Preview

Comparative Countries

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2265 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparative Countries
Comparison of Countries
Costa Rica v. United States

Introduction and Purpose The United States constitution is legendary. When other countries were establishing government they often looked to the United States to copy our government. I have chosen the country, Costa Rica, to compare their government to the United States (U.S.) government. Costa Rica is located in Central America surrounded by Panama and Nicaragua, the rest of their borders is water. Because two sides of Costa Rica are surrounded by water they often have flooding by the Atlantic Ocean. Unlike the United States, Costa Rica has two seasons rather than four. The dry season (December to April) and the rainy season (May to November.) Costa Rica also has four volcanoes, two of them being active. Arenal, this is their most active volcano, erupted in 2010. Costa Rice is a Latin-American country. (CIA WFB) Foundations Costa Rica and United States shares the same Republic form of government. Costa Rica has seven provinces with a Laura Chinchilla as their President, Chief Executive, and Head of State; she just so happens to be the first woman President that Costa Rica has ever had. The United States has fifty states which are similar to provinces, and with Barack Obama as our President. Costa Rica became free from Spain and became an independent country on September 15, 1821 at the end of the French War. The United States became independent on July 4, 1776 from England during the Revolutionary War. Later on November 7, 1949 the Costa Rica constitution was created. The United State’s constitution was made into law on March 4, 1789. (CIA WFB) Once Costa Rica was freed, it took Costa Rica three years to elect a President; Juan Mora Fernandez, elected in 1824 (Geographia.com.) The Costa Rican government is very similar to the United State’s government. Both governments’ have the same structure, three branches of governments called the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    It is understood that the US Constitution was written to form a more centralized form of government, a federation, which could protect and regulate the rights of the US citizens. While the Articles of Confederation was avoiding this type of government affected by the British experience, the constitution encouraged it. The main difference between these two documents is the balance and centralization of powers. How did the constitution change the role of national government in the life of US citizens?…

    • 1180 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The United States of America have a federal constitution, where the President of the United States, Congress, and the judiciary share powers, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments. This is the stark opposite to the unitary system in the UK where sovereignty lies in parliament and some powers are given to local assemblies. There are many types of federalism; all have been a dominant influence in the American political system at some point due to the style of leadership brought in by each new presidential candidate. Throughout U.S. history, the division of power between the federal government and state governments has been the subject of continuous political interest. After suffering from the British government's tyrannical ideologies that led to the American Revolution (1775), many Americans were conditioned to distrust centralized governmental powers. As a result, when Congress drew up the Articles of Confederation in 1781, the new central government was assigned very few powers. The central government had little authority over taxation, court systems and commerce. The states were essentially politically independent governments, each free to regulate commerce in whatever ever way they wanted, make money, and have their state courts hold judgment over national laws mostly entrenched in the US constitution. In 1787 a Constitutional Convention was called to restructure the government and create a national economy. This convention was called as many Americans realized after the American Revolution, that such an unorganized governmental structure entirely based on state powers would hold back political and economic growth of America as a country. Debates were rife between federalists, those supporting a strong central government as proposed in a Virginia plan, and anti-federalists supporting continued strong state…

