A quick note before we dive in: thanks to all who voted in my recent survey! Why the Constitution Still Matters came out on top, and it will also be the first essay in a 3-part mini-series on civics. The other two? Democracy Is a Christian Value and Parallels Between 1930s Germany and Today’s Political Climate. Stay tuned. I can’t wait to share them with you.
Not long ago, I heard someone say we should “get over the obsession with the Constitution and the founding fathers.” On one level, they’re right. The founders were fallible. Some upheld and justified slavery — one of the deepest injustices in our history.
And yet, the document they produced has outlasted more than two centuries. We can hold both truths at once: that the men who drafted the Constitution were deeply flawed, and that the framework they built remains essential to our democracy.
Brief History of the Constitution
During the Revolutionary War, delegates from each of the 13 original colonies met and later adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 as the Continental Congress.
The Continental Congress developed our nation’s first Constitution, called the Articles of Confederation. But the Articles proved too weak: no executive branch, no power to tax, and no way to keep order, as Shay’s Rebellion revealed.
So in 1787, delegates met again in Philadelphia and developed a new charter: the Constitution.
The Convention lasted four full months through the summer of 1787. Luckily, James Madison took meticulous notes, so we have an insider’s view of the debates themselves.
Imagine this: 55 strong-willed men of varying opinions wearing powdered wigs and wool coats stuffed into a room in sweltering heat with the windows closed to maintain secrecy. These men discussed, debated, and argued from approximately 10 am to 3 pm every day, and then sometimes again in the evening at a local tavern or boardinghouse.
The conversations weren’t all cordial and unifying. Some of the arguments were tense. Luther Martin of Maryland stormed out over compromises on slavery, and Alexander Hamilton left in protest, but then returned.
However, at the end of four long months, the men had finally stitched together an imperfect but solid document: the US Constitution. After being ratified by the States, the Constitution went into effect in 1789.
The Constitution is currently the world’s longest surviving written charter of government. But it hasn’t been without its challenges.
So why is it important?
What Life Might Be Like Without a Functional Constitution
Without a Constitution, the US would lack the fundamental framework for self-government, leaving citizens without guaranteed rights and protections, and the government with unlimited power, potentially leading to tyranny, discrimination, and instability.
None of these changes would arrive all at once. They’d seep in slowly, until what was once unthinkable became normal.
History shows that when constitutions weaken, the loss usually begins with individual rights.
Lack of Guaranteed Rights
The Bill of Rights protects individual freedoms. Without these protections, daily life could look very different:
Speech and press: You could be jailed for criticizing the president, while newspapers and websites are shut down for publishing stories officials dislike.
Protest and religion: Peaceful demonstrators could be arrested, tax money directed to one denomination, and minority religions banned from worship.
Privacy and security: Police could enter your home without a warrant and search your phone and emails at will.
Justice and fairness: People could be forced to testify against themselves, imprisoned without trial, or tried in secret without a lawyer. Bail and fines could be set impossibly high.
Limits on government: States and the federal government could claim nearly unlimited powers, with citizens having no constitutional ground to push back.
Now imagine waking up in a country where these rights no longer exist.
A Day in the Life…
You scroll through the news in the morning, but nearly every outlet echoes the same voice. The few independent sites left are flagged as “foreign-influenced” and carry government warnings. On social media, a friend’s account has vanished after she questioned a new policy. At work, your supervisor reminds staff that attending Saturday’s protest could end up on personnel records. That night, your child brings home a civics workbook — half the content praises the current leader by name. On the surface, life looks ordinary. But piece by piece, the space to think freely, speak openly, and live without fear is shrinking. The Constitution exists to stop this very spiral, not just to protect institutions, but to protect us.
And without democracy, even the strongest rights collapse.
Absence of a democratic framework
The Constitution defines the structure of our government and the principles of democracy, including the right to vote. Without it:
Elections lose meaning: Leaders appoint loyalists, outcomes are predetermined, and opposition becomes dangerous.
Justice is corrupted: Courts serve the ruler, laws punish dissenters, and insiders are shielded from consequences.
Force replaces service: Police and military enforce regime loyalty instead of protecting citizens.
Public life is controlled: Schools teach propaganda, media is captured, and even art or comedy is censored.
This kind of erosion rarely begins with tanks in the streets. It begins in ordinary routines. Here’s what a single day under that framework might feel like:
A Day in the Life…
You turn on the television in the morning, but the comedy shows and satire you once enjoyed have vanished, replaced by state-run broadcasts. On your way to work, you hear a neighbor has been questioned after criticizing a local official — no one knows if she’ll be back. At the office, a colleague quietly deletes old social media posts, afraid even sarcasm could cost him his job.
That night, your child’s art project is returned with red marks: no political themes allowed.
On the surface, life looks familiar. But the ability to laugh, to question, to dissent — all the things that keep democracy alive — have begun to slip away.
History teaches that when constitutions fail, the result isn’t neutrality. It’s instability, chaos, and tyranny.
Instability and Tyranny
Without a functioning Constitution, power becomes unchecked and life grows fragile:
Economic chaos: Inflation and shortages become common. Currency loses value, businesses falter, and jobs vanish.
Broken systems: Healthcare, schools, and infrastructure collapse as policies reverse with each leader.
Violence and fear: Protests, riots, and even armed clashes spill into the streets, while citizens self-censor to stay safe.
No recourse: Courts, police, and officials no longer serve the people—laws punish dissenters and shield loyalists.
Total control: News, education, and culture praise the leader. Religion, art, even humor fall under government intrusion.
