Does the constitution of the united states prevent effective Essay

Does the constitution of the united states prevent effective government - Essay Example Carl Friedrich (1965) similarly defined constitution as a system of efficient, regularized restrictions upon government activities. From this point of view, the key attribute of a constitution is its statement of individual rights, particularly those held against the state. Definitely, a bill of rights at the present form parts of almost all written constitutions, the first Bill of Rights included the ten amendments quickly appended to the American Constitution in 1791, covering such liberties as freedom of religion, speech, the press, and the right of the people to bear arms (Lloyd 2006). The second and somewhat neglected role of constitutions is as power maps, defining the structure of government. Constitutions articulate the pathways of power, describing the procedures for making laws and reaching decisions. As Sartori (1994) wisely observes, the defining feature of a constitution is this provision of a frame of government. A constitution devoid of a declaration of rights is still a constitution, but a document lacking a power map is not a constitution. A constitution is therefore a form of political engineering, to be judged like any other construction by how well it survives the test of time. From this perspective, the United States version, still standing firm after more than 200 years, is a triumph. Procedures for amendment are an important component of the constitutional architecture. Most constitutions are rigid or in other words, entrenched, thus rendering them more acceptable to the various interests involved in their construction (Sartori 1994). A rigid constitution offers the general benefit, much prized by liberals, of predictability for those subject to it. An entrenched constitution also limits the damage should political opponents obtain power, for unless they can clear the amendment hurdle they too must abide by the values embedded in the settlement