitution is completely irrelevant isnt nessesarily correct but to say that it is used in its entirety and that it completely benefits the USA isnt true either its all about interpretations uses and the laws that have been put into a position of higher importance durig the era such as the prohibition, slavery or simply determining statehood.
Although I believe that the Constitution is still relevant in the 21st century, it is often abused and should not be interpreted word-for-word. An example of the misuse of the Constitution is the somewhat appalling abuse of the First Amendment, which calls for an individual’s rights of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press. Such monstrosities as the protests of the Westboro Baptist Church are sufficient proof for the abuse of the rights provided by the First Amendment. Some protests of the Westboro Baptist Church involve the religious organization protesting at the funerals of dead soldiers. Members of the Westboro Baptist Church hold up signs at these protests such as “Thank God for 9/11” and “Thank God for dead soldiers”. These protests are an insult to not only the families of these perished soldiers, but also to our country, as other sophisticated and civilized countries such as Japan, Sweden, Australia, etc. are revolted that the promotion of such irrational thought is encouraged. These protests also discourage the advancement of our nation’s military efforts, as they encourage religious fanatics similar to the Westboro Baptist Church to protest at the funerals of dead soldiers. Another example, the Second Amendment which protects an individual’s rights to bear arms, is often applies itself to society in an improper manner. Despite the fact that firearms can be used to aid in an individual’s security, there have been many misuses of firearms. In July of 2012, Aurora, Colorado native James Holmes fired a Glock 22 in a movie theater during a screening of The Dark Knight Rises, resulting in the death of twelve people. Children occasionally misuse guns belonging to their parents, resulting in 500 accidental firearm-related deaths of children each year. However, I do believe that the writing of the Constitution was critical in the development of our country as they provide us with rights that define our country.
First of all there is one major reason the constitution is still used today, we aren’t running around killing peopl willy nillie and not getting in trouble for it. All of the obvoious beside, there are many other reasons why the constitution is still relevant. One of them is that the bill of free speech, with the occupy wallstreet thing last year. The protesters were vaugly following the constitution, they didnt always with they were blocking the traffic making it so that the citizens of new york couldnt get to and from their work. This is one of the many was that they had violated the constitution making it justified to a certain extent of the causual sprayer memes. The constitution also is still in affect with the gun laws. While there are people that will break these laws like the batman shooting, there is also things that people use guns for to help them with thier protection. (If they use a gun to kill me, then i should be able to get a gun to protect my self and kill them) I think this is also a major reason why we have so much crime in the us, but the people who are getting robbed or killed also have the right to use those guns that are killing people to save people. There are also many other ways that people follow and break the constitution, like with the poparazzi. They have the right to put things that they see on the newspapers and give them to the public, but you cant take pictures with a super good camera lense on private proprety. (Princess Kate) The constitution is still in affect and if we hadnt have followed it for the last two hundred years, ‘Merica would be a giant area of anarchy greatly depicted in some of todays video games, and we definetly dont want to be scraficing children for the entertainment of the nation.
-Alex VanHeusden
#APUSHSTRUGS
Of course the Constitution is still relevant today, it is a living document that still affects many laws and rights we have today. Whether they are up to date and proper for today’s modern world is another question. The amendments’ are being used everyday and are still very much so relevant. The Right to Bear Arms or the 2nd amendment is debated everyday with gun control and shootings all over the country some saying it’s to easy to obtain guns while others argue it is their right and these are isolated cases. Another amendment is the 14th amendment which states anyone born in the United States is considered a citizen despite their parent’s legality. These kids have been recently debated and argued that they do not deserve citizenship if their parents are illegal immigrants. So yes they Constitution is still relevant today with all the debates and arguments over rights. The 6th amendment which gives people the right to a speedy trial and trial by peers is obviously still in affect. Everyday people are in court so if they didn’t have these rights they could be waiting for years and have an unfair jury just to be sentenced to jail even if it is not the correct sentence. The Constitution is always being edited, reviewed, and new rights being added. So it’s not like its too old or outdated, it can be altered and changed for the good of the people. The Constitution was created in order to form a more perfect union. It was not created to be perfect, but to try and help perfect the society that it rules over. So in answering the original question, it is undeniable that the Constitution is still relevant, its just lost some of its relevance but this doesn’t make it a flawed document, but a dated one.
