Constitution Changes As Society Changes

431 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: The evolution of democracy

Madison, when speaking to Congress on the Constitution, made it clear that the document was one of expressed powers, and only those powers, for the government, and that the document is explicit (not implicit) in it’s wording. What of the idea that the Constitution changes as society changes? Well, this contention is firstly false; we have already shown that words don’t change, people’s inferences change. Thus, what’s really being said is “We change what we infer about the Constitution, not based on the Constitution, but on society’s positions.” This position is the great antithesis to the idea of a Constitution, and a Republic. Allow me to explain: PUBLEUS, the pseudonym for the Federalist Founding Fathers (including Alexander Hamilton and

Show More
Related

  • Case Brief: McCulloch v. Maryland

    406 Words  | 1 Pages

    McCulloch v Maryland 4 Wheat. (17 U.S.) 316 (1819) Issue      May Congress charter a bank even though it is not an expressly granted power? Holding      Yes, Congress may charter a bank as an implied power under the “necessary and proper” clause. Rationale      The Constitution was created to correct the weaknesses of the Articles. The word “expressly” particularly caused major problems and therefore was omitted from the Constitution, because if everything in the Constitution had to be expressly stated it would weaken the power of the Federal government.

    Read More

  • How the Constitution Guards Against Tyranny

    642 Words  | 2 Pages

    James Madison once said,” All men having power ought to be distrusted.” Through these words, Madison made the statement that not all government officials use their authority for good; some abuse that power and use it to gain more for themselves rather than vesting it within the people. This issue may lead to tyranny. Tyranny is when all powers belong to only one person or group. In May of 1787, the Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia to draft a better constitution. One of the topics that concerned many was how the constitution would guard against tyranny. Madison and the other delegates wanted a Constitution that would be strong enough to unite the states and the people together without letting there be one person or group gain too much power. They achieved this in several ways. Today, the U.S. Constitution guards against tyranny by including a separation of powers, federalism, and the fair representation of states.

    Read More

  • The Federalist No.'s 10 and 51

    433 Words  | 1 Pages

    Madison states several things in his papers that will be used in the United States Constitution. He says: “authority will be derived from and dependent on the society, because society is broken into so many parts, interests and classes of citizens…”, ”government must protect the weak as well as themselves.”. “Principles of justice” and the “general good” of the people are also mentioned.

    Read More

  • Framers Of The U.S. Constitution

    1109 Words  | 3 Pages

    All of the framer of the U.S. Constitution had one thing in common, they all felt that the government didn't have enough power. At the same time they didn't want to give the government to much power. They all knew if there was power to be held someone was going to hold it and over use it The framers didn't want to create a system like Britain or England.

    Read More

  • Why We Shouldn't Abandon The Constitution of the United States

    379 Words  | 1 Pages

    This disunion was attempted once between the states and brought about the Civil War. A conservative document that lays the foundation for our republic is exactly what our country needed and that is what prevailed. It is the world's oldest written constitution still in effect. It contains the very principles that our statutes and codes emerged from. It defines that our government must be confined to the rule of law. The Constitution’s 25 Amendments, added over a period of 180 years, have in most cases, plugged the loopholes, rather than change the focus of the document. This is what I believe in preserving, the document in its entirety. I do not believe that it is a document that is open to direct change. However, I do believe that there is some truth in what former President Franklin D.

    Read More

  • The Ratification of the United States Constitution

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...merican community. The Constitution of the United States of America also defines that the federal government does not have authority outside the established clauses in the Preamble.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of A Living Constitution

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    More and more people have grown disillusioned with the Supreme Court in the last thirty years than ever before. We have seen more of a shift from decisions aimed at bettering the lives of the people, to politically driven decisions with only the elite, profiting. This fact highlights the court’s need to gradually move toward a modern and evolutionary interpretations of the Constitution, rather than trying to render “new world” decisions, from an “old world” perspective. In simpler words, the nine residents of One, First Street need to embrace the idea of a Living Constitution. A Living Constitution simply refers to a Constitution which evolves as time passes by, whether it be in the form of amendments, or interpretation. I believe the main criticism, from both Robert Jackson and James Burns is that as time evolves, the Supreme Court has an obligation to interpret the

    Read More

  • The Supreme Court

    1073 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are two major ways that the Constitution is interpreted. One of which is called the “Strict Constitution” of national law, an example of this would be the “Dred Scott decision. The other way is the federalist position, where the Constitution grants broad power to the federal government. Two great examples of this type of interpretation were Chief Justices John Marshall and Earl Warren.

    Read More

  • The Constitution as A Democratic Document

    936 Words  | 2 Pages

    Upon the opening words of the Constitution, "We the People…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America," one must ask, who are these people? While the American Constitution provided its citizens with individual rights, many members were excluded. Elite framers manipulated the idea of a constitution in order to protect their economic interests and the interests of their fellow ‘white land and slave owning men' by restricting the voices of women, slaves, indentured servants and others. Therefore, the Constitution cannot truly be considered a "democratic document." However, because it is a live document, malleable and controllably changeable according to the interest of congress, it has enabled us to make reforms overtime. Such reforms that have greatly impacted America, making us the free, independent nation that we are today.

    Read More

  • U.S. Constitution

    430 Words  | 1 Pages

    The document I chose to write about is the United States Constitution. When the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence in 1776, they laid down that “governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The “colonies” had to establish a government, which would be the framework for the United States. The purpose of a written constitution is to define and therefore more specifically limit government powers. After the Articles of Confederation failed to work in the 13 colonies, the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787.

    Read More

  • Should The Constitution Be Changed Essay

    1452 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1787, The United States of America formally replaced the Articles of Confederation with a wholly new governing document, written by the delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. This document, known as the Constitution, has served as the supreme law of our land for the past 228 years. It has stood the test of time and a majority of Americans still support it today (Dougherty). The Constitution was designed in a way that allows for it to be amended, in order to address changing societal needs. Article V discusses the process by which the Constitution can be altered. This feature has enabled it to stay in effect and keep up with current times. The Constitution should not be rewritten every 19 years because it would not only weaken its importance, but it would also hurt foreign relations and continuously rewriting it would give political parties too much power.

    Read More

  • Constitutional Republic

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Founding Fathers limit the power of government in the Constitution utilizing many different tactics, many more than even the aforementioned. Their main intent was to make the nation less democratic and to keep the government small. The Constitution has accomplished the Founding Fathers' goal until now, and will hopefully continue doing so in the future.

    Read More

  • The Constitution And The Constitution

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    Around the 1780’s, The Founding Fathers were going over some constitutions and having meetings to see what they agreed and what they disagreed. While discussing, they made a law that states, “On the second Monday of May, the Founding Fathers revise the Constitution.” (National Archives and Records Administration) Of course this law was for back then, but even till this day the government goes over the laws and any changes that could be made. Back then, while they revised the Constitution, they explored the rights of the citizens and tried to include it in the Constitution. “The Delegates examined every phrase of the Constitution through the prism of the conflicting interests they represented...History, Political

    Read More

  • Examples Of Constitutional Change

    393 Words  | 1 Pages

    The United States constitution have modificated the government and our society through amendments.Constitutional change is when an amendment is added or removed from the constitution. Two example of constitutional change is The 13th Amendment and The 14th Amendment.

    Read More

  • Competitive Federalism

    2725 Words  | 6 Pages

    Those who feared that the federal government would become too strong were assured by Madison in Federalist No. 14 that “in the first place it is to be remembered that the general government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administrating laws…The subordinate governments, which can extend their care to all those other objects which can be separately provided for, will retain their due authority and activity”

    Read More

More about Constitution Changes As Society Changes

Open Document