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"Mr. Constitution, don't you know the whole city is searching for you?" I panted, helping him wring out his parchment. "Why did you jump off the bridge?"
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It's Our Wonderful Rights!
"I gasped for breath and fought to keep my head above the icy waters of the Potomac. As I dragged the jumper onto the riverbank, police sirens wailed in the distance, helicopters circled the city, and through the driving snow I could see a barricade surrounding the National Archives building. The Constitution was missing and Washington, D.C. was panicking.
"Mr. Constitution, don't you know the whole city is searching for you?" I panted, helping him wring out his parchment. "Why did you jump off the bridge?"
"Why wouldn't I?" he moaned. "I have no reason to exist. I'm in everyone's way. They're only looking for me because I'm a moneymaking tourist-attraction."
"What makes you say that?"
"I hear what people say. That glass I'm under isn't as thick as you'd think. They complain that my checks and balances cause gridlock and nothing gets done. They call my Electoral College antiquated and insult me with talk of abolishing it. On top of that, they dismiss me as irrelevant. They think my authors couldn't have imagined life in the 21st century." He sighed. "I'm a washed-up fuddy-duddy."
"That's not true," I said soothingly. "You're just going through a rough patch."
"You don't understand," he said miserably. "My Framers put me in charge of protecting your rights and I've failed. America would've been better off without me. I wish I'd died in committee!"
"Ohhh, you mustn't say things like that. You're-" I paused. "Wait a minute. That's an idea. Alright, let's imagine what America would be like if you'd never been written."
Click here to read more of Madeline's brilliant essay!
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Madeline Peltzer is Constituting America's 2015 Best High School Essay Winner! Her essay personifies the Constitution and how it is thought of today.
Madeline invites her readers to follow an unnamed character as he persuades Clarence the Constitution, who has decided he is better off missing because no one cares about what he has to say anymore, that he is still needed and relevant.
While being wrapped in witty and comical dialogue, Madeline's essay rings with telling truths.
"To remain relevant, a constitution must be built on the timeless wisdom for history and universal patterns of human nature. America may look different than it did in 1787, but the nature of its challenges hasn't changed."
Madeline's essay was inspired by the idea of branching off from typical scholarly essays and experimenting with the fun and whimsical - it seems to have paid off! Madeline said once she knew she wanted to write from the point of view of the Constitution, everything fell into pace.
Madeline takes us back to the Golden Era using the themes of
It's a Wonderful Life. "My goal was to create something that would be engaging and accessible to students with little or no familiarity of the Constitution - or even more dangerous, a misconstrued or stereotypical impression of it." Madeline tells us that while developing this piece, some great lessons were learned: "I learned through the writing process that the aspects of the Constitution that people often point to as its greatest faults are actually some of its greatest strengths."
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Madeline Peltzer, 17, is from Phoenix, Arizona. She is the oldest of three girls and has been homeschooled all her life. Madeline has been involved in politics since she was in a stroller attending district meetings and rallies with her parents. She is a longtime volunteer with her state's family-policy and legislative council and has worked on numerous political campaigns. She is an alumna of Patriot Academy, TeenPact Leadership Schools, and the Leadership Institute's Youth Leadership School.
In 2012 an
d 2014, Madeline won first place in "Stossel in the Classroo
m's" national essa
y contest, a project of Fox Business News' John Stossel, and was featured twice on his television program in New York City. The experience sparked an interest in free-market economics, and she has since become involved with organizations like the Mercatus Center, the Institute for Human
e Studies, and Americans for Prosperity.
In addition to studying classical piano for the past nine years, Madeline enjoys competitive figure skating, classical ballet, and jazz dance. She volunteers with her homeschool honor society, helps teach ballet classes to children with Down syndrome, and has assisted in teaching figure skating to students of all ages. She and her family are active with Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). Madeline is still deciding upon a specific college and major, but she hopes to pursue her interests in classical liberal arts, government, history, and economics as well as piano and dance.
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"To remain relevant, a constitution must be built on the timeless wisdom for history and universal patterns of human nature. America may look different than it did in 1787, but the nature of its challenges hasn't changed."
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Madeline is Inspired by Our Founders Sacrifice for Our C
ountry
Madeline's favorite founding father, Richard Stockton of New Jersey, knows the true meaning of sacrifice.
"As a signer of the Declaration of Independence, he truly did sacrifice his life, fortune, and sacred honor." Very few people know of Richard Stockton's story; he was kidnapped by Loyalists after signing the Declaration of independence and sent to prison. Being a signer of the Declaration was no small thing in British prisons and Stockton was treated more harshly than most. He was given the opportunity to be released and pardoned, if only he'd claim loyalty to the king, but he refused. He was promptly sent back to prison and treated with particular severity once again. He was eventually released on parole, but due to his time in prison his health was in shambles and he lived in pain for two more years, dying at age 51. "Stockton's story is heartbreaking, but it gives me courage," says Madeline. She admires that even when he was offered an easy way out, he stuck by his principles even when it meant more pain and ultimately his death.
This spirit of being willing to lay your life down for the potential prosperity of future generations is why America developed into such a great nation, and only if we keep this attitude of servitude and humility will we be able to keep it great. This means that we have to do our part by studying and reading, much like the founders. "Their wisdom was essential to creating the government and country we enjoy today, and their ability to accurately predict many of the issues we face today is uncanny." Madeline says its a noble goal to want to be like our founders. "I would love to become as well-read and learned as they were. God definitely put the right men into the right place and time to form the greatest and most influential country on earth."
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Madeline Wins $1,000 & A Mentoring Trip!
As Constituting America's Best High School Essay winner, Madeline wins $1,000 to be used towards her college education! She will also travel this summer with Constituting America Founder & Co-Chair Janine Turner, Co-Chair Cathy Gillespie, and National Youth Director Juliette Turner to New York to meet Constituting America Mentors Sean Hannity and Monica Crowley and dine with a Constitutional Scholar!
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