The Constitution is the oldest document that is written in American history that is still used in today’s society. The constitution is the cookbook for the United States of America, we follow all the “directions” and we continue to have the greatest possible outcome. We still have a president, senate and House of Representatives, we still have courts today? The constitution gives us our rights!
There are 27 amendments that make the constitution still irrelevant today. The constitution is 223 years old, but we follow it in every way possible. For instance every law that is in the process of being official has to go along with the rules of the constitution or it will be vetoed. If someone is getting into trouble with the law the person can use the constitution to defend themselves for whatever is going on. The constitution is argued upon almost daily, some members of the government try to constantly change the constitution. It is very hard to be changed primarily because it is one of the only documents that we go back and forth to constantly. It is the biggest part of our country.
The constitution is great document used to protect Freedom and Liberty when followed as it was meant to be used. The forefathers wrote the constitution so we can follow it today, it wasn’t to be written then to be thrown away and to never be used again.
Although it’s been hundreds of years since the Constitution was drafted and ratified, it still affects every American’s daily life in numerous ways and had allowed our country to survive. Many people call for new amendments to it, and I agree with them, but what the Constitution is now has certain aspects that could almost be considered timeless throughout humanity. We still have a legislative, executive, and judicial branch with an elaborate system of checks and balances, and we have never drifted significantly from this model. One important theme of our Constitution is compromise, as was made with the large and small states through the creation of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Our democratic republic can only survive if the governed are willing to concede to some rules as long as they are bearable, so we will always have to compromise. Also, the method laid down in the Constitution about indirect representation is both helpful and detrimental to our society today, for it allows informed decisions to be made but they may not agree with the views of the people. Many vague statements about human rights are made in the Constitution, and although this may have clarified things in the 1700s today the words are twisted to support or condemn certain issues that may have not even been thought of when it was ratified. Gay marriage, illegal immigrants, bioterrorism, and abortion probably were not major issues argued about during the Constitutional Convention, and statements in the Constitution really can only support a cause in a very broad sense and without considering contemporary ideas. The Constitution laid down a lasting structure for our federal government and policy, but it might be time to add something new considering the current state of our country. The Constitution may have been the Articles of Confederation 2.0, but two hundred years is a long time to wait for the next version.
The constitution is still used today and is very relevant to us not only as a people, but to our government also. It explains each branch of our government very detailed, and forms the original government that America is still today. Our founding fathers carefully created our constitution while excluding all the downfalls of the British monarchy. With the checks and balances rule, there has been no president that has become an unfair monarch and the government has remained balanced. The constitution is followed both strictly and very leniently. In the bill of rights, there is a law that all men have the right to bare arms. Our modern day America has questioned this right many times after maniacs purchase fully automatic arms that can fire up to 100 rounds in a minute and start shooting up schools. Back when the constitution was made, the guns weren’t nearly as powerful, and could not be used as such a terrible weapon. The constitution may still apply to government, but the world is very different from 225 years ago. The constitution did declare the separation of church and state, but the ideals of many religions have influenced many important topics in presidential debates today. These include the idea of abortion and gay rights. Many Christian’s have strong views on abortion and gay marriage. Many of the southern Christian based states value these ideals highly and choose the president based biased ideas. Like these, many problems from 225 years ago also do not apply today, for example, the right that no soldiers will quarter in a citizen’s house. Since the age of the civil war, a war has not been fought in America, and this right has become ancient and irrelevant. The constitution is still a very strong base for modern day America’s government by influencing the way our government creates and enforces laws.
The constitution is still used today, and is very relevant to our government and the people. It lists the rights of individuals and protects our government from collapsing in on ourselves. The process of checks and balances securing that no single branch of government could get to powerful, especially the president. The 22nd amendment was passed (term limit) after FDR was elected for his fourth term but died shortly after. The Bill of Rights, especially the first ten amendments, should in my mind get a little modernized, because after the industrial revolution and the technology that has arrived via the 21st century. For example, the right to bear arms; it a little excessive to walk through a residential area with an automatic weapon. Plus, the 3rd amendment: no quartering soldiers that do not apply to modern civilization anymore, besides during a time of war. In that case it would be quartering American soldiers in other countries, so still none of the Americans have to quarter soldiers. But War trumps all amendments in the constitution. With the terrorists: the 5th amendment (due process, criminal proceedings, protection from self-incrimination) and 6th (right to a speedy trial) go flying out the window. If you are accused of being a terrorist you can be thrown in jail forever on just the grounds of conspiracy to commit terrorism. So I believe that the amendments shouldn’t be followed strictly, but they cannot be ignored. The 10th amendment or the power reserved to states, this mainly includes boundary lines. Until the late 1800’s Americans had been arguing about powers in the national government versus states’ rights. Even longer than the argument about slavery. The first ten amendments were described as the basics or essential rights to American citizens, but they were only written after many protests because there was no Bill of Rights in the original Constitution.
