Min. 3 FULL pages (approx. 1050 words)

Background of topics: Civil liberties are guarantees of protection from government interference; however, their meaning, intent, and protection have evolved over time. Additionally, as a nation that values its freedoms, we recognize that there are limits to our liberties as well. This struggle has taken on more relevance today as we grapple with serious questions regarding our most cherished freedoms.

The U.S. Constitution has served as the supreme law of the land and the main source of individual rights and liberties since its ratification. As radical as this document was in 1787, today it is seen by many as a relic of the past, replete with antiquated ideas and expressions. The framers never intended for the Constitution to remain unchanged, which is why they included an amendment process (Ch 2). Within 18 months, the Bill of Rights were added to the Constitution. From 1789 to 1992, the Constitution has been amended 27 times, and through judicial review, the meaning of parts of the Constitution have changed many times.

Nevertheless, some believe that the changes to the Constitution occur too rarely to have any real impact. It took almost 80 years from its ratification to end slavery, and over 130 years to grant women the right to vote. Also, amendments only occur one at a time, which makes changes to the entire system nearly impossible to accomplish. There is, however, the possibility for an Amendment Convention as noted in Article 5. It is believed that a Convention would be able to propose as many changes to the Constitution as desired, including full replacement. This has never been attempted, but maybe its time to give it serious consideration.

Question to answer: Is it time to re-write the Constitution, why or why not? What specific ideas would you like to add to a new constitution and what ideas would you remove? What specific problems would need to be overcome for a Constitutional convention to be successful?