Beck's complaints about “disclaimer” on Constitution ignores progress since its writing

Written by Zachary Pleat

Published

On his Fox News show today, Glenn Beck complained that “they're selling the Constitution now with a disclaimer.” Beck was referring to copies of the Constitution, among other founding documents, being sold by the publishing company Wilder Publications.

Early in today's program, Beck said:

BECK: What I don't understand is - turn of the century, 1900s. They said -- and this is taught in our universities now. I mean, it's crazy what, I just -- do we have the disclaimer for the Constitution? They're selling the Constitution now with a disclaimer, that these are kind of outdated ideas. They're not outdated ideas. They still work, don't they?

Beck actually read the entire disclaimer on the air later in the show:

BECK: This is the copy of the Constitution that I told ya -- I mean, look at this. This is from Wilder Publications:

“This book is a product of its time and does not reflect the same values as it would if it were written today.” Man, a truer word has never been spoken. “Parents might wish to discuss with their children how views on race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity and interpersonal relations have changed since this book was written, before allowing them to read this classic work.”

In your wildest dreams, anybody here in their wildest dreams -- did you ever think the United States Constitution would be sold with a disclaimer?

Surely Beck realizes that the views the “disclaimer” refers to -- namely those on “race, gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and interpersonal relations” -- have changed dramatically since the Constitution was written since 1787. These changes have been undeniably positive. For example, African-Americans are no longer slaves and can now freely vote and run for office -- just like women can. Homosexuality is far more accepted, and people of different ethnicities are free to marry each other.

The disclaimer Beck complained about simply reminds parents and teachers that children may not know how different our society is today. Making sure children understand how groundbreaking the Constitution was -- even without all the advancements we've made since then -- can only help show them how valuable a document it is.