The Living Constitution

The Living Constitution





         Before the world had beheld a form of government like the one we have today, there were the colonies in America.  These colonies were controlled by England.  Now the colonists were fed up with all the taxes imposed by King George and Parliament.  These disagreements led to the Revolutionary War and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Five years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution was developed because there were some problems with the way the states functioned with each other.  Each state was printing its own money and there was an overall lack of central government.  As time progressed, they realized they needed to change their current form of government.  The Constitutional Convention was called and fifty-five men worked to develop a new form of government, which would be come our Constitution. 

         After much discussion, the Constitution was finished.  It created a new system of government using checks and balances.  The three branches of government were created; the judicial, the legislative, and the executive branch.  The checks and balances are to ensure that one branch doesn’t become too powerful.  The Bill of Rights also protected the people’s right to free speech, freedom of the press, the right to bear arms, the right to assembly, and freedom of religion.  Once it was complete, the states had to vote to ratify the Constitution. In some states it was going to be close.

         They did it!  Now the Constitution was ratified.  Even now, the founding founders left us a way to amend the Constitution if needed.  The purpose of this is that if the government decides there is an issue that needs to be addressed they have a way to add to the Constitution.  First a majority of the House has to pass the amendment, and then it goes to a national vote.  Three-fourths of the states have to pass it too.  So the Constitution does indeed remain a living document since amendments can be added.