The United States Constitution was written on September 17,1787 with the purpose of creating a federal government for the United States of America and to delegate the powers of the government of the created government. The “The United States Constitution” by Hennessey and McConnell is a graphic novel of the preamble of the Constitution and a few panels expressing how the United States has changed from its birth to the 21st century in order to help the audience grasp then changes in which the country underwent. Hennessey’s and McConnell’s comic contains a visual motif, which is how civil rights have changed from the beginning of the United States to the 21st century. There are specifically two panels (the second tier panel on page 203 and the third tier panel on page 203) within the comic that encapsulates this theme. These two panels specifically show the visual motif at work, through color and angle of the frame shot.

The second tier panel on page 203 shows a group of individuals comprised of slaves, women, and the poor on the left, led by Father Time. They are scaring the group of revolutionary era men on the right who are guarding a safe which contains the American flag. The caption over the left group of minorities says “At the time, the very idea of ‘We the People’ applied only to white men and often exclusively to those rich enough to own land” (203). The caption over the right group of scared, older white men states “Only members of that group could vote or be elected to office” (203). The picture and text expresses the idea of how different the times were during the beginning stages of the United States government. Color plays a major role within the panel. The left group, led by father time, is comprised of warm colors such as orange, red, and yellow while the right group’s colors are very cold and dull light blue and dark blue. These contrasting colors make the left group seem inviting and justified while the right side seems old and pathetic. The wide shot in which the panel is captured in also delivers the full picture allowing the situation between the left and the right groups to sink in to the reader. Without the full shot, the reader would not see the body language of both sides. This panel is a representation of the motif because it shows that the group of individuals who are being oppressed are led by father time, and are going to get justification from the group on the right. 

The third tier panel on page 203 is a type of continuation of the second tier panel. It shows the safe that contained the American flag being opened and the flag being carried out by a retired black soldier and a retired white soldier. There are also people of all races and religions standing to the right. They have two captions over them talking about how amendments were made and rights were given to all citizens.  The unique color scheme contains blue, green, and violet. It creates a sense of tranquility among the characters within the panel. This panel is also a wide shot which allows the reader to capture the historical situation of minorities finally achieving victory in removing the American flag, which represents the American dream, from the vault. The actual characters and the words express who was affected and illustrates them receiving the justification they sought after. 

The visual motif of “The United States Constitution” shows that the Constitution was far from the perfection in its original form. At the beginning, the Constitution required a certain race, gender, and amount of wealth before an individual could vote or participate in the democratic system. Luckily, through time this changed and people of all kind began to receive the rights they deserved.  The motif makes the reader recognize the problems with the Constitution and shows that it was not be any means perfect. (deleted last two sentences)

“The United States Constitution” comic captures how amazing the Constitution is but also uses certain panels within the comic to reveal its flaws. The panels use characters, words, color schemes, and the shot focus to express the visual motif. This visual motif is incredibly important because it shows how civil rights have changed from the beginning of the United States to the 21st century, through the use of color and frame shots. Without the visual motif and the panels to express it, readers would not fully grasp the drastic change that the United States has undergone in terms of civil rights. This is important because the reader needs to understand how the Constitution has changed overtime. 
