The Amendment of the US Constitution

Name

Institution

In the past, oppression had taken away the rights of people since they could not express themselves freely and their way of life was dictated by the leaders. During the drafting of the US constitution, the bill of rights was included in the draft and has been amended several times so that it fits the American citizens and gives them an opportunity to interact freely with others (Bray et al., 2016). There are so many basic human rights that have been established and that were found not able to fit in the constitution thus it was agreed that the amendments done should not infringe on the rights that are not listed in the constitution.

In the past, people did not enjoy much freedom and those that could not afford the services of a jury were oppressed as their voice was not heard. However, the constitution has offered protection to this group of people and has ensured that everyone is entitled to equal treatment irrespective of their gender, race, age, ethnicity or religion. It should be noted that since 1920, during the 19^th amendment, women were allowed to vote which is a very important initiative as it allowed the voice of the women to be heard as they could elect the people they wished to be their leaders, those that they felt would represent them in the congress (Ayers et al., 2017). In addition, citizens who reached the age of 18 years were allowed to vote as opposed to the earlier age of 21 that was the recommended age to vote. The bill of rights has brought numerous changes in the lives of the people especially since people no longer live in fear of being down-trodden. The protection that has been brought about by the amendments is beneficial to the citizens since they cannot be sentenced without a jury who would ascertain that they have committed a crime.

It is the duty of every leader to ensure that his subjects conduct their daily activities without fear of intimidation or segregation. Racism is one of the aspects that brought about negative publicity of the US government due to the fact that people that were not of the white origin suffered racism and were shot at by the police even without evidence of having committed a crime (Rossum, 2018). In addition, their children would not attend schools meant for the whites, they could not trade with others and their farm produce spoilt before it could reach the markets. This can be seen as a setback to the economic growth of the nation thus the constitution has brought about unity and cohesion amongst the citizens, enhancing the relations and consequently promoting the economy of the country by ensuring that everyone produces maximally in his area.

It is of paramount importance to note that the amendments to the bill of rights have brought about numerous changes to the lives of the American more so since their lives are no longer threatened and that they are protected by the law such that killings and brutality are issues that they no longer face (Tsai, 2016).  Further, children have a right to education and medical care thus many health conditions have been addressed.  Refugees have been given an opportunity to register themselves in the country and they can enjoy similar treatment to that of citizens thus the uninsured can now get insurance services enabling them afford health care that they would not have attained before.

References

Ayers, A. B., Bopst, C., Fein, S., Gais, T., Galie, P., Johnson, C., ... & Walthall, C. (2017).           Protections in the New York State Constitution Beyond the Federal Bill of Rights.

Bray, S. L., Paulsen, M. S., Calabresi, S. G., McConnell, M. W., & Baude, W. (2016). The           Constitution of the United States. Foundation Press.

Rossum, R. A. (2018). American Constitutional Law, Volume II: The Bill of Rights and    Subsequent Amendments. Routledge.

Tsai, R. L. (2016). The civic constitution: Civic visions and struggles in the path toward   constitutional democracy. Contemporary Political Theory, 15(3), e33-e36.