    • 1324 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    All Southeast Asian countries, excluding for Thailand, have common with a similar history with United States as earlier colonies. Upon declaration of independent, many of colonial countries transformed into democracies and created their private constitutions sculpted after the U.S. Constitution. East Asia country, Malaysia, for example, took many significant ideas from the U.S. constitution such as: the separation of authorities into three divisions of government, the principle of federalism, and the rule of the constitution. Other countries, however, failed on the idea of a constitution. These countries often blameworthiness their democracy failures on the U.S. Constitution.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The government that our country operates under in modern times is quite different than the government in place at our country’s conception. However, they do share many of the same practices and ideologies. The Articles of Confederation were founded on the basis of a very limited national government, and the idea that states should interact with each other through a “loose league of friendship”. In this friendship, the states would work and trade together, but no form of central government was needed. This system was not nearly sufficient for the nations problems at the time. Recognizing the need for a reform, the nations leaders tried to reform the current system, and with little success, the decision was made that they should start from scratch and create a government that they believed to be the saving grace for America. This new creation was known as the Constitution. Thought to be a more comprehensive and equal system of government,…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Republic of Costa Rica is located near the center of the Central America. With Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south, Costa Rica enjoys beautiful beaches and a tropical climate from both the North and South Pacific Oceans and the Caribbean Sea. Costa Rica is approximately 19,650 square miles. The climate is mild in the central highlands to tropical and balmy in the coastal areas. Costa Rica averages roughly 330 days of sunshine a year. A rugged mountain range separates the eastern and western coastal plains. The capital city of Costa Rica is San Jose. Other major cities include Puntarenas, Alajuela, Limon, and Cartago. Costa Rica has many provinces that are culturally different from one another in small ways.…

    • 3525 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Let our government be like that of the solar system. Let the general government be like the sun and the states the planets, repelled yet attracted, and the whole moving regularly and harmoniously in several orbits.” said John Dickinson, a Delaware Delegate in 1787 (constitutionfacts.com). The United States has a government that, for the most part, flows smoothly. However, our governing documents have not always been so harmonious. The Articles of Confederation, created and ratified in 1781 during the Revolutionary War, was the first basis for the United States of America’s central government. This was a shaky set of laws, yet it evolved into The Constitution of the United States of America. Though The Constitution was created from the Articles of Confederation, there were many differences. Three of these are differences in powers, in purposes, and in effects.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Compare and contrast the Articles of confederation and the Constitution, especially in regard to the specific powers granted to the national government.The formation and ideals of the Articles of Confederation and its successor, the Unites States Constitution, varied from each other in terms of a stronger or weaker federal government in dealing with issues. The Constitution gave more power to the federal government, while the Articles of Confederation involved a very weak government with primary rights interests of the individual states as the focus. Both gave Congress legislative power and set up departments that would eventually be incorporated into the president’s cabinet. The formation of the Articles of Confederation was of the extreme importance in the foundation and development of the Constitution and the stronger central government that still lasts to this day. Also known as “The Articles of Confusion”, the Articles of Confederation (finally passed by all thirteen states by 1781) created a “loose confederation” or “firm league of friendship” between the states. There were no judicial branch and executive branch in the new federal /national government, as the previous monarchy of George III still left bad feelings in minds of newly independent Americans, who were instilled with the ideals of being suspicious of government actions and remained filled with democratic zeal. According to the Articles of Confederation, each state had one vote in Congress. This meant the small state of Rhode Island, with its population of 60,000, had the same voice and power as the most populated of the states, Virginia. For a bill to be passed in the Congress, 9 of the 13 states had to approve. For any amendments to be made to the Articles of Confederation, a unanimous decision had to be agreed upon among the states. Amending the Articles was almost impossible, as it was rare for all the states to agree upon a certain issue. If the Articles had been able of being patched up…

    • 1246 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every state has a constitution which is roughly based off of the U.S. Constitution. How do these constitutions vary from one another, and how do they compare? Constitutions are put in place in order to keep peace and order within the people, and also within the government.…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Both America and Brazil share a similar government structure, yet they have their variations within their political system. They share having a president, a time restriction on a position of power, and government structure. However they differ in voting laws, independence years, and who they gained independence from. Each of these things are very important to the individuality of the country and makes them…

    • 469 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Introduction and Overview Panama and the United States shared a strong bond throughout their respective histories. The link between these countries lasted for over 100 years and helped Panama become the second largest economy in Central America. While these two nations are different in language, climate and poverty, some of their business structure, government and business communications shares similarities with the United States. A brief, general background on this nation, Panama has a population of 2.4 million people and is one of the smallest countries in Central America. The official language is Spanish.…

