“We the People of the United States”
The Constitution was ratified in 1789 and is still the basis of government for the United States today. The first three words are “We the People” and ,throughout the years, the meaning of that has changed. At the time of ratification in 1789, equal representation among white men who owned property in the U.S. was all that the phrase referred to. The idea that every white property owning male would now have a voice was a drastic change in government from its precedents. As time went on, the fight for equality spread even further until it went to include rich and poor men and women alike.
Over the years we have added many changes or “amendments” to the Constitution. Quite a few of them have to do with civil rights. It is astonishing how far we have come in terms of equality for everyone. Although even today we still face discrimination and racism, the nation as a whole has made leaps and bounds in equality as a whole. An intriguing thought is how the founding fathers of the Constitution would react if they were to see the amendments that have been made to the constitution. I wonder if they would approve of the changes and understand the need to change interpretation of the Constitution over time. Perhaps many of the ratifying states wouldn’t have even ratified the Constitution if the amendments have been included at the time.
The article below questions the modern relevancy of the US Constitution and the continuing debate over its compromises.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/should-the-constitution-be-scrapped-11569546/?no-ist