Advantages of the amendment process Flashcards
broad support
given need for supermajorities , amendments that have passed must have broad support.
crucial for a country like the USA which is diverse that the constitution should be as reflective of the population as possible
prevents short lived trends becoming amendments
prevents amendments to unique circumstances which is important in the wake of political polarisation
protects the constitution and its principles
the challenging amendment process means that the political ideal laid down by the founding fathers are protected. the acceptance of separation of powers and republicans are key to the American political system
what are republican ideals
a prevention of arbitrary rule eg monarch or dictator
prevents tyranny of large states
US population is not evenly spread across states. Key principle within the constitution is federalism which recognises each state individually rather than by population
if amendments were based on population alone, large states could dominate
prevents tyranny of smaller parties
by requiring supermajorities at the proposal level means that a single party is prevented from dominating the amendment process and forcing through amendments favoured by their supporters
few changes
total of 27 amendments
day to day governance is left to congress and the states to decide what is best for their citizens
principles and rights of the constitution are clear
supreme court US vs UK
as US citizens are acutely aware of their rights which makes the supreme court extremely important within the us govt
however, UK have no singular document to identify their rights so the UK supreme court remain subservient to the govt
It works
27 have made it through
allowed amendments to pass when needed but prevented unnecessary amendments from passing.
