Should We Rewrite the Constitution

This was my response to a question posed by my government teacher. I welcome any discussion on this topic. The question was :

Some parts of the Constitution seem unclear, unnecessary, or outdated. Should the Constitution be rewritten to reflect modern concerns?

The real question here is whether the form of government that the Constitution outlines functions in the modern world and whether our concerns are the same from the 1700’s to the present day.

To both questions, I say yes. For the first, our founders had a great deal of foresight when structuring our government. They anticipated the growth of the country, as evidenced by Article IV, section 3. They anticipated disagreements, as seen in Article III. They even anticipated the necessity to add to the constitution, as shown in Article V. The very structure of the government, with its checks and balances, ensuring that no one gain too much power, shows an intimate knowledge of human kind’s tendency towards self-serving purposes. Overall, the framework for our government allows for flexibility, while providing a strong enough foundation to build a nation on.

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.overview.html

This leads to the second question about past verses present concerns. As humans, what we desire and what we need has changed very little throughout history. We like to think that in our enlightened times we are somehow different from our cave dwelling ancestors. We are not. Consider this; is graffiti on the side of a building that different from paintings on cave walls? Both show a desire for self-expression and decoration of our homes. Is the alleged clubbing of hapless cave women that different from going to the - perhaps too aptly named - club to find a date? Both represent the desire to reproduce. We may have more toys nowadays than those of our forebears, but even that represents a continuing human desire to ease the sufferings of life.

http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/glasser_five_needs.htm

http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2007/04/09/caves_arc.html?category=archaeology&guid=20070409110000

http://www.matrixbookstore.biz/caveman.htm

http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i4/stoneage.asp

In summation, we as a people still desire the right to be treated fairly. We still desire peace in our homes, the ability to defend that peace, and the right to promote our own well being. Above all, we desire freedom. These ideals are perfectly expressed in the opening of the constitution:

“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”