The US Constitution Is the Fundamental Framework of the Government - Essay Example

Thomas Jefferson was right. Indeed, commonsense dictates that the dead should not dictate how the living should be governed. The experiences that influenced the Framers of the Constitution in writing the document may have a different interpretation with time. Thus it bows to commonsense and reason that each generation should draft its constitution on how they should be governed. Rewriting the constitution for each generation asserts the freedom upon which the American nation is founded. A rigid constitution thrown by the Fathers on the children robs the latter of their freedom.  Furthermore, events throughout American history show that the Constitution needs to be rewritten for each generation. For instance, in times of severe economic hardship, the presidential form of democracy as presented in the U.S. Constitution could be an expensive institution to maintain. Thus there is a need for an alternative cheap form of democracy that will guarantee the same freedom. This calls for rewriting the Constitution.

     On the other hand, some groups of people believed James Madison was right. Rewriting the constitution for every generation could be an expensive endeavor both in terms of time and resources. Indeed, given that the political, social, and economic status quo may not change every generation, it will be a waste of resources and time. In addition, the American Constitution has stood the test of time even though several amendments have been made. It shows that the way the Constitution was structured, its rewriting was unnecessary.

     Events throughout American history, indeed, show that there is a need to rewrite the Constitution for every generation. Given that several amendments have been made to the Constitution, it stands to reason that Thomas Jefferson was right. In addition, the freedom upon which the American nation is founded is denied future generations if they cannot decide how they should be governed. I, therefore, support Thomas Jefferson's proposal.