Thomas Jefferson Quote About Changing The Constitution
Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, is known for his contributions to the drafting of the Constitution. He was a firm believer in the need for a written constitution that would limit the power of the government and protect the rights of the people. However, Jefferson also recognized that the Constitution was not perfect and would need to be changed over time to meet the changing needs of the nation.
Jefferson's Views on Constitutional Change
In a letter to Samuel Kercheval in 1816, Jefferson wrote, "Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the arc of the covenant, too sacred to be touched. They ascribe to the men of the preceding age a wisdom more than human, and suppose what they did to be beyond amendment."
Jefferson believed that while the Constitution was a remarkable document, it was not infallible. He argued that the world was constantly changing, and the Constitution needed to change with it. He wrote, "laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind."
Jefferson also recognized that the Constitution was drafted by men with limited perspectives and experiences. He believed that future generations would have different perspectives and experiences that would require changes to the Constitution. He wrote, "I am certainly not an advocate for frequent and untried changes in laws and constitutions. But I know also, that laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths disclosed, and manners and opinions change with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also, and keep pace with the times."
Jefferson on the Amendment Process
Jefferson believed that the Constitution could be changed through the amendment process. He wrote, "I am aware of the difficulties which the New Constitution has to encounter, and of the defects which its first essay will discover; but I am not without hopes that they will be removed by the amendments which shall be suggested by the experience of those States which shall first have adopted it."
Jefferson believed that the amendment process was an essential part of the Constitution. He wrote, "It is a fortunate thing that the people themselves can amend most of the defects of the Constitution by their own authority. I think it a very material object in the new Constitution to have made the changes which are to take place by the authority of the States themselves."
Conclusion
Thomas Jefferson believed that the Constitution was a remarkable document that needed to be changed over time to meet the changing needs of the nation. He recognized that the world was constantly changing, and the Constitution needed to change with it. He believed that the amendment process was an essential part of the Constitution, and that the people themselves should have the authority to make changes to the document. Jefferson's views on constitutional change continue to influence the way we think about the Constitution today.
