The Constitution 2 Essay, Research Paper
The Constitution
A case for the connection of America s colonial and revolutionary religious and political experiences to the basic principles of the Constitution can be readily made. One point in favor of this conclusion is the fact that most Americans at that time had little beside their experiences on which to base their political ideas. This is due to the lack of advanced schooling among common Americans at that time. Other points also concur with the main idea and make the theory of the connection plausible.
Much evidence to support this claim can be found in the wording of the Constitution itself. Even the Preamble has an important idea that arose from the Revolutionary period. The first line of the Preamble states, We the People of the United States… .” This implies that the new government that was being formed derived its sovereignty from the people, which would serve to prevent it from becoming corrupt and disinterested in the people, as the framers believed Britain s government had become. If the Bill of Rights is considered, more supporting ideas become evident. The First Amendment s guarantee of religious freedom could have been influenced by the colonial tradition of relative religious freedom. This tradition was clear even in the early colonies, like Plymouth, which was formed by Puritan dissenters from England seeking religious freedom. Roger Williams, the proprietor of Rhode Island, probably made an even larger contribution to this tradition by advocating and allowing complete religious freedom. William Penn also contributed to this idea in Pennsylvania, where the Quakers were tolerant of other denominations.
In addition to the tradition of religious tolerance in the colonies, there was a tradition of self-government and popular involvement in government. Nearly every colony had a government with elected representatives in a legislature, which usually made laws largely without interference from Parliament or the king. Jamestown, the earliest of the colonies, had an assembly, the House of Burgesses, which was elected by the property owners of the colony. Maryland developed a system of government much like Britain s, with a representative assembly, the House of Delegates, and the governor sharing power. The Puritan colony in Massachusetts originally had a government similar to a corporate board of directors with the first eight stockholders, called freemen” holding power. Later, the definition of freemen” grew to include all male citizens, and the people were given a strong voice in their own government.
This tradition of religious and political autonomy continued into the revolutionary period. In 1765, the colonists convened the Stamp Act Congress, which formed partly because the colonists believed that the government was interfering too greatly with the colonies right to self-government. Nine colonies were represented in this assembly. The Sons of Liberty also protested what they perceived to be excessive interference in local affairs by Parliament, terrorizing British officials in charge of selling the hated stamps. Events like these served to strengthen the tradition of self-government that had become so deeply embedded in American society.
The from of government specified by the Constitution seems to be a continuation of this tradition. First, the Constitution specifies a federal system of government, which gives each individual state the right to a government. Second, it specifies that each state shall be represented in both houses of Congress. The lower house, the House of Representative, furthermore, is to be directly elected by the people. If the Bill of Rights is considered, the religious aspect of the tradition becomes apparent. The First Amendment states, “Congress may make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof… ,” showing that, unlike the British government, the new US government had no intention of naming or supporting a state church or suppressing any religious denominations.
In conclusion, the Constitution s basic principles are directly related to the long tradition of self-rule and religious tolerance in colonial and revolutionary America.
Другие работы по теме:
Civil Liberties Essay Research Paper Civil LibertiesThe
Civil Liberties Essay, Research Paper Civil Liberties The term civil liberties refers to the “freedoms that individuals enjoy and that governments cannot invade”. These rights include a persons freedom of speech and religion.
Jefferson Essay Research Paper I feel that
Jefferson Essay, Research Paper I feel that I would be considered a Jeffertonian because I think the common man should run the federal government, like Jefferson thought. I think the federal government
Bill Of Rights And Constitution Essay Research
Paper First of all as for the long quote on the term paper handout, I would have to agree with it due to the fact that it was probably written back in the days and back then this quote would justify many issues and arguments. I agree with the quote due to the fact that there were many criminals back then and harder to control, such as the Ku Klux Klan where they had control over certain things.
The Constitution As A Source Of Discord
In The Union Essay, Research Paper By the 1850 s the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it had created. It is true that the Constitution was seen as a source of conflict.
TheSortOfEconomic Constitution Essay Research Paper The SortOfEconomic
The-Sort-Of-Economic Constitution Essay, Research Paper The Sort-Of-Economic Constitution The Constitution was written to provide the thirteen colonies with universal rules, laws, and regulations on all concerning issues. Many subjects were discussed; distributions of power locally and nationally, enforcement of the terms of the distribution, taxation, and commerce.
Demolishing The Constitution Essay Research Paper Demolishing
Demolishing The Constitution Essay, Research Paper Demolishing the Constitution Few Policy debates have been as dominated by emotion as the one on gun control. Perhaps one reason why this issue is so heatedly discussed is because it tampers with our right to bear arms. The calls for gun restrictions or for bans on guns are calls for change in our social and constitutional system.
14th Amendment Essay Essay Research Paper More
14th Amendment Essay Essay, Research Paper More often than not, most Americans look upon the constitution as the guiding light of our country. Recent events occurring in our national election no doubt prove that. There are many important amendments to our Constitution regarding our rights as citizens and the delegation of powers to branches and states.
Lawgrtt Essay Research Paper The Constitution of
Lawgrtt Essay, Research Paper The Constitution of the United States and Madison’s Federalist Paper 51 draw upon the philosophy of John Locke, as expressed in his Second Treatise of Government. Madison and the framers of the Constitution looked to Locke’s ideas for justification and guidance. The Preamble of the Constitution reflects the intentions of its authors and shows the influence of Locke’s ideas.
