Name: Simah A.
School: Sheridan High School
Age: 12th
October 15th, 2021
What does the US Constitution mean to me?
The Constitution is valuable to me because it protects my individual freedoms. Specifically, through the amendments, my rights as a citizen of the United States are secured. The Constitution serves as the law of the entire nation “of the people, by the people, for the people,” (Lincoln). This is important to me because it ensures that the people of the United States can elect representatives who will present their best interests as stated; “Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States” (Constitution).
The Constitution of the United States of America is a set of rules written by the people for the government to follow because “all federal, state, and local officials must take an oath to support the Constitution.” It was created because the government needed “enough power to act on a national level, but without so much power that fundamental rights would be at risk.” This was accomplished partly by separating the government into three branches; legislative, executive, and judicial and then by making sure neither one of these gained supremacy (ibid). And the concerns of too much power came from “the experience that the delegates had with the King of England and his powerful Parliament”(ibid). Personally, I am grateful that our government was considered and made this way because I would not want a repeat of England’s Parliament. I consider myself fortunate that I live in a nation where I have so many rights and freedoms as a citizen.
Some of the amendments that mean a lot to me are the First Amendment; which gives me freedom of religion; the Fourth Amendment, which gives me security in my person and my possessions; the Seventeenth Amendment which gives each state the right to elect representatives; and the Nineteenth Amendment which gives women the right to vote . These rights are especially meaningful to me because life without them would be very difficult, and my beliefs would not all be legal. For example, in China it is illegal to be a Christian or even own a Bible so I am very fortunate to live in a country that allows freedom of religion.
Without the Fourth Amendment, officers could come search us or our homes on suspicion without a warrant so I am glad as a United States citizen, I do not have to worry about that. I think the Seventeenth Amendment is very important because it allows the people of the U.S. to have their ideas presented and considered. And finally, without the Nineteenth Amendment, I as a woman would not be allowed to participate in voting once I reach the age of eighteen, which in this day and age is not reasonable.
In all the Constitution ensures the rights and privileges of the residents of that country. The United States Constitution is very important because it was made to protect the amount of power put on the people as well as the government. Without our Constitution, we wouldn’t be where we are today as a nation.