I think that the constitution is still relevant today. The constitution affects our lives everyday, even though we may not notice it. Voting is something that most Americans are planning on doing this November. Most women are planning on voting and they are thinking about the fact that is one of their rights in the constitution, it is just something that is there. Even men, for that matter, aren’t nessecarily thinking about their right to vote, it is just somrthing that they have. But the right to vote for both men and women are two of the rights guarenteed to citizens of the United States listed in the constitution. Another way the constitution is still relevant today is freedom is religion. People have the right to practice any religion, or no religion, in the United States. Millions of people go to their places of worship on their designated days of the week to practice their religion. They do not have to hide the fact that they are religious because te government would not approve, they can freely, openly practice whatever religion they want because that is one of their rights listed in the constitution. They can also choose to practice no religion. Many people in the United States choose to not follow any religion. An increasing number of people are becoming less and less religious but that is their choice and they can believe in whatever they believe is correct. A third way the constitution is still relevant today is the right to freedom of speech. Any person can go anywhere and tell you anything because that is their right. In big cities, it is pretty common to find people on the streets preaching about their religion or God or the government. They have the right to say anything they want publicly. People can speak about whatever topic they want, people don’t have to listen to them but they can talk as long as they want because that is one of their rights. Therefore, the Constitution is still relevant in modern America today.
Yes, in my opinion, I do think the constitution is still relevant today for many reasons. Some may not agree with those reasons, but I think that they are true and people should start to believe that the constitution is still relevant to this day. The people that had signed the constitution knew that it would last “forever” and were thinking at the time, that citizens to this day would make use of it. The constitution may seem outdated in “words” and people today wouldn’t take it seriously because of how it was worded back then. Another reason why I think that the constitution is still relevant today is that the government is based off of the constitution. It created the three equal branches of the government which were Legislative, Judicial, and Executive. Not only did it create the equal branches of the government but it also created the Checks and Balances system. All the people that signed this document and that had a say in creating the constitution, had hopes of this document lasting a long time. Today, we use this constitution as a guideline to help us with our government and to make better decisions. In my opinion, I do think that constitution is still relevant today.
Neelan
I think the constitution is, in fact, still relevant to our government, as well as to our country as a whole. Despite the fact that it was written around 300 years ago, the main ideas are still relevant, and the particulars – although outdated – can still be applied to modern-day problems. That’s not to say that it should stay now exactly as it was then – it shouldn’t. Times have changed, and things that weren’t a concern then are now large sources of contempt and legal issues, such as the specifications of the right to bear arms, as well as slowly legalizing secure rights for minority groups. These issues weren’t a problem when the constitution was drafted; most minority groups were shunned, and the firearms they had were still pitiful compared to the weaponry that we make today. Yet the constitution is still the basis for our country. It balances out the government and keeps the country from turning on itself. Many things about the constitution have been or need to be amended, because times have changed. This country is very different from the one the Founding Fathers erected, and we are trying to support more than one kind of people in it – more than white, educated, land-owning men. But the basis of it is the part that we need as a country. Amendments will continue to be added to it as America becomes more open and tolerant of those who still aren’t supported, but the bones of it – a government for the people, the unalienable rights we have established, and so on – that should always hold true for this country. That’s why the constitution is still relevant – it keeps in place those core values that we built our country around. Rewriting the constitution, replacing it with something else, no matter how it was done, would lose a part of that, which we, as a country, should never do.
