preview

How Successful Was The Us Constitution Of The 21st Century

Decent Essays

There is no doubt that the U.S. Constitution is one of the most politically intricate pieces of work in the world. It is astounding that a country has been able to continue to follow the guidelines that were provided in this document centuries later. The American Constitution and Bill of Rights was written with 18th century values and beliefs that are very different than the ones we hold today. However, it is the vague language that leaves room for interpretation and our government that has been essential for the original Constitution to continue to be successful. The U.S. Constitution was first introduced because of the failure of the Articles of Confederation, which lacked a strong central government and instead allowed Americans to govern themselves in their states …show more content…

We repeatedly hear politicians referring back to the Constitution to affirm their point, it was a political document in the 18th century and it continues to be one now. One of the reasons that the Constitution continues to be successful, is because of the vague language that allows a variation of interpretations. There are many parts of the Constitution that sound outdated, thus it can be difficult for it to apply to the 21st Century. However, we should not change the document, we should instead apply those words to our lives today. As David Savage, a Supreme Court reporter clarifies “And then there are phrases like cruel and unusual punishment. It seems to me that phrase almost asks judges or justices to think what's cruel and unusual punishment today? The fact that someone could have been put to death in the 1700s, the 1800s, for a theft, even if the person was 12 years old or 15 years old, how many people would think that that is not cruel and unusual punishment today, to execute a 12-year-old?” (Savage, Is The Constitution A Living Or Dead Document?)

Get Access