About the United States Constitution

When the Articles of Confederation fell apart, The United States Constitution was constructed. The Constitution has been around for more than 250 years. The United States Constitution was created as a set of governing rules written for the country. These rules were meant to help the country stay in order but in today’s society, many of these “rules” have been broken, abused, and taken out of context.

The US Constitution is a primary source that states all of the amendments. The Founding Fathers united 13 colonies, declared independence from Britain, and wrote the United States Constitution in 1787.

The Constitution was primarily written for King George III, who was the ruler of Great Britain at this time, declaring independence from his harsh ruling. The Constitution has been beneficial since 1789, and is still in affect today! The Constitution consists of 27 amendments that are still used, although many are abused by today’s citizens.

For example, Amendment Fourteen explains how everyone is created equal. In today’s society, this is seen as false. Over the last few years, it seems like each day there is a video about people of color being treated differently by law enforcement. In these videos, people of color are seen thrown on the ground, treated like animals rather than people, or shot for seemingly doing nothing wrong. Amendment Fourteen further explains equality, so if this amendment was intended as a guideline for citizens, why are people of color being treated differently? That is not equality. In this CNN article, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter talks about what it’s like to be a person of color in today’s generation with all of this madness going on. The article discusses multiple people of color being shot dead, for what? Equality means everyone, not just certain individuals but everyone should have the right to be treated just the same as one another, no matter what color. Most recently, Lori Loughlin, a well known celebrity was arrested for paying money to a college in order to guarantee that her daughter was accepted into the school. Her daughter was granted admission due to the wealth of her parents rather than the merits of her grades. Loughlin’s daughter was given an opportunity due to her parents money that a person of meager or no money was denied admission regardless of their grades. Again the constitutional right that “all people are created equal” was abused.

Freedom of Speech is found under Amendment One. The Constitution states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Amendment One is stating that one should have freedom to say whatever or the freedom to publish their opinion in newspapers, magazines, etc. without the fear of punishment . Today people have to be very cautious about expressing their opinions orally or in print. People cannot state their morals without being punished for it or without offending those who disagree with their views. Freedom of Speech was meant to allow others to express themselves and their personal opinions. One shouldn’t have to keep their mouth closed, being to afraid to say something or stand up for a thing that they believe in. This Amendment is being abused because many people cannot and will not say things because of they are too scared of the consequences their opinion may invoke. Prohibition of Alcohol is found under Amendment Twenty-One. Amendment Eighteen actually banned the transportation or using any alcohol, but the Twenty-First Amendment, ratified it, making criminals selling alcohol to whomever and caused disrespect to the laws. When Congress passed the, National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984, this caused a steep decline for underage drinkers. In today’s society it is quite easy for an underage person to obtain alcohol. Many of these adolescents have older friends or even parents who will go out and purchase alcohol for their consumption. Many teenagers across the nation have died due to underage drinking or have faced multiple consequences because of drinking, including alcohol poisoning and driving under the influence. In this article, Early On-Set Drinking Linked to Later Alcohol Use Disorders, it states that nearly 8.65 million in the US today are underage drinkers. The earlier a child begins to drink, the more the problems they will face in adulthood, not only with alcohol abuse but with meeting important life goals such as education and careers. Drinking has almost become a right of passage into adulthood. A right that is being abused and illegaling supported by those who aid in underage drinking.

The US Constitution has kept the United States of America in order, but some “rules” need to be changed! Over 250 years ago, the Founding Fathers sat down to write these amendments, but it is time for a change. Many of the amendments on the US Constitution are still being abused till this day, in different ways. This needs to change for the better not the worse.

Work Cited

1. https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/college-admissions-scandal-lori-loughlin-and-felicity-huffman-expected-in-court-wednesday-1470202435870
2. https://www.cnn.com/2015/12/28/us/black-lives-matter-evolution/index.html
3. https://www.verywellmind.com/underage-drinking-risk-factors-and-consequences-69483
4. https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/founding-fathers-united-states
5. https://constitution.findlaw.com/amendments.html

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