Module 2

Laura Contreras
Intro to American Government
Patti Andrews  
Sep. 13 2020

Read Ch. 2


1. Is it a strength or a weakness of the US Constitution that it is open to such widely-ranging interpretations? Can you point to examples of some consequences of this characteristic of the US Constitution?

    I think that is a weakness because people interpret the constitution in different ways. Some people do not include everyone in the constitution and that makes a big problem. One example was presented on page 45, "Americans fighting the Revolutionary War agreed that they were fighting for liberty and equality. Once the war was over, however, there was little consensus on the meaning of these terms, and Americans have been at odds over how they should be interpreted for the last two hundred years or more." (Sidlow)


2. Please pull out a passage or two from the Declaration and reflect on ways in which the USA as of 2020 has, or has not, lived up to the sentiments expressed. Are we still on our way to doing so? Do we seem to have given up? Is this document still relevant in the “America” of 2020?

Passage: "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." 
    This passage from the declaration of independence is one of the most important for Americans. In my opinion, we live in "a 2020" where we are not following what this passage express. We are created equal but in this country, it looks like we don't. Not all people here are treated as equals. We see this every day I do not want to be too specific but the black and brown community are not treated as equal. We can't give up on what the constitution says and we have to work hard as a community to follow and respect what the constitution says. Sometimes we have problems in interpreting what the constitution says and everyone has their own interpretation, but my interpretation includes everyone not mattering the color in our skin and where we came from. I think is still relevant but we have to remember that we should include everyone since we live in a country rich in migration and everyone who lives in this country should be included. 



3. Do a little research and learn about the constitution of that country. Does it have one? How does it compare to the Constitution of the USA? 
   
    I'm Mexican and this country has a constitution. The Mexican constitution is longer than the US constitution. One similarity that I found while I was looking into the constitutions is that both the federal and state constitutions provide the three branches of government in the same order: legislative, executive, and judicial. 
 

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