    • 2740 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    They had no federal courts. All of the laws were enforced by state courts. The Congress had absolutely no power when it came to taxes. Because of the Articles of Confederation, the Congress also had no power over interstate. They also were not really in control of the commerce of other countries around the world. The Congress only consisted of one body. Each state was only able to have one vote. The Articles of Confederation made it to where the Congress had anywhere from two to seven members for each state. Members were all appointed by state legislatures, in the manner each legislature directed. The term for people in the legislative office was only one year. The people of the legislative branch were only allowed to serve three out of every six years. The Congressional pay was paid by the states. When they amended the Articles of Confederation, all of the states approved of it. Congress only had specific delegated powers. Congress was not allowed to act upon the people. The state governments were the only ones that were allowed to do that. The Articles of Confederation was more harmful to the country then it was helpful to the Country, that is why they made the…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The United States of America’s government has progressed significantly since the Mayflower landed in 1620. What was once dominated by an unjust monarch once dominated is now governed under a fair and democratic republic. Despite this progress, it is important that one takes the time to step back and analyze our roots and the environment in which we live now. By doing this, one gains insight into how different governments function and how their country is affected by the government. The contents of this paper will be devoted to contrasting and comparing the US government to the government of Belize.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Constitution Paper

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Constitution is a legal binding document that explains how the government works. It creates presidency and congress as well as the Supreme Court. The United States has operated under two constitutions. On March 1, 1781 the Articles of confederation was in effect. On June 21, 1788 the Constitution came into effect. These two constitutions have a lot in common but, there are more differences then there are similarities if one looks at the details. The Constitution addressed the weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation by allowing the government to take on certain powers. The delegates did not want the power to be controlled by one man. They did this so there would be little jeopardy of tyranny or dictatorship. The group decided to separate the government into branches of three, the judicial, executive, and legislative branch. The executive branch is controlled by the president. This allows the leader to carry out federal laws and also allows him to recommend new ones. The authority contains directing government, commanding the armed forces, acting as chief law enforcement, dealing with international powers, and vetoing laws. The judicial branch is controlled by the Supreme Court. Its authority allows the Supreme Court to review laws, interpret the Constitution, and decide cases involving states rights. Lastly, the legislative, controlled by Congress, which includes House of Representatives and the Senate, has the power to pass laws, originate spending bills, impeaching officials, and approving treaties.…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In America and Latin America had two different types of effects on its government. After the Civil War the U.S Industrialization industry grew tremendously with machines replacing hand labor. Industrialization is the development of industries in a country or region on a wide scale. Industrialization in America helped the country form a stable government because during the Industrial Revolution lots of new inventions were made. Because of all these new inventions factories had to manufacture them and that led to an increase in products which increased America's Industrialization which helped their economy thus leading them to a successful government. On the other hand in Latin America there Industrial period was completely opposite from Americas. The Industrial Revolution in Europe helped Latin America recover from their indepence war but Latin America had no industry which then lead them to form an unstable government. This created an unstable government because Latin America had to depend on other countries trading their resources to them. In Latin America there wasn't enough investments but there was new demands for their natural resources like coffee, sugar and beef. To conclude America's government was successful because they had a boom in new products which then increased their industrialization which helped their economy. Latin America's government wasn't successful because they depend on other countries trading resources to them and there wasn't enough investments there which hurt their economy thus affecting their government.…

    • 832 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Costa Rica Essay

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Costa Rica and the United States of America get along quite well. Of course there has been a few bump in the road but nothing bad enough to make us hostile. We are good friends because we help each other out by buying each others products and such. Costa Rica and its relations with other countries are exquisite right now. They have been apart of the international community and have been neutral to most countries for quite some time. Of course it may be hostile to a few countries but everyone seems to have enemies. This country is said to be very beautiful so if I had the time I would gladly visit it and spend a few days on the beach. Things are cheap there and I can be cheap so it would work out great. This country is a very beautiful country that makes its money off of very natural things and I…

    • 389 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays