Is the American Constitution a 'beacon on the hill'?
“A beacon on the hill” to what extent is this a valid assessment of the American Constitution.
The American Constitution is far from “a beacon on the hill” because it has significant flaws; features such as its rigidity means that it is extremely hard to amend when necessary and The Constitution’s ambiguity enables krytocracy to exist. Its underlying principles of democracy, equality and freedom are admirable particularly when it was created in the late seventeen hundreds and there are many strengths that remain in the constitution e.g. The Bill of Rights. However whilst historically it would be seen as a “beacon on the hill” it does not seem to remain a valid assessment of it in modern society, as much of the context is dated or inflexible. The American Constitution is codified meaning it is laid down in one singular sovereign document, which sets out both the powers and limitations of each distinct branch of government, for instance the fact that each year the President has the power to make the ‘State of the Union’ address, where he outlines what he wants Congress to debate and pass laws on. However this means that the constitution can be too rigid and becomes extremely difficult to amend. In 226 years since The Constitution was established there has only been 27 amendments, 10 of these are the Bill of Rights. Parts are anachronistic and The US has been unable to keep up with the times because their constitution is codified. An example of this is Amendment II, ‘the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed’. Allowing citizens the right to carry a gun is considered a dated idea amongst modern traditions and the law is now causing significant trouble in the US. Tragedies such as the Virginia Tech massacre that occurred in 2007 could have been prevented given that this amendment had been successfully changed or struck but because the Constitution is codified, it makes the amendment process extremely difficult.
The American Constitution is far from “a beacon on the hill” because it has significant flaws; features such as its rigidity means that it is extremely hard to amend when necessary and The Constitution’s ambiguity enables krytocracy to exist. Its underlying principles of democracy, equality and freedom are admirable particularly when it was created in the late seventeen hundreds and there are many strengths that remain in the constitution e.g. The Bill of Rights. However whilst historically it would be seen as a “beacon on the hill” it does not seem to remain a valid assessment of it in modern society, as much of the context is dated or inflexible. The American Constitution is codified meaning it is laid down in one singular sovereign document, which sets out both the powers and limitations of each distinct branch of government, for instance the fact that each year the President has the power to make the ‘State of the Union’ address, where he outlines what he wants Congress to debate and pass laws on. However this means that the constitution can be too rigid and becomes extremely difficult to amend. In 226 years since The Constitution was established there has only been 27 amendments, 10 of these are the Bill of Rights. Parts are anachronistic and The US has been unable to keep up with the times because their constitution is codified. An example of this is Amendment II, ‘the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed’. Allowing citizens the right to carry a gun is considered a dated idea amongst modern traditions and the law is now causing significant trouble in the US. Tragedies such as the Virginia Tech massacre that occurred in 2007 could have been prevented given that this amendment had been successfully changed or struck but because the Constitution is codified, it makes the amendment process extremely difficult.