Stated In Document 2 “ The constitution makers of 1776 and 1777 had to refer to basic principles partly because they lacked exact models to guide them .. The closest thing to a working model was, ironically, the British government.” After all the colonies only knew about and experienced one government at the time . They used this to there advantage playing off british ideas to create new ones that benefitted them and reflect their own ideas. This indirectly lead to the separation of powers, where no one party / power can outweigh the next .This protects our rights as citizens as now no one can abuse their power to violate them…
Thomas Jefferson, American Founding Father and the principal author of The Declaration of independence, theorized that “the care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first and only object of good government.” Jefferson pointed to “unalienable rights,” and these rights were “giving to us by our creator and not by a government.” To protect the fundamental and individuals rights accordingly, James Madison was involved by including the Bill of Rights to The Constitution. The intention with these, was to remove the power from government reach only. Years after the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution was put in place, a remarkable Landmark decision by the United States Supreme Court was news and continues to…
The declaration of independence, the bill of rights, and the U.S constitution, we are written around the same time frame and by the same people, the 1776 founding fathers. These three papers are America's most important documents in history. Each of these documents started off with a preamble. The constitution and the declaration were founded by the congress and the bill of rights were founded by the congress who met at the federal hall. Each document has a relationship with each other. One big idea that each of these three have in common is the idea that the government is here to protect and all people no matter the race, size, or sex have the same preliminary rights. Each document was made for different purposes but were based around the…
When the U.S. constitution was made it there was a long debate over the ratification of the constitution. There were two sides in the debate, the Federalists, who were supporter of the new constitution, and were better, organized than their opponents, and the Federalists had the support of the most respected men in America, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin. The other side of the debate was the Antifederalists, who opposed ratification; although they weren’t as organized as the Federalists they did have some dedicated supporters. One major argument used by the supporters’ side in the debates over the ratification of the U.S. constitution is that there would be disorder without a strong central government.…
I recognize the importance of the constitution, which is the law that fundamentally governs the nation. It establishes the structure for the federal government, consisting of the three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial sections of the government. Besides this, the Constitution establishes and protects individual freedom through the Bill of Rights and the subsequent amendments. This document also undergoes amendments to reflect a perfect union, establish justice, and ensure domestic tranquility. Nevertheless, my time as a slave, observing the violence and injustice of a system that gives me and my family our humanity no regard, taints my awareness of the Constitution.…
In the 1700s, it was the colonial era of what became America. During this time, the Enlightenment values were shared throughout the world. There was subjugation of the Native Americans, rebellions, religious attributes, and soon “independence” swept through the colonies. These colonies became states. With states wanting their independence, came meetings being held and Revolutions coming about. Which is why The Declaration of Independence was written to the people and men. It was written by the Founding Fathers as well as in the Constitution, it stated “…Establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare….” What it means is that in order for our nation to be successful, we must do these things and it will lead us on the right path. With this law being written, there are expected powers being limited to the people and man himself. What the Founding Fathers wanted for the new country were things such as the Separation of Powers, which divided government into branches in the political aspect, as well as the new government needing support with the wealthy in the economic aspect, and having different religions coming as one in the social aspect. These points are some of the goals that are aimed from the Founding Fathers.…
The two main documents for what our country as a whole is based off of The Constitution of The United States and The Preamble. The main focus of these documents were of many of the Enlightenment ideas such as “We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal”, the natural rights of man such as “ life liberty and property The Declaration of Independence says that individuals have certain rights since they are human. These rights are not given to them by the government and can't be taken away from them. They…
The Declaration of Independence is only a written statement that declares that the 13 colonies were independent and self-governed states and no longer under the rule of the British. It declares that the United States of America is an independent nation. The Constitution is the foundation of the U.S. government. The Constitution is called as the highest law of the country. The Declaration of Independence puts out the government’s philosophy that all the citizens are equal and permitted to certain absolute rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also says that the government that does not have the people’s agreement or that squashes on the citizen’s rights is illegal. The Declaration also says a sequence of charges against the King of England about how he had flattened on the rights of the citizens. The Constitution says that there will be a Congress, a President, and a Supreme Court. Also, the powers of each institution and how each of them should be formed are also outlined. The Constitution outlines the rights of the citizens. The Constitution was written in 1787. It was written by an agreement of all the states, which was called for the purpose of commending changes in the past government. The Constitution, after getting approval from the states, was enforced in…