The Constitution is clearly still relevant to our country, which is seen in the way we continue to follow its laws. The Constitution encompasses all of the major laws of the United States, and thus is called the ‘law of the land.’ These laws were made to be mostly focused on the structure of the government and the rights of the citizens. This was based on not only Enlightenment ideals but also the fact that Americans had seen the way England was ruled and despised it; they preferred democracy. Whether or not we now follow the Constitution with a strict interpretation or a loose interpretation does not change the fact that the Constitution is relevant to our lives—we continue to try to use the words written in the Constitution to make good decisions about government and rights. The argument of strict versus loose interpretations itself tells that people care enough about the document to decide how to interpret it. Even day to day life thrives with the use of the ideas in the Constitution—people carry guns and other weapons to protect themselves daily, thanks to rights given by the second amendment; criminals must still be read their rights before they are put under trial, and they are also allowed by other amendments a lawyer, a speedy trial by jury, no unnecessary search and seizure, and no cruel or unusual punishments. The government itself is organized the same way the Framers organized it—three branches: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive; each of these branches has the power to balance the other in the system of checks and balances. In my opinion, the Constitution should be followed using a loose interpretation. Having lived so long ago, the Founding Fathers could never have guessed the issues of politics we have today, or issues we will have in the future. They knew that; this is why they chose to consider the document a living document. Even though they did not all believe this, strangely enough—Democratic-Republicans such as Thomas Jefferson himself, who wrote the Constitution, thought the country would need to stick to the Constitution closely, I think most or even all of them would agree with me that times are different now, and strictly interpreting the Constitution would be restraining. Thus the Constitution still affects us and our laws.
I believe that the constitution is still relevant today, and it is used in daily. It is the supreme law of the land and so nothing can overrule it. I do not think it is just a document that was written and ratified 225 years ago, but that is a working document that is slowly being changed over the course of time to fit the country’s needs. The constitution is what set up the government that we have today. It created the executive and judicial branches, and it also made the legislative branch have a house of representatives, where the representation is based on population, and a senate with equal representation. The constitution gave each branch its own rights of what it can or cannot do. For example the executive branch can declare war and the house and the senate have to ratify laws. These original rights are still what they were. Without the constitution that may not be like that. The constitution is also relevant to the elections coming up in November since the constitution put limits of the presidential terms. The constitution also gives us many of the rights that we have. Although we don’t always realize that certain laws are given to us by the constitution they are. One large right that many people may take for granted is the right to trial by jury. Without the constitution, people might have a trial with no jury at all. The constitution also gives us many other rights such as the freedom of speech and religion, the right to own weapons, and the right to privacy. The constitution is sometimes taken advantage of by people though. During the summer at the movie shooting, James Holmes took advantage of his right to own guns and shot at people watching the batman movie. This court case and many others used the constitution to make the decisions they made. Without the constitution we may not have any of the rights we have, and we could be having our houses searched through by officials whenever they felt like it, and we may not have the freedom to say what we wish and we may not even be able to worship the religion we worship.
Sofia C.
When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, they created it believing that it would be “The Supreme Law of the Land” forever. They wanted to create a document that would be able to govern Americans indefinitely, and although some people think that the Constitution doesn’t fit today’s standards, I believe that the Fathers succeeded and that the Constitution is completely relevant in countless places in today’s society.
The foundation for America’s entire government, the government that has been used without fail for over 200 years, was set up by the Constitution. This management of three branches, Legislative, Judicial, and Executive, and its system of checks and balances is what governs America to be the free nation it is. The Constitution’s government, and its continued application, is the reason America never had and never will have a tyrannical dictator, another civil war, or any huge leader to poor wealth ratio deficit.
Another place where the Constitution is hugely relevant is in trial and courts of public law. For example, suspects all over America are wrongly accused for horrid crimes with horrid consequences on a daily bases. Without the promise of a speedy trial, a trial by jury, and the statement that “All men are innocent until proven guilty,“ their faultlessness and safety would not be ensured and their lives would be at risk. But with these rights instilled in the Constitution, everybody in America has the chance to be treated fairly, regardless of race, age, or sex, which also cause problems in every society.
Although there are some new issues and conflicts that have risen since the time of the drafting of the Constitution, it doesn’t mean that the old principles and amendments are no longer relevant or that they should be replaced. It does mean, however, that new amendments should be added. But the addition of new rights and improvements doesn’t go hand in hand with the deletion of old ones.