30 marker by https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72 evaluate the view that the weaknesses of the US Constitution outweigh its strengths and that it is no longer fit for purpose en-us 2023-01-10 11:45:04 UTC 2023-01-19 17:35:17 UTC hello@padlet.com The Bill of Rights is still protected, therefore protecting the rights and liberties of Americans. skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440878503 2023-01-11 14:19:35 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440878503 skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440879095 The founding fathers aimed to ensure the rights of the people, without an overly powerful central government. The Bill of Rights was made to protect individual citizens from government intrusion. the civil and political rights and liberties continue to become more entrenched to this day]]> 2023-01-11 14:19:53 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440879095 Eg. skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440885074 -civil and voting rights of minority groups, gender equality and the protection of gay rights. 
-the citizens united act  means the government can't cap money spending on FECA as it is unconstitutional since the 
people and organizations should have the freedom of expression in how much they spend independently on campaigns of a candidate they support or do not support. 
]]> 2023-01-11 14:23:11 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440885074 skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440888885 this still protects the rights of the people with freedom of expression and speech. In 2015, same sex marriage was ruled constitutional for all states,  which protects the peoples right with whom they wish to marry and doesn’t restrict the people on this  issue, giving them much more freedom. It also shows that the bill of rights protects the rights of people throughout time as even now rights and civil liberties are still protected. continuing the intention of the founding fathers, by ensuring rights and civil liberties are still protected by the use of the bill of rights. Therefore validating the strengths of the US Constitution and how it remains fit for purpose]]> 2023-01-11 14:25:25 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440888885 The Bill of Rights can be vague and allows for confusion and mis-interpretation. skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440993740 2023-01-11 15:29:56 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440993740 Eg. skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440994606 the wording of the 2nd amendment ‘the right to bear arms’, is unclear. Did the framers mean the American  citizens have a collective right to own guns in the state militias or did they mean individual rights to own guns?]]> 2023-01-11 15:30:29 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440994606 skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440995364 The US Constitution was written 200 years ago so is not written with our modern era point of view therefore makes it hard to relate the bill of rights to the present and also due to the entrenchment of the  constitution, with a super majority amendment process, it makes it much harder to add or change and 
rights in the constitution, to move on with the generations and society.
]]> 2023-01-11 15:31:03 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440995364 skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440997603 If this was not written in the constitution as a civil right, there 
perhaps may be much less mass shootings in the USA, causing devastation throughout the country.  However, the mentality that the US Citizens have the rights to bear arms, to some for defence, has been  passed down for generations, making it harder to change as in the present majority of the people would argue against the amendment of the second amendment as it is a constitutional right and secondly the 
need for a super majority across the states and Congress, makes it nearly impossible to amend. This shows 
a weakness of the US Constitution as bills are difficult to change, that may have fit in the society of when 
the constitution was written but now may not be appropriate in the present day. Therefore giving evidence of the US Constitution's weaknesses and how it is no longer fit for purpose
]]> 2023-01-11 15:32:44 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2440997603 The constitution is vague for the sake of evolutionary and social changes within the US https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2442118676 The constitution was made to be vague and open to interpretation by the founding fathers, leaving the opportunity for changes as society develops. 
For example:
The Constitution has been amended to make the government of the US more modern such as the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment allowing direct election to the Senate in 1913. 
However some aspects of the constitution are much clearer and outline the powers delegated to the federal government and how this will be composed. For example it outline that congress will consist of the house of representatives and the senate and that the house of representatives members will be chosen by the people of the state. As well as this it outlines the composition of the senate and that it will include 2 members from each state. 

]]> 2023-01-12 11:17:11 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2442118676 strictness of constitution and difficulty to make amendments can lead to gridlock https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2442144149 gridlock is defined as a situation that arises when legislation faces difficulty in being passed due to different party control in the legislature or executive. 
gridlock can occur when the house and the senate are controlled by different parties or when congress is united under one party but the presidency is controlled by a different party. 
The founding fathers purposely made the amending process difficult due to its two stage process, first it must be passed in the house with a supermajority of 2/3 in order for the amendment to be approved, and then in the senate. Because of the different parties within congress this supermajority is very rare. 
The amendment process is made to be this way do it isn’t subject to any sudden political changes and so it remains the highest law of the land

Since the constitution was written, over 5,000 amendments have been proposed but only 17 have actually become amendments. ]]> 2023-01-12 11:42:58 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2442144149 Conclusion skyemunn https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2442816267 - Whilst the US Constitution has many strengths like ensuring scrutiny, frequent elections and protecting American's rights through being entrenched, it's weaknesses imply that parts of the US Constitution are no longer fit for purpose in modern society
- This is due to a number of weaknesses, the most significant being that the Constitution can be vague and allows for confusion and misinterpretation, followed by difficulty to make Amendments that arose from rules from the Founding Fathers. 
- It may be argued that the vagueness of the Constitution is a strength as it allows the government to adapt to the modern needs of society. HOWEVER this can allow for 'loopholes' in the political system to be exploited by both politicians and citizens.
- It may be argued that the difficulty to make Amendments is a strength as it prevents the restriction of the liberties of Americans. HOWEVER this causes gridlock and partisanship as the chance of a supermajority between two different parties is rare. There is a high chance of government shutdown and therefore an ineffective ruling government.
- OVERALL, whilst the US Constitution appears outdated in a modern context, it has obviously worked due to surviving as the basis of US democracy for over 200 years. ]]> 2023-01-12 20:10:52 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2442816267 Avoids elective dictatorship skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2443441397 checks and balances ensure one branch doesn't hold too much power over another to prevent tyranny, ]]> 2023-01-13 11:10:21 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2443441397 Eg. skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2443442113 congress has legislative power but can be tracked by the presidential veto, checked by congressional override with a 2/3 house majority 

  •  Protects the key principles of political processes. Some principles and basic democratic rights, such as every four year elections and the separation of powers, are almost impossible to change due to the safeguarding imposed by the Constitution on these inalienable rights
  • Whilst the Founding Fathers made some ideals almost completely immune from change, the Constitution does allow for change when there is broad support through the formal process or by a Supreme Court ruling. This prevents an elite majority from pushing their own interests above those of the majority
]]> 2023-01-13 11:11:16 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2443442113 citizens rights not fully protected skr1000 https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2443444213 too much power to unaccountable and unelected judges. constitution too vague and open to interpretation that it can be used against people on trial for certain reasons 



  • The increasing political polarisation of the US public, coupled with the extreme partisanship in Congress, makes it extremely difficult for proposals for amendments to be successful. More than 11,000 amendments to the Constitution have been proposed but only 27 have been successfully passed. This means, as American society has developed dramatically over the centuries, the Constitution has failed to reflect the changing interests of its people
  • The entrenchment of the Constitution prevents the supreme laws of the country to adhere to the interests of the wider public. Arguably, this contrasts the intentions of the Founding Fathers, who wished for the greater representation of a pluralistic society and to prevent the interests of the minority being over-represented
]]> 2023-01-13 11:13:29 UTC https://padlet.com/skr1000/m2br2j5c40o7tb72/wish/2443444213