The US Constitution: What it means to me, my future, and our country;

                            In what ways has our country deviated from the constitution,

                                            and how can we restore its prominence?

                                            Hagerstown TEA Party Speech Contest

James Smyly

The Constitution. It is the document upon which this nation is founded, yet today many Americans do not understand its significance, nor do they even care.  The Constitution outlines the principles that our founding fathers established this nation upon, but in modern society, even our Constitution is under threat by people who wish to have it changed. In modern America, judges are given the power to redefine what the founding fathers intended for our nation, and a growing number of people no longer believe in the principles that set America apart from other nations. I still believe in America, in our Constitution, but I also believe that the values it was founded upon are being eroded. It will take people like you and I, united by the common purpose of preserving this nation's greatness, to ensure that the next 200 years will be as bright as the ones since this nation's birth.

I firmly believe that America is a nation like no other. God blessed our founding fathers with the wisdom to write the Constitution, and by God's will America became the great nation that it is today. Though I hear on the news of people, even fellow Americans, who scorn what they perceive as "American arrogance", I am still very proud to be an American. There are no other nations like America, and there are none greater. I also believe that this nation's greatness is dependent on the undeniably Christian values that comprise it core. These values include freedom, justice, and equality for all its citizens.  Those are the values that our Constitution was built upon, and those are the values that keep our nation strong. But values require people of character to pass them on to the next generation. All the men who put their signatures on our Constitution are long dead, and the world will never see a greater group of men. The Constitution embodies what they intended this nation to be, a beacon of freedom from oppression, but they could not have anticipated how much the nation they gave birth to would change. Morality is gradually becoming obsolete, and this is apparent in the growing number of teens who use harmful drugs and commit sexual acts outside of marriage. I fear that the next generation, my generation, will have forgotten the old values our founding fathers laid out for us. It will take people of strength and wisdom to make sure that doesn't happen.

One of the greatest things are founding fathers feared was an oppressive government. After winning independence from Great Britain, they were determined that a similar autocratic regime would never again rule America. They established the world's first true republic, and in the Constitution they defined how it should be governed. They gave the common people the power to elect government officials, but knowing the depravity of man and his lust for power, they put a system of checks and balances in place to ensure that no politician could become too powerful. The Constitution established a limited government and defined  what responsibilities it would have.  At the federal level these responsibilities include the regulation of commerce, coining of money, and national defense, but in modern society these responsibilities have expanded well beyond their Constitutional boundaries. People have developed a mentality that the government is responsible for meeting all of their needs. Examples include welfare, public education and even the new healthcare bill. The founding fathers did not intend for our government to provide these things and did not give it these responsibilities. The authority of our government continues to grow to levels that I believe our founding fathers would consider dangerous. As the government takes on more and more responsibilities, growing numbers of people have come to rely on the government instead of their own skills and work ethic. If this continues at the current rate I believe the changes this nation went through in the 19th and 20th centuries will pale in comparison to the changes it is going through now.

I may have painted a bleak outlook so far, but I do believe there are solutions for the problems our nation is facing. Those solutions are people like you and me. People with a voices, with influence, with friends, and family. People who care about this nation's future, and still believe in the values that have made America so great. There are over 300 million people in America, and though they may not all be patriots I think there are many more like me who recognize the decline of America's greatness and are determined to do something about it. I love my country. It isn't just where I live, it is the millions of people who are still fighting for our Constitution, for justice and liberty. I am determined to let my patriotism show, regardless of what people think. With God's help, my generation can shape America's future and make sure it is a bright one. It will take people like us to defend our Constitution from the people who want to tear it apart and destroy the values that make America strong.  I still believe in one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. God bless America!

Sharayah Carbaugh

The U.S. Constitution: what it means to me, my future, and our country

     What does the Constitution of the United States of America mean to me? I must confess that until this contest, I had never asked that question. I have read the Constitution and studied it. I have followed political debates about it. But I have never thought about what it truly means.

