"The Constitution Doesn't Protect Me."

It's normal these days to experience doubt or concern while reading about your Constitutional Rights. A large part of the national conversation right now is focused on people who feel they've been denied their right to equal protection under the law, trial by impartial jury, freedom of speech... the list goes on.

A common argument in that conversation is that the Constitution wasn't written to protect all Americans, only a select few.

That was certainly true when it was written. Originally, only white, male land-owners could vote - by far not "all Americans." But with the ratification of the thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, and nineteenth amendments, all races and sexes were given the right to vote, and equal protection under the law.

That means all Americans, regardless of identity, have the rights enumerated in the Constitution.

Constitutionally, no one can take those rights away from you. If your rights have been denied to you, then the Constitution has been violated, and you have standing to file a grievance and protect your rights. What we are experiencing is a debate about whether or not the execution of the law is Constitutional, not whether the Constitution should apply to all Americans - because it already does.

Bringing the Constitution into the discussion as a foundational document rather than a historical footnote is integral to ensuring equal protection for all American citizens, and regaining any rights that we have lost due to poor execution.