And anyone who suggests that the Founders believed it to be perfect is either misinformed, stupid, or trying to push an agenda.
The easiest way to tell that the Founders did not believe the Constitution to be flawless is that they incorporated a method by which to amend the Constitution. Had they believed it to be a perfect document, then why would it necessitate amending? There are two suggestions - time is not a vacuum, which is to say that what was the case in 1789 (public stocks, slavery, women having fewer rights than gravel) is not going to necessarily hold true in 2009. This is in part why the founders wrote somewhat vaguely, to give room for interpretation.
Another piece of evidence that the Founders did not believe the Constitution to be perfect comes from the date of the Bill of Rights, also known as the First 10 Amendments. If you look carefully, or not even carefully, but at all, you will see that the Bill of Rights were not incorporated concurrently with the Constitution. In fact, one of the great hangups with the Constitution was the premise that it had no Bill of Rights. The People would not ratify the Constitution until said Bill was at least promised to be forthcoming. That the People would require something beyond what was written in the Constitution itself in order to even ratify it should supply sufficient evidence for anyone willing to think for half a second that the Founders believed the Constitution to be perfect as written.
I write this as a rant not for any reason other than it's been bugging me for some time as I have seen it written on blogs and heard it from people here and there that somehow Liberals dislike America because they believe the Constitution to be flawed. I think this idea, that questioning the omnipotence of the Constitution, is glib. But I recognize that reasonable people can come to differing opinions on what is or is not the case, and I'm certain there are several who will come here (okay, maybe 3) and read this and consider my opinion to be pure tommyrot. To them, I merely ask for proof that the Founders believed the Constitution was perfect as written, if they got this far in my late night rant.
4 comments:
I agree. I don't think our founding fathers could have envisioned America as it is now, some 200 odd years later. Like, the right to bear arms meaning I can have a semi-automatic gun that is good for nothing but killing lots of people very quickly, but I digress...However, they did have the genius of incorporating the method to amend the Constitution and thank goodness they were that intelligent.
The sacred irony is that most "strict constructionists" are also religious individuals (with zealot tendencies) who hold the Constitution to be as infallible as Scripture itself. Yet they conveniently forget the Scriptures when their holy Constitution allows them to strike, instead of turning the other cheek.
"The easiest way to tell that the Founders did not believe the Constitution to be flawless is that they incorporated a method by which to amend the Constitution."
It is as simple an argument as that.
And to follow up on Donald's comment, great blog! Thanks.
Steve, my bro -- first of all -- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Second of all, I believe the Constitution IS and WAS the perfect document because our Founding Fathers were smart enough to allow future amendments, which may be a caveat, but to me, that was the bottom line that sealed the "Perfect Document" deal as far as I'm concerned :-)
Blog ON, my friend, and again -- may 2009 be you and yours' best year to date! :-)
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