Constitution Amendment Paper: Why we should have equality for all Essay Example
Constitution Amendment Paper: Why we should have equality for all Essay Example

Constitution Amendment Paper: Why we should have equality for all Essay Example

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  • Pages: 6 (1621 words)
  • Published: April 1, 2022
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The constitution through the fourteenth amendment and other amendments has an aim of protecting the individual rights of its citizens under the bill of rights. This means that the government is in a position to protect its citizens from discrimination founded on the color of skin, gender, religion and age. The importance of allowing for amendment of the constitution is because a document that cannot accommodate change would end up being outdated with time and would lose its meaning. The nature of the country is that things keep changing with time, and these changes have to be accommodated in the constitution to meet the various needs of the society (Eisler pg. 3). Under the constitution equality would be taken to mean equality of rights through a fair rule of law and the basic right of each without inte

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rference. This means that everyone would be treated equally in the country. The equal rights amendment is meant to secure equal rights under the law and should not be denied to anyone based on any differentiation of people such as the color of their skin, religion or sex. The bill of rights has had amendments under several sections in order to continually meet the growing needs of its citizens and to ensure that everyone gets equal opportunity in every situation.

The right to religion was among the first amendments to be done on the constitution. This allows that everyone should be allowed to worship in whichever way they prefer provided that no one infringes the rights of other people. No one should invade the privacy of another religion (Eisler pg. 3). This is important in the society because peopl

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have different views as to religion, there are Muslims, Hindus, and Christians who are either Protestants or Catholics. We would not want a situation where someone is forced to worship in a way they do not believe in as this is one of the ways that lead people to war. Religion plays a significant role in the upbringing of children who are the future of the country. Thus, amendments relating to religion allows the freedom to worship and in turn bringing about a nation with equal rights. The bill also covers the freedom of speech and freedom of the press. This freedom of speech gives people the right to air their views rightfully through media and any other means without being restrained by the government. This allows people to express the power that they have over the government even through peaceful demonstrations and protests. The press gives a platform for people to access news as to what is going on. The press is therefore allowed to distribute written printed information about how they see the state of the country. This gives people the ability to access information from the diverse opinions provided by the media houses. This works as a check system for the government because they were voted in by the people and therefore people need to know transparently what is going on in the country.

Amendment of the constitution giving the right to access all services without having to look at the color of the skin is dire. This means that no one will be looked down upon because they are either black or white. During the colonial period, we saw a period where

black people were subjected to slavery and had no rights whatsoever and were seen as the property of their masters. The black people fought through this to see them access the same things that the white would. This saw the constitution being amended to abolish slavery in the country. Thus, everyone had to be paid for any service that they provided. The Constitution also protects its people from unfair punishment or unrealistic penalties and bail (Vile Pg. 499). This is important because we all need to be served by the justice system at one point or the other whether poor, rich, black, white, young or old. By the constitution providing a platform to access justice, it means that people will seek the assistance of the justice system without the fear that their case will not be treated fairly.

The second amendment to the constitution is that people should have the right to carry arms in order to protect themselves. Anyone should not infringe this right in the constitution. There have been great debates over the benefits of carrying guns and the risk that they hold over the same. However, it should be allowed based on the fact that it reduces the rate of crime in the society such as rape and theft (Vile Pg. 397). Advocators say that trying to limit the right to carry a gun would mean that the state is not as free as it advocates to be. They indicate that countries that have been allowed to carry guns have not had more incidences as this was a great concern to the nation. If people are limited to carry some guns based on

where they live, their age and their race, it would mean that equality has not been achieved. The debate on whether people should carry guns without a permit continues to date as we see cases where people use guns to cause unprecedented deaths to the society. However, if a certain group of people would be given the right to carry arms, then it should be open to everyone. People should not be denied a right because they cannot say be able to pay for it.

The amendment to the constitution to secure people and houses against unwarranted search and seizure is critical in the society that we are living in today. There should be probable cause before the law decides to enter and search a premises, car, school, and even computer devices. This is in order to protect the privacy of its citizens (Vile Pg. 205). Without this, the police would be in a position to abuse this law against people in the society. This was especially seen in the era where the black people were seen as major suspects of the law, and the police could easily enter into their homes and search. Thus, the constitution came into guard people against such occurrences. This is critical as it allows people to enjoy their privacy and is not dependent on where they came from or their religion.

Women’s suffrage is the right of women to participate in the democratic process of their country through voting on the same platform as men. In the early times, the right to vote was limited to a given group of people and especially based on the amount of wealth they have.

The rich could vote but the poor could not while women were not considered during the voting process. This was until the later times when women started seeking equal treatment in the society (Duignan Pg. 79). In 1980, Wyoming became the first state whose constitution granted the right to vote by women. The 19th amendment was made in 1920 where the constitution granted that no citizen in the United States shall be denied the right to vote based on their gender. This is an amendment that clearly shows that men and women are equal, and no one person should be allowed to do a thing that is denied to another party. Voting is a right that allows women to choose their leaders. Leadership in a country does not only affect the men in the society but women equally. By women being able to equally choose the leaders they want, they exercise the right to choosing good leaders that will represent their issues in the government (Duignan Pg. 81).

The debate on voting was also extended to the age at which people should be allowed to vote. The Constitution was amended to accommodate that no person above the age of 18 years should be denied a chance to vote. This is critical because a person above the age of 18 years is considered an adult and can, therefore, make choices in their right (Vile Pg.336). Thus, they were also given the right to choose leaders who would protect their rights and represent their needs in the government. As a result, the constitution protects all people from discrimination whether based on age, gender and race. This creates a

platform for everyone to choose the person they feel would be best suited for a position.

The constitution through amendments has continually ensured that the rights of people against discrimination of any form is protected. This brings the state to a place where people can live with each other without having some people feeling looked down upon. There is protection against slavery, and therefore, no man is a property of another person. It also gives people the right to vote without being discriminated based on gender, race, and age. This allows people to choose rightfully the leaders they want and not have leadership imposed. The constitution aims to protect everyone and especially those who may not be in a position to fight for their rights on their own.

Freedom of speech and press keep people in the light of what is going on in the government that they chose. They know whether the constitution is being upheld at all times. The amendments protect the people and ensure that they are treated equally. Were it not for the constitution, we would see a nation that is marred by hate and resentment for each other and also revolt. The Constitution is the pillar upon which people base their rights upon.

Work Cited

  1. Duignan, Brian. The U.S. Constitution And Constitutional Law. New York: Britannica Educational Pub., 2013. Print.
  2. Eisler, R T. The Equal Rights Handbook. New York: Avon, 1978. Print.
  3. Vile, John R. Encyclopedia Of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, And Amending Issues, 1789-2002. Print.
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