ms Essays (486 words) - James Madison, United States Constitution

The Constitution Constitution is a set of rules and regulations drafted to protect and govern a state or a country. In the case of America, it did not come easily. It took educated, wealthy and brave men to make that decision. In those days, majority tyranny was the other of the day, unlike lately where just a hand full of people care about what the government does. At a point the citizens will rebel, as in the case of Shay?s rebellion that took place in Massachusetts. Farmers were being incarcerated for defaulting in the payment of mortgages and other taxes. Their properties were foreclosed and later seized by the banks. The farmers, through the leadership of a former revolutionary war officer Captain Daniel Shays, prevented the State judge from entering the courthouse. The motive behind this act is to prevent the judge from issuing arrest warrants. This rebellion challenged the constitution, then known as the articles of confederation. The loop holes were later fixed regarding the short comings of the articles, which we now have as the constitution. Even though the constitution at that time, was challenged by people like judge Thurgood Marshal and progressive historian Charles Beared, for being andocentric, racially biased, and a conspiracy to protect immediate and personal economic interests of the framers, it was not necessarily based on th at. Rather it was a good work of educated and dedicated citizens. It is very interesting how the constitution provided checks and balances on its institutions. For this reason none of the institutions will lord over the other. During last summer, one night I went with my cousin to a Conner store about eleven pm, to get a chilled bottle of Becks. My impatience led me to start drinking while we were walking. We stood at a point and were chatting, out of nowhere the undercover police pulled over, my cousin took to his heels but I stood. As though a dream, I was hand cuffed. After a few minutes of chasing around the block, my cousin gave up and was also hand cuffed, we both found ourselves at the prescinct, we were scared as rats. Later we were given our charges and were freed. We had to go pay twenty dollars as a fine for drinking outside at the criminal court. Sometimes we read and hear stories but to experience it is a different story. This experience made me appreciate and not take for granted any little law that is set as part of the constitution. We could have paid our fine right at the precinct if we were in other countries such as Africa, but the separation of power in the constitution as drafted by th e founding fathers, led us to be referred to the judiciary after the law enforcement had done its part. The constitution is such an interesting set of law if we are to abide by them.