Making Connections

1. Levinson writes of the “near impossibility of amending the national Constitution” (par. 5). Why do you suppose we Americans hold the Constitution sacrosanct, as it were, as if it cannot be changed?

   Question

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   Making Connections: - Levinson writes of the “near impossibility of amending the national Constitution” (par. 5). Why do you suppose we Americans hold the Constitution sacrosanct, as it were, as if it cannot be changed?
2. In a 1788 speech before the Senate, Alexander Hamilton said, “Constitutions should consist only of general provisions; the reason is that they must necessarily be permanent, and that they cannot calculate for the possible change of things.” Nearly a century later, in his 1850 speech before the Senate, Henry Clay stated, “The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity—unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity.” Do you think the Constitution should be changed? Why or why not? If so, how? Defend, challenge, or qualify the validity of the opinions of either Hamilton or Clay regarding the unchanging nature of the Constitution.

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Making Connections: - In a 1788 speech before the Senate, Alexander Hamilton said, “Constitutions should consist only of general provisions; the reason is that they must necessarily be permanent, and that they cannot calculate for the possible change of things.” Nearly a century later, in his 1850 speech before the Senate, Henry Clay stated, “The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity—unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity.” Do you think the Constitution should be changed? Why or why not? If so, how? Defend, challenge, or qualify the validity of the opinions of either Hamilton or Clay regarding the unchanging nature of the Constitution.
3. The First and Second Amendments in the Bill of Rights continue to be controversial, with Americans engaged in an ongoing debate about just what they mean. Why do you think those two amendments continue to be so controversial? Should they be amended in an attempt at clarity of meaning? Why or why not?

   Question

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   Making Connections: - The First and Second Amendments in the Bill of Rights continue to be controversial, with Americans engaged in an ongoing debate about just what they mean. Why do you think those two amendments continue to be so controversial? Should they be amended in an attempt at clarity of meaning? Why or why not?
4. Levinson concludes, “What was truly admirable about the framers was their willingness to critique, indeed junk, the Articles of Confederation. One need not believe that the Constitution of 1787 should be discarded in quite the same way to accept that we are long overdue for a serious discussion about its own role in creating the depressed (and depressing) state of American politics.” What is the primary implication of this statement for us today?

   Question

   ALMF/kS1zzW73MouRsoXk1h0lKY=

   Making Connections: - Levinson concludes, “What was truly admirable about the framers was their willingness to critique, indeed junk, the Articles of Confederation. One need not believe that the Constitution of 1787 should be discarded in quite the same way to accept that we are long overdue for a serious discussion about its own role in creating the depressed (and depressing) state of American politics.” What is the primary implication of this statement for us today?