American Government Reflections

Chapter 3: The U.S. Constitution

Basic Principles
The basic principles that the government must observe are: popular sovereignty, limited
government, separation of powers, a system of checks and balances, and federalism. This means
that the government is given its authority by the people. Then, the idea of a limited government,
separation of power, and a system of checks and balances ensures that the government will it
abuse its power. This limit on power ensures that the government remains a democracy and does
not turn into a form of monarchy or dictatorship. This means that all three branches must work
together to pass laws and operate other parts of the government's duties. The executive branch is
able to veto laws, however, the legislative branch is able to override the veto if a majority vote is
achieved. Additionally, the legislature approves federal spending and any international treaties
negotiated by the president. Then, the judicial branch has the power of judicial review which can
determine if a law or government action is unconstitutional. I believe that this system of
government helps the government remain strong and keeps the country united, forcing people to
respect the laws that are passed. This keeps the country away from a state of anarchy.
Amending the Constitution
I also believe that the system for amending the Constitution should be harder than the system
for other laws as this ensures that the amendments to the Constitution would not be taken lightly.
I also believe that the idea that the Constitution is a "living" document was an important part of
the framework for the government. This allows the nation's founding documents to change with
the times and adjust to resolve challenges that the original creators could not predict. The
proposal of amendments requires that two-thirds of both the House and the Senate must approve
the amendment before it can be sent out for ratification or by a national convention. Then, after
its initial approval, the proposed amendment must be ratified by three-fourths of the states or the
approval of special conventions in at least three-fourths of the states. Only twenty-seven
amendments have passed the difficult process. The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments,
protect individual freedoms that were not specifically stated in the Constitution. I believe that by
stating these rights the government is not able to unfairly dominate the states and people and they
can not use the excuse that it is not stated in the Constitution or any of its amendments.
Additionally, amendments to the Constitution have extended voting rights and some powers of
the national government. Also, amendments have created the need for ratification deadlines. The
last amendment took almost two hundred years to ratify and now, though it is not law, Congress
usually sets deadlines of seven years for ratifying an amendment. I believe that a set deadline
would allow an amendment a sufficient amount of time to gain or lose support and stops people
from continually pushing back the deadline whether because they do not want it passed or
because they want to gain more support. This would ensure that the amendment is still relevant
to the society.
A Flexible Document and the Constitution and the Public Good
The flexibility of the Constitution helps it to meet new challenges that the founders could not
have foreseen. This allows parts of the Constitution to remain relevant to today's society. Also, I
believe the vague wording in the Constitution helps open the document up to interpretation
which can benefit and harm the society. This flexibility for interpretation allows the government
to extend or limit their powers when needed. Though some limiting actions are clearly stated in

the document others are not. I believe this is beneficial to the country, however, I can see how
others may say this can lead the government to abuse some of their rights and powers. I also
learned that an executive agreement does not need the approval of the legislative branch which
helps address problems that are difficult to address in a formal constitutional process. Then, I
realized that the traditions, customs, and culture of the country affects the way the government
runs and the laws that it passes. This can be seen in the limit of two terms for each president and
the formation of a cabinet of advisors. Also, political parties seek to influence the activities of the
government. Political parties and factions were feared by the founders as they thought that a
majority faction may threaten the way the government is run and threaten the equal influence of
the minority factions. However, I agree with James Madison's view. Since large republics
encompass many people with differing interests, it is hard for a majority faction to control the
government without taking other's interests into account as they would not be able to win
support. Additionally, the system of checks and balances would limit the control of the faction if
they did manage to control one branch of government. Because the government is based off of
the needs of the people, the system serves to promote the public good and not personal, selfish
interests. This means that this form of government is effective right? Sadly, not always. At times,
forming a majority on any policy is difficult due to conflicting interests. This can lead to gridlock
and an avoidance of responsibility. This stalls the government's progress and can make it hard to
know who made a mistake since the people can ask why one power did not limit the other.