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Civics 101 Day 2: The Creation of the U.S. Constitution

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Today, in our seminar on government current events we discussed the possible $3 trillion infrastructure and jobs package, democrats working to lower drug prices and the Texas border crisis under the Biden administration. Then we started reading The Infographic Guide to American Government together which went over enlightenment, the American Revolution and independence process up to the development of the Articles of Confederation. In the afternoon, we watched a PBS documentary called A Constitution in Writing which explained how the Constitution was written with commentary from prominent government officials and law professors. Then we played Taboo which is a game played by explaining a term or phrase without using certain words. With our remaining time, we looked over the Amendments and tried to interpret them with their “originalism” and “majestic vagueness” in mind. 

We were able to learn not only about the process that created the basis of our government system but also the reasoning and ideology behind those events. Understanding the context and history behind the laws that govern our country today puts into perspective their purpose and how that has changed throughout history. Some important terms we learned today were “originalism” and “majestic vagueness” which are different ways to interpret The Constitution. Originalism is the process of understanding The Constitution, or text, by interpreting them by their original meaning. Majestic vagueness is the nuanced way that many of the amendments are phrased. This is so that they are left to our interpretation and their application can change with the times. 





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