Picture that it is one sunny afternoon, as you walk around the University of California, Davis campus filled with thousands of students walking by. As you observe your surroundings, you notice that there are students of different colored skin, speaking a variety of languages. UC Davis is home to a diversity of students from different ethnic backgrounds, Asian, American Indian, and Hispanic, to list a few. International students in particular have sparked my interests. I wanted to learn more about them and hear about their life experiences here in America. In this paper, I will relate an observation made on my fieldwork to what it means to be a citizen and discuss the complexities of translations between two cultures.…
The Founding Fathers had an idea to set an example for the future of their country. The Declaration of Independence sets forth the Founders’ beliefs about the purposes of government, why the colonies should rebel against Great Britain, the complaints against the British king, and statements that the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies is demolished. The document also gives us reasons why the Declaration give for independence, such as that all men are created equal, all men are given with certain unalienable rights, and that people have the right to abolish the government. These were the principles of the U.S. The Declaration of Independence helped shape the principles of the United States such as the citizens’ unalienable rights…
The founding father designed a government that was both inclusive yet guarded, to protect Americas from their and fellow Americans own greed. Furthermore, the founding fathers believed in democracy, which is where our right to vote originates form, but also in human selfishness and greed, which is what produced our elected officials, checks and balances, and is what makes America a democratic republic as opposed to a pure democracy. The founding fathers resented the King and high authority so they endowed each American with inalienable rights such as the right to bear arms. Unlike Europe, American never had a serious class divide such as surfs and peasants fighting kings and nobles for basic freedoms and rights. The United States was almost entirely comprised of immigrants who came to American, seeking a better life than the former life they had in Europe. As a result, citizens worked for everything, never relying upon on or using one another to obtain what the desired like the nobles of Medieval Europe. The lack of a national religion allowed people to worship whomever the desired, kept people from feeling repressed, and prevented a powerful government centered upon religion that would infringe upon the rights of the…
The American people have been known from the start for a strong Constitution created to protect the rights of their citizens. As culture evolved, our interpretation of the document has shifted with it, but the document itself and its fundamental concepts have not. The Constitution has protected the basic rights of all citizens, and has granted us certain privileges that allow us to uphold the democracy and the government that serves the people. Some of these include the right to vote and the ability of citizens to maintain their status.…
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This is how, in 1776, Thomas Jefferson began writing one of the most important documents in the History of the United States. This document is the Declaration of Independence. In these two sentences, Thomas Jefferson introduced a new outlook on the nation based on ideals. Since then, America as a nation has been trying to live up to the 5 American ideals; democracy, liberty, opportunity, rights and equality. People today strive to have the same opportunities as others. Women and African Americans fight for their rights and equality. And, America as a whole tries to live up to the ideal of Democracy. However, no matter how hard America tries, it is somehow still difficult to meet the ideals expressed for the people in the Declaration of Independence.…
In this excerpt written by Bruce Ackerman, it is obvious he trying to persuade his readers to be engaged and active American citizens. His opinions and ideas illustrate his exhausted feelings towards the Supreme Court’s and conservatives interpretations of the Constitution. Ackerman’s goals are to prove to his readers that citizens need to play a greater role in American democracy through a set of institutions.…
Unlike the Government’s role that is clearly stated in the Preamble, the role of a citizen isn’t as clear. Even the bill of rights clearly states the rights of a citizen. It has been amended and made inclusive as to what defines a citizen. Every citizen has an opinion on what the role is exactly, which makes it easy to be interpreted freely. It’s tempting to view the concept of citizenship from a Western perspective. This would lead naturally to such ideas as obeying laws, voting, defending one’s country, and so on. Implicit in this perspective is the sense of an individual, and of “us” and “them”. For many, these are not satisfactory, and leave a lingering sense of something missing. Perhaps it is the implied “should”, “must” or “have to” that causes a ripple of rebellion in the soul against these ideals. Throughout the years it has become evident that the role of a citizen goes beyond that. Those who are simple minded view their role as such. People who are deep thinkers tend to see other perspectives, many of which embrace a far more holistic and positive outlook on what it means to be a part of a community or a wider social…