FRQ Practice 2

When James Madison framed the Constitution he had many ideas for how should operate and who should run it. He could never have imagined how the United States, and the world for that matter progressed in the following 200 years. Despite his lack of precognition, Madison did account for change by integrating the ability to change the Constitution and its meaning to better suit the times.

Passing Amendments is the formal way to change the Constitution. Throughout our history, we have done so numerous times, and as a whole, the amendments have made the United States more democratic. There are two "phases" to amending the Constitution, proposing the amendment and passing the amendment. It can be proposed by 2/3 of the House of Representatives or 2/3 of state national conventions. From there, it can be ratified by 3/4 of state legislatures or 3/4 of special state conventions.

While there is a formal process, changes to the Constitution, much of the change has been informal. For example, the Senate and electoral college was originally set up to take the election of the president out of the voters' direct control. Now, most Senators vote with what the will of the majority in their state. Also, the two party system was never created under the Constitution. Even from the early days, it was evident that there was a divide, at the time it was between the Federalists and anti-federalists. In modern day, the equivalent is Democrats and Republicans. The two party system has transformed politics in the United States and, as a result, the meaning of the Constitution.

Looking at American history, it is evident that the informal process of change has been used much more frequently than the formal one. This is due to the fact that the formal process was set up to be slow. Out of fear of mob rule, the framers purposefully set up a system that would encourage change, but only if it was slow. For the formal process, there are many steps to follow and people to appease and compromises to be made. It makes sure that every view is taken into account and the policy best reflects  the ideals of the Constitution and the will of the people, consequently, it is a slow process.