Amending the Constitution Part 1

The Framers of the Constitution created a document that would stand the test of time.

Was it a perfect document to create the perfect government - NO.

Was it much better than anything at that time - YES

The Constitution's ability to change and adapt has allowed it to have longevity.

In letters to his friends, Thomas Jefferson expressed his belief that the Constitution should not be changed on a whim, but it should be able to be changed as society and circumstances changed.

"The Earth belongs to the living, not the dead" Jeffeson declared.

"Each generation is as independent as the one preceding . . .It has then , like them, a right to choose for itself the form of government it believes most promotive of its own happiness" -Thomas Jefferson, letter to Samual Kerchevsl, 1816

The original Constitution was a product of its time. It reflects both the wisdom and the biases of the Framers.

The relatively few changes the document has undergone over more than 230 years demonstrates its enduring wisdom.

The Constitution has survived the Civil War, presidential assassinations and economic crises to become the worlds oldest written national constitution

This is due to the amendment process

Thomas Jefferson recognized that the document that was written in 1787 was not perfect.

By our standards today, it allowed injustices

These decisions reflected the beliefs and attitudes of many in society at that time.

Most people today, however, would find both the attitudes and the decisions unacceptable.

It would be up to future generations to amend the Constitution to address these problems.

Many of the amendments, in fact, deal with voting rights and personal liberties directly.

It is the Constitution's ability to incorporate changing ideas of freedom and liberty that has helped make the document relevant to each new generation since 1789.