Madison and others recognized that there was value to entrenching constitutions. Indeed, the whole point of a democratic constitution is to establish a set of rights that are protected from the transient whims of present-day majorities. When it comes to the right to vote, freedom of expression, and other basic rights, we should be constrained by past generations. Madison also saw, with great prescience, that there are benefits to inheriting a stable, functioning constitution rather than having to rewrite the rules every twenty years. Bolivia and Ecuador have changed constitutions at a rate of
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