The Constitution: We The People Of The United States

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“We the People of the United States” have coined this phrase from the Constitution’s preamble often enough to forget what it means. “We the People” is what our founders meant as American citizens: we who govern and we who are governed. In other words, the founding fathers gave us a democracy and the concept of checks and balances. “Of the United States” signifies that we are not just of America, but we are of the United States of America. We are one nation as a whole, but “United” requires that there be many parts. These individual parts and the power to these parts were a key element in the construction of our country. These words from one of the strongest aspects of the Constitution. It is a continual idea that applies to us as long as the …show more content…

They enables us the power to change and add to it as required. This was wise of our founders; they had the foresight to know that times, people, and knowledge all change. Time brings on new relationships within and outside the U.S. For instance, in the original Constitution, is is explained how the number of representatives of Congress is found by population, “excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths all other Persons” (“all other Persons” referring to slaves). The population count was of all white people, and Native Americans that were not taxed. That has drastically changed, since relationships with those groups have changed. This has been amended properly in the Thirteenth Amendment, as ideas about the equality of all men have surfaced since then. People change as well; beliefs come and go, morals and standards change, and cultures emerger and re-emerge. Again, in the days of the Constitution, black people were slaves and of little consequence, but eventually civil rights were recognized, and African Americans, as well as women, the Fourteenth Amendment,, can now vote. Changes in knowledge came along with the new times and people. In turn, technology has advanced, and if the need to make an amendment related to this should arise, we have the ability to do so (U.S. Const.

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