A constitution is a framework of rules, ideas and principles that outline how a country is to be governed. The US constitution is written in a single, codified document and is said to be rigid as it is hard to change, whilst the UK constitution is unwritten and uncodified and said to be flexible as it is easy to change e.g. pass a bill through Parliament. It is said that the UK's flexible constitution is healthy for democracy, Abraham Lincoln defined democracy as:-.
"the government of the people, by the people, and for the people- .
A. Lincoln.
In this essay I am going to outline the content, nature and role of both the US and UK constitutions and how difficult each constitution is to change. I am also going to discuss the impact that each constitution has on the executive, legislature and the judiciary and the effect that the constitutions have on the health of democracy.
The US constitution was written in 1787 after the American colonists lived under British rule and the Articles of Confederation. The Founding Fathers created the constitution because under British rule central government was too powerful yet under the Articles, state legislature retained greatest power. The constitution outlined many things including; the federal government system, separation of powers, the 2 houses of Congress (Senate and the House of Representatives) and the presidency. It also included a Bill of Rights which outlined the rights and liberties of the American citizens; however this was not included in the original constitution so the first 10 amendments to the constitution in 1791 were the Bill of Rights. .
In the UK no single document exists that outlines the rules and principles for the country. The British constitution comes from a variety of sources (Parliamentary Acts, conventions, common, case and community law) and has evolved over many years. One of the reasons it has evolved is because the UK is said to have a representative democracy where MP's are elected into power to represent the people.