Most Effective and Most Ineffective Amendments to the US Constitution - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages There were other amendments, which were minimally effective and failed their purpose. In that context, the 1st amendment qualifies to be classified as being the most effective, while the 2nd amendment could reasonably be labeled as being a big failure owing to many reasons.

1st Amendment
The 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was proposed on 25 September 1789 and was enacted on 15 December 1791. The 1st amendment guarantees the freedom of religion, speech, and press and protects the citizens’ right to assemble and petition the government. Since its ratification, the 1st amendment has successfully sustained over more than 200 years, without any major changes or alterations being affected it. The 1st amendment has effectively played a crucial role in the history of America, both in the contemporary and earlier ages (Fleming 372).

America being a nation founded by immigrants, the freedom of religion enshrined in the 1st amendment certified throughout that the great melting pot called America accommodated citizens with diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds, without resorting to discrimination or state-supported hatred or persecution.
The right to expression and petition facilitated by the 1st amendment was the statutory backing that enabled many luminaries and suppressed groups within the nation, to raise a voice for equal rights and opportunities (Fleming 372). For example, when Martin Luther King Jr. pursued the struggle for the civil rights of African Americans, it was the rights protected by the 1st amendment that extended a legal relevance to his struggle.

The right to assemble and petition led to the constitution of history-changing groups like the National American Women Suffrage Association and it was the freedom of the press that accounted for the attention and coverage extended to the sidetracked and suppressed sections of the society.

The 1st amendment has been valuable to society in the sense that whenever some individuals or groups felt the need to change government or discriminatory laws, the 1st amendment came to their rescue.
2nd Amendment
The 2nd amendment was proposed on 25 September 1789 and got enacted on 15 December 1791. This amendment safeguards the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Owing to many reasons, the 2nd amendment has lost its relevance.
The 2nd amendment was meaningful in the context of the times in which it was enacted (Barnett 238). During the days when this amendment was ratified, an organized and well-trained militia was essential to safeguard the freedom of the state and the liberty of the people (Barnett 239)). So, to achieve the objectives necessitated by this strategic cause, the right to keep and bear arms was utterly essential.

Secondly, in the days in which the 2nd amendment was passed, America was still a quintessentially agrarian society and people relied on hunting to sustain and survive. Hence, in those times, guns were a necessary household item that served many purposes in the daily life of the masses (Barnett 2239).

However, the 21st century is a different lot, and hence the 2nd amendment has directly or indirectly been the cause of much violence and bloodshed. In modern America, with its organized law and order framework, guns positively have no practical relevance for the common citizenry. People do not need guns to sustain themselves or to carry on with their daily life. The spurt in urban violence and organized crime in recent days has shattered the very basics of the American constitution and has made the citizens more vulnerable and unsafe. Considering the different nature of domestic and professional pressures being faced by contemporary Americans, guns are more than often put to the wrong use. The irony associated with the 2nd amendment is that it was enacted to restrain the unlawful elements that threatened the public peace, but with time, this amendment has in itself become a legal instrument aiding violence and lawlessness. A plausible way out is to make the right to bear arms dependent on the procurement of a license from valid state or federal authorities, as is done in many countries ...Download file to see next pages Read More