     At first I tried to think of an intelligent answer that would sound good to the average listener, but one that wasn’t heartfelt. When I could not find an answer that suited me, I became frustrated. I questioned if the Constitution was correct. I even started questioning if there was such a thing as right and wrong. Who is to say that Republicans and Democrats aren’t saying the same things using different words? Or what if everything is backward and they are right and we are wrong?

     You can see that these questions only led me in circles, and still I wasn’t finding the answer to the first question I asked myself: what does the Constitution mean to me? Finally, I did the very thing I should have done in the first place. I referred to a source that is infallible. Scholars and scientists have used it. My parents taught me from it. Not only has it been proven to be correct through historical and archeological research, but its rules and philosophies have held true for millennia. I turned to the very Book that the authors of the Constitution used, the Bible. Why hadn’t I turned to it in the first place?

     What I found were things I had known for years, but they were still enlightening. The Bible says in Galatians 3:28 that in Christ, there is no race or slave. This holds true, and this is what the authors of the Constitution believed. In the preamble, this is evident. It says that every citizen of this country is entitled to justice and liberty.

     There are countries where this is not the case. These are the countries where a citizen is entitled to these rights only if they belong to a certain race, gender, religion, or are very rich. This is not biblical or constitutional. For a time in this country, our government and many citizens broke the Constitution in a despicable manner. They allowed slavery to exist. It spurred racism and caused much hatred throughout the land, helping to start a long and bloody war. But the Constitution provided for equal rights for every American citizen, and in 1868, the 14th amendment was ratified, making the slaves citizens and giving them the biblical rights they deserved.

     After I discovered this section of the Constitution was correct according to God’s Word, I started looking for more things that held true. The second amendment is the right for a citizen to bear arms, a good thing, allowing honest people to protect themselves. But why is there wickedness to defend against? How could God allow an evil man to assault a family or an innocent girl? I found the answer to this question in the Bible as well. Isaiah 53:6 states that every one of us wants to go our own way, whether or not it breaks the law of man or God. Both the Bible and the Constitution recognize the brokenness of human kind.

     Now, I found right and wrong acknowledged in the Constitution which lines up with the biblical standard. So there must be right and wrong political views and a biblical form of government, also. Does the Constitution provide this as well? This was a far more difficult answer for me to ascertain. The Bible never says what the best form of government is. It gives a clear moral law and it is undeniably just. It even has something the Constitution doesn’t have: God’s grace. But it does not have any government other than God. However, not everyone believes in God, nor would they follow Him if they did. No, man listens to man best.

     The founders of this nation understood people needed a government of men, so they decided to use their highly capable brains to determine the best system that would work in the hands of fallen humans. The first three articles of the Constitution lay out the blueprint for a government that would hold itself back from doing anything foolish while pushing toward the good of its citizens. It ties the government’s hands because our founders knew that if anything was to be feared, it was power.

     Today we have reached a point where the Constitution’s bonds are breaking. The sinfulness of humanity is catching up with this nation, as could only happen when a country is run by man. Its current path is dangerous, from the reckless attitude of government officials and the immoral choices they are making, to the scoffing approach toward truth by the public.

     The Constitution has held up remarkably well for over two hundred years. I have heard that this country could be turned around if everyone was required to read it. I disagree. I don’t think that the Constitution will save this country. It cannot stand by itself. It needs to stand on the infallible Word of God.    

     The 9th amendment provides for rights that are not listed in the Constitution. How can we know which rights a person is entitled to if we don’t know where they come from? The Bible has always been the best place to turn for wisdom and to understand the Constitution. But not everyone believes in it and so, they are turning away from its standards. This is sad, but it isn’t the end. The Bible isn’t failing, nor will it because it wasn’t written by men, but by God.

     I think I have finally figured out what the Constitution means to me. It serves as a beacon of truth, pointing to the ultimate source of Truth, the Word of God. It pointed me there, and I was reassured in what I learned as a child. It won’t last forever, no matter how great it is. But I don’t have to worry because the thing it points to will last forever and that is cause for hope.