British Constitution Essay Research Paper Amendment IIRight
British Constitution Essay, Research Paper Amendment II [Right of people to bear arms not to be infringed.] A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
The Regan Ruth Essay Research Paper The
The Regan Ruth Essay, Research Paper The American Revolution, arguably the most significant era in United States history, is what is mainly responsible in shaping our country into what the strong nation it
AntiFederalists Essay Research Paper AntiFederalists were people
Anti-Federalists Essay, Research Paper Anti-Federalists were people who opposed the ratification of the Constitution. They believed strongly that the Constitution would not be able toe maintain a system of republican government because the Federalists were proposing a government that was the opposite of what they believed in.
Jeffersonian Republicans Vs Madison Administratoin Essay Research
Paper In the time period between 1801 and 1817 the Jeffersonian Republicans were regarded as strict constructionists however this political party made many decisions that were characterized as broad constructionism. The Federalists who were characterized as broad constructionism also abandoned their method of interpreting the constitution more than once and interpreted the constitution quite strictly.
Prayer In School Essay Research Paper The
Prayer In School Essay, Research Paper The writers of the constitution saw how the kings and queens of many European countries used religion to mold the general population s ideas. For this reason, they decided not to make a government based religion. Also, there are private schools that children may go to if they need to pray in school.
American Fed Essay Research Paper American federalism
American Fed Essay, Research Paper American federalism is a form of government in which the constitution distributes governmental powers between the national government and the subsidiary governments of the states. Article I, Section 8, and the Tenth Amendment are good examples of this definition. In Article I, Section 8, the Constitution defines the powers delegated to the national government, such as the power to regulate commerce and to enact laws necessary and proper for the execution of its powers.
Gun Control Essay Research Paper Topic
Gun Control Essay, Research Paper Topic: Gun regulation 1. Do you believe firearms should be banned all together including police and military? 2. Do you believe firearms should be banned from civilians only?
Mexican Government Essay Research Paper Type of
Mexican Government Essay, Research Paper Type of Government The Mexican type of government is a presidential federal republic. The government has a president and a cabinet. It also has a bicameral legislature, and a judiciary. The government has the three traditional branches that the United States has- the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches.
Constitution Essay Research Paper The Constitution of
Constitution Essay, Research Paper The Constitution of the United States of America We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Jefferson Vs Hamilton Essay Research Paper Between
Jefferson Vs Hamilton Essay, Research Paper Between Jefferson and Hamilton the two both wanted what was best for the newly formed country but just had different opinions on how to go about it. Hamilton wanted the United States to be governed by an aristocracy while Jefferson had his faith in the people and disagreed with Hamilton.
Animal Farm 10 Essay Research Paper Animal
Animal Farm 10 Essay, Research Paper Animal Farm Animal Farm, by George Orwell, is a science fiction story based on the Russian Revolution, where instead of humans, the animals are the main characters. The story is predominantly about how power can overcome people who don t know how to use it correctly and from that, in almost any situation comes a revolution or as it was stated in Animal Farm a rebellion.
Framers Of The Constitution Essay Research Paper
Framers of the Constitution The constitution was never in any way a perfect document. Opponents of thisopinion say that the framers meant it to be that way, leaving much space for change,when the changes became necessary. The constitutionhas had to have many changes made,which makes it look as if the original writers of the constitution had no idea of whatwould come of this country in the future.
Social Democracy Essay Research Paper Austria is
Social Democracy Essay, Research Paper Austria is a democratic, federal republic. The constitution of Austria provides for a distinct division of power among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. Basic human rights and liberties are granted by the constitution and so are the rights of minorities granted as well.
Method Of Election Essay Research Paper 4
Method Of Election Essay, Research Paper 4. Should the method of electing a president be further amended? If so, how? The constitution was like the bible to most politicians back then. They went by it like the Ten Commandments. So of course that is where they would turn to when they were in a sticky situation.
Judicial Review Essay Research Paper Judicial ReviewThe
Judicial Review Essay, Research Paper Judicial Review The Supreme Court is the only court designated in the constitution. Within it is the Chief Justice of the United States, and eight associates. Being the highest court it is the last resort for all federal court questions. The Supreme Court has the power to determine whether something is constitutional or not, which makes them the final authority.
Euthanasia Essay Research Paper Retired professor and
Euthanasia Essay, Research Paper Retired professor and psychoanalyst Ernest Van den Haag, by defending the right to commit suicide, made an appeal to J.S. Mill?s principle. Van den Haag said that people should have the right to choose as they please, as long as no one else is hurt (Hallock 13). According to the constitution, people have the right to decide death, not the government (Dority 8).
Constitutionalism Essay Research Paper The seventeenth century
Constitutionalism Essay, Research Paper The seventeenth century, which witnessed the development of absolute monarchy, also saw the appearance of the constitutional state. While France solved the question of sovereignty with the absolutist state, England evolved toward the constitutional state.
Bill Of Rights Essay Research Paper The
Bill Of Rights Essay, Research Paper The Bill of Righs was written for the American people for two reasons. The first was to pacify the Anti-Federalist’s fears of an overwhelmingly powerful central government provided by the Constitution and the second was, in fact, to protect the freedoms secured by the Americans after their war for independence.
Federal Government Essay Research Paper How does
Federal Government Essay, Research Paper How does the constitution divide power between the national government and the states? The constitution did not give the national government or the states total supremacy. Instead, power was distributed. The national government was given certain express powers, while some powers were reserved to the states.
The Beginning Of The Constitution Essay Research
Paper The Beginning of the Constitution The constitution was made up of many impressive and historic documents, which when combined made one of the most historic documents in world history. The constitution takes many of the most historic facts from other resources. For example, the Magna Carta and the Leviathan.
Critical Analysis Essay Research Paper The case
Critical Analysis Essay, Research Paper The case involving the hog mega-farms in Tatnall County raises interesting questions as to who has proper jurisdiction over such cases. While all sides, federal, state, and local, can claim that they should have jurisdiction, the state has the most power in this situation.