On the U.S. Constitutional Crisis, Countermeasures and Way Out

     On the U.S. Constitutional Crisis, Countermeasures and Way out

--- From Analyzing the Six Stages of American History

Wu Chenmou

The Constitutional Crisis of the U.S.

— From Analyzing the Six Stages of American History

Wu Chenmou

    The history of the United States can be roughly divided into six stages. From 1620 to 1776 was the Mayflower Era. From 1776 to 1861, the nation achieved independence and territorial expansion. From 1861 to 1933, the U.S. experienced early capital accumulation and significant economic growth. From 1933 to 2016, the United States emerged as a global hegemon, a period that can be divided into two phases: before 1964, the country maintained a traditional electoral system; after 1964, a universal suffrage system was implemented. Beginning in 2016, however, the United States has entered an era characterized by constitutional crisis.

    The first stage (1620–1776) began with the Mayflower, a wooden sailing ship that departed England in 1620. After a grueling 66-day journey across the Atlantic, it landed at Cape Cod in northeastern America. On November 11, 1620, forty-one adult men signed a political statement aboard the ship, known today as The Mayflower Compact. This historic document marked a new chapter in human political history and laid the foundation for self-governance in the New World.

    The second stage (1776–1861) saw the formation of the United States through the independence of thirteen East Coast states, followed by territorial expansion to forty-eight states, reaching the Pacific Coast. During this period, American elites established Christian faith as a core cultural foundation, contributing to the emergence of the U.S. as a modern civilized nation with a stable constitutional system.

    The third stage began with the Civil War in 1861. During this era, the U.S. transitioned from an agrarian to an industrial economy and evolved from a regional power to the world’s dominant nation, surpassing Britain. By the late 1920s, before the Great Depression, the United States had consolidated its status as a global power through its comprehensive national strength, completing its original accumulation as a preeminent nation.

    The fourth stage started with the Great Depression of the 1930s. Following this economic disaster, the U.S. emerged as a superpower, leading global political and economic orders. Under President Franklin Roosevelt, the federal government implemented the New Deal, known as the "Three R’s": Relief, Recovery, and Reform. By the mid-20th century, the United States had maintained a traditional meritocratic voting system for nearly two centuries, a period often regarded as the nation's golden age, with the U.S. leading the world order.

    The fifth stage began with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended legal segregation and discrimination, instituted referendum elections, and established the U.S. as a global symbol of democracy. After 188 years since the nation's founding, the legal principle that "all men are created equal," as stated in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, was finally realized. During this period, a large wave of immigration contributed to massive demographic changes. Cultural and religious diversity increased rapidly, which gradually weakened the assimilative capacity of mainstream American society.

    The sixth stage can be marked by the September 11 attacks in 2001, although in this article, I begin the discussion with Donald Trump's 2016 presidential victory. However, flaws in the U.S. electoral system were evident as early as the 2000 election between Al Gore and George W. Bush. In 2016, Hillary Clinton received 2.86 million more popular votes than Trump, yet lost in the Electoral College by 74 votes. This discrepancy foreshadowed potential disputes in the 2020 election. In contemporary politics, candidates often make promises they cannot fulfill to appeal to voters, and unscrupulous behavior is incentivized. Since 2016, the United States has entered a period characterized by constitutional crisis.

     Since World War II, some nations adopting communism erred in granting absolute equality regardless of contribution or effort, resulting in economic stagnation and widespread suffering. Similarly, absolute equality in voting rights in democracies can produce unintended consequences. Since the mid-1960s, the U.S. fiscal deficit has grown significantly, and in recent years, federal government shutdowns have occurred due to lack of funding.

     While eliminating discrimination ensured equal legal rights, the system did not account for citizens who are lazy, disengaged, or otherwise unproductive. Although all citizens legally retain the right to vote, should voting power be absolutely equal between those who contribute significantly to society and those who contribute little? For example, if a hardworking taxpayer’s vote carries the same weight as a non-contributing citizen’s vote, this could appear unfair.

    One possible countermeasure is to tie voting rights to civic contributions, such as tax payments, military service, or other measurable forms of national service. A citizen who pays little tax might have proportionally less voting power than a working-class individual who contributes more financially or through service. This approach could make election outcomes more politically meaningful, legally effective, and reflective of mainstream public opinion.

    History demonstrates that when democratic processes exceed certain thresholds without regulation, institutional decline is inevitable. The constitutional crisis in the United States underscores that while democracy is a correct system, elections without minimal thresholds or standards may lead to systemic failure in a long period. Voting is valuable, but absolute equality in votes may render democracy ineffective; a carefully structured system is essential to sustain both fairness and functional governance.