                                                                                                                                                                                      Kari Snyder

In 1787, after a relatively unorganized and underfunded group of Podunk farmers defeated the most powerful and well-organized army in the world, there was a sense of unity and accomplishment in the young United States. Our founding fathers knew that it was the perfect time to ratify a constitution, to make a body of laws, to which all other laws are subject; they knew the responsibility they were given and fought and died to gain their independence to accomplish that. Unfortunately, the sacrifice these men made has been forgotten; the immutable nature of our seemingly permanent constitution has been traded for an “organic constitution” as the Progressives coined, which changes its meaning with each generation.

The constitution was intended to be a document that restrained and controlled government, minimizing coercion through the separation of the legislative, executive, and judicial power; however, since then it has fallen into disrepair and misuse. At the rate we're going now, we may very well end up in one of those dystopian police states Hollywood makes so many movies about, being harassed and abused into following the will of the massive central government. With congress passing the healthcare bill despite overwhelming disapproval from their constituents, they have shown us that they are not interested in government by the people, for the people or even maintaining propriety within the law. With the delegation of legislative power to bureaucratic agencies, it is clear our elected officials do not want to be held responsible for the vague legislation they pass, that is assuming they’ve read a 2,200 page document. With partisan politics and backdoor deals, and not to mention Chicago-style shakedowns of corporate businesses like BP, our government has proven repeatedly that they are bent on destroying all that the United States stood for.

The biggest dangers we face, as a nation, I believe have come from two sources.  The inattention of the American people to the concerns of their government, through their carelessness and negligence of the men and women we have elected has led to the irresponsible behavior of public officials, and the abuse of legislative power through delegation to agencies that are not elected nor held responsible by the American people. This happens when Congress passes a vague law, leaves it up to agencies to make rules about the law that impose costs and burdens, and then swoop in to save the day when it all goes awry; they get the credit, while shifting the blame.

What can WE do about this? How can we return the Constitution to its former respect and prominence?  Although it seems like the most insurmountable goal, there are things we can all participate in, for example let’s try not to elect people to office that are more interested in their earmarks and entitlements than following the laws they were charged to uphold. I have an historical example that illustrates the importance and necessity of personal responsibility and full comprehension of the constitution. In an article “Not Yours to Give,” Edward S. Ellis writes about Congressman Davy Crockett who heard of Georgetown families that were suffering financially from a fire. He petitioned the House of Representatives to appropriate $20,000 for their relief. Later that year, while campaigning for reelection, he met a plowman who recognized him and said, “Yes I know you […] I have seen you once before, and voted for you the last time you were elected […] but you had better not waste your time or mine. I shall not vote for you again” (AHR, 253.) After realizing it was his vote that angered this man, Davy attempted to justify his decision, explaining that “…a great and rich country like ours should give the insignificant sum of $20,000 to relieve its suffering women and children” (AHR, 254.) To which the man replied, “It is not the amount that I complain of; it is the principle…So you can see, that while you are contributing to relieve one, you are drawing it from thousands who are even worse off” (AHR, 254.) This man understood the stipulations in the Constitution as facts, that Congress was not enumerated to be a charitable entity, whereas Davy Crockett’s understanding of the Constitution was founded on sentiment. Not only was his vote unconstitutional, but it took away the personal responsibility of citizens and communities to give to charity. Equally as important, our leaders need to restore constitutional judges who will uphold the law and not emotionally interpret it as they have done since the progressive era, going against everything that was paid for in the blood of the revolutionaries.

Furthermore, we need to hold to the belief that no danger or crisis, foreign or domestic, will be fixed by Americans surrendering more of their constitutional liberties, foolishly thinking that a bigger government will provide greater security. Ben Franklin warned about this saying, “Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.” Men like Franklin, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and countless others, men of varying education and experience who wrote the Constitution were radicals, seeking to establish a new form of government when they were not authorized to do so. We are so used to life under the Constitution, we may even see faults in it, but I do not think we consider what a difficult process it was to create. Daniel Webster left us with life-altering words about the document that holds our nation together to which we must vigilantly adhere, “Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6,000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.” 

So ladies and gentlemen, it is imperative that we never lose sight of what a rare treasure we have in this, our constitution, and we must never cease to appreciate and respect the immutable nature of it, for if we do, our liberty, our futures, and our country is at stake. Thank you