One strength of the U.S. Constitution
One of the most important strengths of the U.S. Constitution is the fact that it protects human rights. In particular, the right to private life, the right to freedom of speech, or the right to life can be noted. These rights are inherent to every person regardless of sex, ethnicity, and age. Therefore, it is of great importance to make sure that they are properly defined and protected by law. The role of the Constitution is to serve as a guarantee of the mentioned rights (Mason & Stephenson, 2012). The Constitution strengthens the understanding and promotes the abidance of these inalienable and equal rights. Furthermore, basic human rights are considered to be virtually unalterable due to their universal and independent nature that is proposed by the Constitution.
One weakness of the U.S. Constitution
The weakness of the Constitution is that it has no universal interpretations that are typically observed in political disputes or litigations. In other words, there is no wrong and no correct interpretation of the Constitution articles (Fine, 2016). For example, during their re-election campaigns, some of the politicians try to interpret the Constitution by their personal beliefs and needs, thus making it difficult to consider their correctness. The situation is complicated by the fact that this document was completed in 1787 when the environment was quite different from nowadays (Wilson, DiIulio, Bose, & Levendusky, 2015). This creates additional misunderstanding and various interpretations that lead to confusion among citizens. Thus, some points of the Constitution often become an issue of debate that is especially evident in court cases.
One option to maintain the strength of the U.S. Constitution
The strength of the U.S. Constitution that was mentioned in section A can be maintained by ensuring that the requirements set by this document are respected and followed appropriately. All the levels of the government, including federal and local ones, are to control protection of the basic human rights (Mason & Stephenson, 2012). It is important to ensure that those who protect citizens’ human rights are fully aware of all the peculiarities regarding the topic, including the protection mechanisms, obligations, and so on. It seems essential to point out the fact that the provision of definite and clear interpretations is also vital to maintain the mentioned strength. Taking into account that the requirements of the modern ever-changing world may vary with time, it is necessary to adapt the provisions of the Constitution to them. Even though the described option may require significant time and effort, it is undoubtedly necessary to maintain its implementation to keep human rights equal, fair, and inviolable.
One option to correct the weakness of the U.S. Constitution
By the very definition, the lack of a definite interpretation may be corrected by the introduction of univocal refinements. This can be achieved through the comprehension of the views of citizens of that period in which the Constitution was created. Considering the document in the mentioned way may be beneficial in terms of understanding its core objectives and goal. To eliminate ambiguous interpretation of the Constitution, it can be useful to come up with a specific vision of an issue. However, the Constitution states: “We the People of the United States” (Wilson et al., 2015, p. 78). This means that every case is unique and requires an individual approach, thus making it impossible to create an unequivocal interpretation. In other words, some extent of ambiguity should be preserved to ensure citizens’ rights integrity.
References
Fine, T. S. (2016). American government (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
Mason, A. T., & Stephenson, D. G. (2012). American constitutional law: Introductory essays and selected cases (16th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Wilson, G. Q., DiIulio, J. J., Bose, M., & Levendusky, M. S. (2015). American government institutions and policies (15th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.