Impeachment. Powers of the president. Responsibilities of Congress. All of these are designated by the U.S. Constitution, which has been in force for 231 years. At the current time, it seems appropriate to discuss how the Constitution has fared, and whether the document needs amending to continue to meet the needs of a changing country.

Many of the complex issues debated at the 1787 Philadelphia convention are still relevant today, including the allocation of power among the three federal branches and with the states, the composition of the three branches, and election and appointment procedures. We’ll begin by reviewing the convention background and dynamics, before turning to the Constitution itself, which we’ll compare with the constitutions of some states/countries. Then we’ll select sections of the Constitution we feel require amending, and debate and vote on proposed amendments.

As was mostly the case in Philadelphia, it’s expected that participants’ comments and debates will be polite and respectful. We’ll need to consider the views of two framers: George Washington wrote that it was necessary to “probe the defects of the Constitution to the bottom and provide radical cures, whether they are agreed or not;” while Pierce Butler of South Carolina proposed to “follow the example of Solon, who gave the Athenians not the best government he could devise, but the best they would receive.”

About one hour of preparation time (reading) will be required for each session.