A document of about 4500 words would be considered an essay. It would be about 9 pages in length. That is the size of the Constitution. Now add in the amendments to that document and the word count swells to 7595. It is the law of the land. The original text has not been revised, not rewritten and not altered. Amendments were added as required to adapt to social, technological and political realities. It is the political realities that so often cause the biggest unrest.

The politics of the day are totally dependent upon the social sensibilities of the day. Consider the current debate surrounding gender identity and the whole LGBTQ+ debate. The cry today is for all of that to be socially acceptable. The politics is simply politicians seeking votes from that block of people. Politicians always cater to those making the most noise. It really is the old adage, ” the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” What’s the popular opinion?

Now many will insist that in those 7959 words the constitution has guaranteed every right, every thought, every action and every fantasy you could ever have. It’s a constitutional right! There are many that will tell you, that is what they wrote, but that isn’t what they meant. Shall not be infringed doesn’t mean you can’t infringe on that right, the technology changed. And they couldn’t write about technology that hadn’t been invented yet. The right to life doesn’t mean you have a right to be born. That’s optional, a choice. You can choose to terminate that life, not allow the birth to happen. The constitution doesn’t say you have a right to be born.

So what are the amendments to the constitution really all about? It’s a way to say, we changed our minds about things. Amendments provide a way to say the things the constitution left open to opinion. Really, when the constitution was written there were different opinions about what was right and wrong. There was a lot of debate, a lot of compromises made, before the final draft was written and ratified. In fact, it took 116 days to accomplish that. And, the pressure was on to get that done! The British weren’t happy about any of that.

The preamble plainly states, “in order to form a more perfect union.” That was clearly the intent of those writing that document. What was the main concern? The main concern was that the government would not control the people, but rather people controlling the government. Those writing the document and debating what was to be included had a wide range of ideas and sensibilities. They were all politicians. Compromises were essential. In short, decisions had to be made. Those decisions have continued to be debated ever since, and that is what the amendments are all about.

The constitution, without the bill of rights and the following amendments, only focused on fundamental rights: the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness we all know about. I would say that hasn’t changed one bit over the 250 years after it was written and in fact, the same rights existed before that time, just not supported by any government, although the Roman Republic was close to that concept, with their senators and such.

The bill of rights was added in 1791. They were added in direct response to current concerns regarding what the constitution itself guaranteed. They all center on the rights of the people, a protection against the government. That was because there were those, even then, saying, that’s what it says but not what it means and we know because we wrote it! Things was, at the time it was written many would not agree to that and so a compromise was reached, we just left it open ended. Slavery, for example, is not mentioned in the constitution and that wouldn’t be dealt with on a national level for another 74 years.

The big question is always, have we changed our mind? That is what needs to be asked when proposing any amendments to the constitution. To the original text, to those 4543 words? It’s certainly easier to just say, well that isn’t what they meant, that isn’t what it says, when you want to change that. It’s also easy to insist that is exactly what they meant. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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.”

Have we changed our mind about that? Note the operative phrases, common defense, general welfare, and the hope to secure that for our children.