Here’s what life under that kind of rule could look like on an ordinary day.
A Day in the Life…
You wake to the sound of your phone buzzing: gas prices have doubled again overnight. The news explains nothing—every outlet repeats the same government statement that the economy is “strong.” At work, you overhear two coworkers whispering about a protest planned for the weekend, but when you approach, they fall silent. People have been fired, or worse, for being seen at the wrong rally.
That evening, your daughter spreads her homework across the table. The civics chapter praises the president for “saving the nation” and omits any mention of elections. When she asks if you voted for him, you change the subject.
Later, as you line up at the grocery store, you notice shelves are half-empty again. A man mutters about corruption, and the room goes quiet. Everyone pretends not to hear. You do too.
Life looks ordinary: schools, jobs, groceries. Yet it all feels fragile, precarious, and watched. You survive by keeping your head down, but in private, you wonder how long until there’s nothing left to say.
Everyday life feels suffocating. You can work, eat, go about errands, but always under watch, never secure, never free.
And yet, the Constitution has always been more than laws and power — it is also the glue that binds us together.
No Core Values or Social Benefits
The Constitution doesn’t just structure government. It also anchors our shared values and social safety nets. Without them:
Loss of unity: Citizens retreat into tribes of geography, race, or ideology. Patriotism empties into partisanship.
No common ground: With no shared values like liberty or equality, every issue becomes a zero-sum fight.
No safety net: Illness, job loss, or disability bring financial ruin. Education and opportunity belong only to the wealthy.
Generational hardship: Without school meals, child health programs, Social Security, or Medicare, families carry burdens alone and poverty deepens.
What happens when there’s no “we” left in the nation? It looks something like this.
A day in the life…
You wake up to an empty fridge. Payday isn’t until Friday, and the school lunch program was cut last year. Your youngest pretends not to be hungry, but you can see it in her eyes. On the way to work, you pass two neighbors shouting in the street. One blames immigrants for lost jobs, the other blames corporations. No one steps in. Everyone keeps to their own corner now.
At work, your supervisor announces another round of layoffs. No unemployment benefits this time; the state stopped funding them. A coworker breaks down in tears—her mother needs medicine she can’t afford without insurance. No one knows what to say.
That night, the power flickers. Your neighborhood has argued for months about repairs, but no one trusts anyone else enough to cooperate. As you tuck your kids into bed, you realize the scariest part isn’t the hunger or the bills. It’s that nobody believes in the same country anymore.
If all this feels unsettling, remember: the Constitution was written in anticipation of struggle. It has been stretched thin before—and survived.
Our Constitution Has Been Stretched Thin Before
Our Constitution has weathered turbulent times before. Here are some historical examples:
1798 — Alien & Sedition Acts: Criticizing the government made illegal; journalists jailed.
Civil War & Jim Crow (1861–1960s): Lincoln suspended habeas corpus; later, segregation and poll taxes gutted equal rights.
World Wars & Red Scare (1917–1950s): Antiwar speech criminalized in WWI; Japanese Americans interned in WWII; McCarthyism silenced dissent.
Watergate (1970s): Nixon abused presidential power; scandal proved no one is above the law.
Post-9/11 (2001–Present): Patriot Act expanded surveillance; Guantanamo detentions stretched due process.
Contested Elections (2000, 2021): Bush v. Gore halted a recount; January 6th attacked the peaceful transfer of power.
History reminds us that the Constitution’s survival is never automatic. It endures only when each generation chooses to defend it.
The Constitution’s greatest weakness is also its greatest test: it depends on the integrity of those who swear to uphold it. It requires leaders who will work across the aisle for the good of all citizens, who will fight for the rights of every person regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or immigration status. It demands the courage to honor checks and balances, to stand up for what is right instead of blindly obeying the executive, and to make difficult choices even when they are unpopular with their party. Above all, it requires integrity to respect the rule of law and the authority of the courts, because the Constitution endures only if it’s obeyed in practice, not just praised in theory.
But do we still believe in that vision? A July 2025 poll by More in Common found that nearly 9 in 10 Baby Boomers believe leaders must always follow the Constitution, even if it slows them down, while only 53% of Gen Z agreed. That gap should sober us — younger Americans may not see the Constitution as essential to their freedom.
Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor captured this tension perfectly when she wrote:
“What makes the Constitution worthy of our commitment? First and foremost, the answer is our freedom…”
Her words remind us that this framework, the shortest and oldest still in use, is flexible enough to endure, but only if we remain committed to it.
And these aren’t just distant warnings from history or abroad. Even today, we see attempts to stretch our Constitution thin: efforts to expand executive authority, undermine judicial independence, politicize the civil service, and restrict access to the ballot box. Each of these pressures chips away at the framework that protects our freedoms.
The founders themselves rarely agreed. They argued fiercely — sometimes storming out of the room — but they returned, debated, and compromised with the future of the nation in mind. Today, by contrast, Congress often seems paralyzed by partisanship, more committed to defeating one another than to solving problems. That contrast should remind us: the Constitution’s endurance has always depended on leaders willing to put country before faction.
The Constitution still matters, but only if we defend it, generation by generation.
What part of the Constitution feels most important to defend today? Share your perspective in the comments. I’d love to learn from you!
Hard Truths, Honest Heart is my commitment to speak up — even when it feels scary — so my kids can one day say I chose honesty over silence. Through essays on civics, history, and personal truth, I’m building a record of courage and clarity, showing that integrity matters more than comfort. This isn’t just about politics or personal stories; it’s about leaving a legacy my children can be proud of.