Evolution and Persistence of the U.S. Constitution

When 55 men met in a crowded, hot building in Philadelphia to write the Constitution two hundred years ago, they wrote a code of law that fit their specific needs. In that time, Mozart was still composing sonatas, moons of Uranus were still being discovered, and the Columbia completed the first United States voyage around the world. Today, we still have the Constitution, a beautiful document that creates a wonderful government for this great country. The legal system set forth by the Constitution was revolutionary, and managed to survive despite the doubts of the rest of the world. Perhaps one of the most beautiful parts of the Constitution is the fact that it is still in use today, and not in the same way that it was used back in 1787. The

The founding fathers were deeply afraid that their democracy would turn into an authoritarian state just like the one from which they recently became emancipated. The Constitution specifically outlines the responsibilities of the president in Article II. As the framers intended, the president had military power; the ability to make treaties but only with Senate consent; appoint certain positions, again with Senate consent; and the power to veto legislation. In nearly all of these branches, the president is limited by the legislative branch; even the presidential veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress. Looking at my work today, I see that I am responsible for far more. What changed? Obviously, the Constitution itself was not changed. Rather, the implied powers of the president have been strengthened. Andrew Jackson’s prolific use of the veto, Abraham Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus, and Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson’s close work with Congress all helped to add power to the executive branch. Initially, the legislative branch was intended to be far more powerful than the executive branch; now, however, the executive and legislative branches are nearly