Justin Adie

Mr. Buescher
US History P
17 October, 2014
For the last 227 years, the Constitution of the United States of America has protected the
rights of individual citizens extremely well, resulting in many future nations basing theirs off of
it. To me, the Constitution implies that everyone, regardless of ones background, is subjected to
the same laws and protections that are afforded by the document. The fact the Constitution
protects ones unalienable rights and the power of the government is consented-to by the people
showcases the equality presented by the document which formed what a modern-day American
knows as government.
Unalienable rights, the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, are wellprotected within the amendments to the US Constitution. Unalienable rights are rights that
people should be guaranteed from birth. For example, in Amendment One, liberty is protected in
the form of freedom of speech, press, religion, and the right to peacefully assemble. The
government may not intervene in these scenarios. The rights to life and the pursuit of happiness
are exemplified in the Fourteenth Amendment where No state shall make or enforce any law
which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any
State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property (US Const. amend. XIV, sec. 1). In
contemporary times, this clause has sparked controversy over the issue of illegal immigration,
where children of illegal immigrants are automatically natural-born citizens. Although the
protection of unalienable rights is critical, one must realize the concept of rule by the consent of
the governed is equally crucial.

In addition to the concept of unalienable rights, the idea by which governments power is
granted with the consent of the governed is exemplified within several Constitutional
Amendments. For example, the Ninth and Tenth Amendments provide powers not delegated to
the federal government, to the states and the people. The powers not delegated to the United
States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States
respectively, or to the people. (US Const. amend. X). For example, recent Supreme Court
rulings declared that marriage law legislation is only within the states jurisdiction. In addition to
the Tenth Amendment, the Second Amendment also follows the principals of consent of the
governed because, as outlined in Jean-Jacques Rousseaus The Social Contract, if a government
doesnt follow its own laws the people had consented to, the people have the right to alter or
abolish the said government.
The primary durability of the Constitution of the United States stems from its provisions
for the amending of the document, which allows for it to prevail in contemporary times. It has
balanced the power between central government, state governments, and the people who live
freely within this country. To say one is an American is a privilege, and without the Constitution,
there would be no guarantee of unalienable rights, and no guarantee that the government would
only act as allowed for by the people who define the United States of America: its citizens.

Affidavit and Information

I certify that I am a student at Buckingham Charter Magnet High School in the 11th grade, and
that I am the sole author of this submission.

Personal Information:
Justin Adie
577 Grandview Ct, Apt 10, Vacaville CA 95688
707-327-3025
jcadie@pacbell.net

Teacher Information:
Mr. James Buescher
jamesb@vacavilleusd.org