Thelma Kestner ’29 is an international relations major and history minor. She is involved in Young Independents, Vinyl Tap, WCWM, Theodore Roosevelt Society and Phi Mu. Contact her at tekestner@wm.edu.
The views expressed in the article are the author’s own.
With America rapidly approaching its 250th year, I think of the founders of this country who had ambition and hope for a fresh start after dealing with Great Britain’s tyrannical rule. With the creation of documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, the founders were quite revolutionary (no pun intended) for their time. Although they are still viewed as such, many questions have been raised: how are they upheld in a contemporary American society, or how applicable are such documents to all folks in the United States? Meanwhile, numerous critics have discussed the misconstrued handling of these documents and this country, which would make the founding fathers quite literally roll in their graves.
Let’s begin with these sacred principles, which are the foundation of America. The Declaration of Independence famously states in the preamble (which Thomas Paine wrote first in “Common Sense”), “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.” Did Thomas Jefferson write this with women or any minority in mind? Obviously not. If he meant everyone in America, we wouldn’t have had to continuously advocate for basic human rights among these groups, which are still being challenged and questioned to this day by the politicians in power. In the 21st century, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is an unstable construct to many folks in this country, especially the farther you stray from the privileged, white male, which all the document signers were.
The Bill of Rights includes our inalienable rights, which are granted to us in this country. Yet, we find ourselves reflecting on the suppression that is actively occurring … again. Rights like freedom of speech, freedom of the press and power to petition the government are some of these rights being breached among numerous citizens. Many extremist CEOs and billionaires buying social media platforms is detrimental to citizens who have opposing views. Several peaceful protests have become violent or have been painted as ‘violent,’ which has led to unnecessary deployment of the National Guard. These are just a few of the violations of these inalienable rights that undermine these rights and the people of the United States.
The Constitution is supposed to be a live, updated document. It is not; it hasn’t been updated in over 30 years. This would make Thomas Jefferson quite literally rage if he found out this constitution isn’t being updated, but instead is on a ventilator. Plus, there have been major decisions passed, such as Roe v. Wade, which could’ve been an addition to the Constitution, and if it was, we wouldn’t be nearly fifty years behind on reproductive rights now. However, the process to get an amendment is extremely difficult; while it was a well-thought-out clause, this could lead to a reason why Congress doesn’t even bother. Even then, with its amendments, how does a supposedly lively document change with the times? Put shortly, it slowly adjusts. Amendments like the 13th and the 19th, abolishing slavery and allowing women to vote, should’ve been in America’s foundations, and not thought of as, “Well actually, maybe that IS a good idea.”
The discussion of this country goes hand-in-hand with the discussion of these documents. They interlink with one another; some may propose that the politicians in power may have something to do with these shortcomings, or how has the system of this country gotten to this point? Has it always been this way, or did we eventually get here by some particular reasoning or person? Politicians, of course, aren’t your guardian angels. Nor our political parties. George Washington advised not to create a two-party system; yet we did, and we are as polarized as ever. And when politicians mishandle the land of the law for their benefit, it becomes a crucial issue for their constituents. Whether it be any form of manipulating amendments to benefit politicians, suppression or outright ignoring them, these actions reflect politicians’ inability to help the American people.
In 250 years, the United States has experienced quite a bit of change. However, the founding fathers intended for their successors to uphold what they wrote as the country’s foundational law. Yes, I like being here, and yes, I will criticize her and work towards a better, more guided America in the future so that the next generations will be in a better place than we are now (or I hope so, at least).
