Why did the authors of the US Constitution include a provision for amending it?

skysmom65

THE CONSTITUTION: AN ENDURING DOCUMENT "This provision is made in a Constitution intended to endure for ages to come and, consequently, to be adapted to the various crises of human affairs." — John Marshall, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, McCulloch v. Maryland, 1819 http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/outusgov/ch1.htm Mar 26 07, 12:20 PM

star_gazer

This question would seem to be better suited for the Fun Trivia Chat Boards. However, the ability to amend the US Constitution keeps our US government from becoming "stale" and possibly prevents a future revolution - why fight when you can merely amend. Mar 26 07, 3:04 PM

lanfranco

I don't think this question is best-suited to the Chat Boards. I think that the Marshall quotation Skysmom provided is something we all need to see and ponder. The reality is that the framers of the Constitution were not stupid people. They knew very well that they could not possibly anticipate the needs and problems of the U.S. centuries into the future. They left open loopholes, in order to ensure that the Constitution would remain a living and relevant document -- and thank God for us that they did. For all of the "Constructionist/Anti-Constructionist" arguments about what the Constitution actually means, and what its framers actually meant, the fact that we can still argue about it is a clear indication that it is still very much alive. Mar 26 07, 6:37 PM