The Strengths and Weaknesses of the U.S. Constitution

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The Strengths and Weaknesses of the U.S. Constitution

One of the most important strengths of the American Constitution is the system of checks and balances, which is created to ensure that government branches do not exceed a certain level of power. Specifically, it provides a number of various authoritative roles and responsibilities that must be followed by the judicial, executive, and legislative branches and stay within certain limits (Epstein & Walker, 2010). For the framers of the American Constitution, this principle was a guarantee that tyranny was eliminated and liberty was preserved to an appropriate degree (LaPorta et al., 2003). On the other hand, one of the most profound weaknesses of the Constitution is the capacity to be interpreted in various ways, largely to the extent that satisfies the modern societal values (Mann & Ornstein, 2013). Accordingly, governmental figures can interpret the document in an own way, thus perpetuating corruption and threatening freedom in society (Fisher, 2008).

The system of checks and balances as the strength of the Constitution can be preserved by guaranteeing that the three branches of the government do not exceed the established roles and attempt to set their own agenda (LaPorta et al., 2003). Therefore, the provisions of the document must be considered as those that unites the country as one nation to prevent exploitation of its vague nature and different interpretation. Naturally, some of the amendments made to the Constitution will be made to satisfy certain interests of government or citizens. From this perspective, the vagueness of the document can play a major role in providing reasonable benefits for both sides and reducing conflicts that may arise on a national level.

References

Epstein, L., & Walker, T. G. (2010). Constitutional Law for a Changing America: Institutional Powers and Constraints. Cq Press.

Fisher, L. (2008). The Constitution and 9/11: recurring threats to America's freedoms. Univ Pr of Kansas.

LaPorta, R., Lopez-de-Silane, F., Pop-Eleches, C., & Shleifer, A. (2003). Judicial checks and balances (No. w9775). National Bureau of Economic Research.

Mann, T. E., & Ornstein, N. J. (2013). It's even worse than it looks: How the American constitutional system collided with the new politics of extremism. Basic Books.