Analysis of our
Constitution and more:
The writers of out Constitution were people, imperfect people. They didn't all agree on every little detail in the end product. I'm not a Constitutional scholar; just an ordinary citizen. These are simply my opinions. I do, however, have over 37 years in public service, in 4 states, in multiple libraries working for the boards and sometimes municipal councils. There is a process of arriving at decisions and results that is commonly accepted, with some variations. Some of you think that's part of the problem but it's certainly a lot better than yelling and screaming and shooting at each other to solve problems. It's called being civilized.
There is a great deal in the Constitution that has been amended; there's a great deal that still needs to be amended. Rewriting the entire thing as some have proposed and even I have considered would be a dangerous thing, especially in times like today when people are so at odds because we live in a country that has long been established, has history, a body of laws, a stable, though varied cultured and an attempt to start over would be enormously disruptive and could lead, today, to potentially unresolvable conflicts and violence. Better to write more amendments.
Using a transcription of the original Constitution with
the original spellings and capitalization, the original words will appear in “ “ and bold font.
An analysis and suggestions will follow:
The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form
a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide
for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings
of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America."
This introductory paragraph of our Constitution outlines
the purposes of the establishment of the nation and the primary functions of
the government:
- …to form a more perfect union,…
·
…to establish Justice,…
·
…to insure domestic tranquility,…
·
…to provide for the common defense, …
·
…to secure the blessings of liberty…
Many of these are vague, some are/were debatable. The vaguery can be seen as necessary because
we cannot know the future or the needs of the people in that future. To be too specific, would mean endless
amendments and laws to cover all the possibilities. So, general principles are presented.
I think, in view of today’s citizens, there may be a
strong debate about establishing a union; and where is the definition of “perfect”. Even as the Constitution was being drafted,
there may have been some who came to this continent without a thought of their
relationship with the rest of the people here.
The divisiveness of today could destroy our “union”. Do the majority think the country is worth
preserving?
To insure domestic tranquility and to provide for the
common defense seem fairly straightforward aims.
To establish Justice and to secure the blessings of
liberty are the most vague but the phrasing of each seems quite telling. To establish Justice seems clear that the
government will take on that responsibility for the citizenry. It seems to establish the authority of the
federal government. To secure the
blessings of liberty, to this reader, is a foolish promise. First, you have to define liberty, then the
blessings of liberty and exactly how are either to be secured. One can argue that life itself does not do
that. It is, perhaps, why we have so
many laws and regulations that are unenforceable. Certainly, there is nothing in this paragraph
limiting liberty as one might anticipate that the liberty of one will
undoubtedly sometimes conflict with the liberty of another.
The paragraph is, in part, a bombastic pronouncement of
the intentions of the drafters of our Constitution. It is an official decree of the establishment
of a federal government. The more concrete intentions are acceptable; the
others wishful thinking.
No suggestions for improvement here.
There is a page, see the menu at the top of the blog, with the entire text of our Constitution.
Comments are welcome.
