Why do we care?

Our country was founded on freedom; Of that, I think we can all agree. Beyond that, our founders' intents are up for debate. And we tend to become emotionally vociferous in our viewpoints. The Religious Right are convinced that we were founded on Christian (biblical) principles. The Left is convinced that we were founded on Secular Enlightenment values. And there is a broad spectrum between these two views that people fall into. Many other issues that we grapple with today are also debated as to what our founder' intentions were. My question is, "Why do we care what their 'intentions' were?"

This question will more than likely raise some eyebrows and may even cause anger. But I believe that this is a very valid question to ask, especially with the varied social, political, economic, international, etc., issues that we're facing in today's climate. Our differing viewpoints have never been so polarized and our ability to argue these points has never been so available, thanks to the internet and social media.

Our founders' most important intents lie within the Constitution, our foundation, our bedrock. They laid out the vision for the young country, allowing for the flexibility of change. Without this flexibility, we would have been doomed to failure before we even started. Some of the most important changes we've faced in the past decades have been issues of civil rights -- voting rights of blacks and women, interracial marriage, and now, we're debating gay marriage. And herein lies the importance of my question.

As we try to determine what they founders' intentions were, beyond what is expressly written in the Constitution, we must realize that the founders lived in a time where only wealthy, white, male landowners were a part of the political process. The slavery issue was hotly debated, but beyond owning a person, most refined men of the time also debated whether blacks, and women, had souls! They could not have envisioned women being independent, strong, contributing to the greater society. They could not have envisioned a Martin Luther King, Jr., let alone a Barack Obama. They couldn't have fathomed a world with nuclear weapons, fighter jets, or Facebook. So aside from the Constitution, I ask, why do we care at all what their intentions were?

As our culture changes, allowing for broader views and broader freedoms, we move further away from the culture, the views, of people who lived in the 18th century -- and I would argue that this is a good thing! We have built upon the stepping stones of so many others who have come before us, not just our Constitution founders. We honor all of those who have made contributions to our country each time we enter the voting booths, each time we engage in researching individual issues and debate them among ourselves. We are the fruits of all of their labors. Why attempt to remain in an antiquated mindset? I believe that our founders would actually be appalled that we try to maintain their supposed intentions instead of using the most amazing tool they left us, the Constitution, to grow, to progress, in this new and exciting and sometimes frightening age.