Has the U.S. Lived up to its Founding Principles?

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Thomas Jefferson once said “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.” When asked if I believe that the United States are living up to its founding principles, the first thing that comes to my mind is this quote and I have to say that America is not living up to its founding principles. A constitution is the system of fundamental principles according to which a nation is governed. Our founding fathers created the US Constitution to set specific standards for our country. We must ask ourselves why our founding fathers created the Constitution in the first place. America revolted against the British due to their monarchy form of government. After the American Revolution, each of the original 13 colonies operated under its own rules of government. Most states were against any form of centralized rule from the government. They feared that what happened in England would happen again. They decided to write the Articles of Confederation, which was ratified in 1781. It was not effective and it led to many problems. The central government could not regulate commerce between states, deal with foreign governments or settle disputes. The country was falling apart at its seams. The central government could not provide assistance to the state because there wasn’t a central army. When they realized that the Articles of Confederation was not up to par, they held a convention, known as the Constitutional Convention of 1787. As a result of t... ... middle of paper ... ...ml>. "Ways That Males and Females Are Treated Differently." Mills College: Personal Pages Directory. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. . "U.S. Judge Rules Health Care Reform Act Unconstitutional | Business Insurance." Business Insurance News, Analysis & Articles. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. . "CNN Poll: Americans Don’t like Health Care Bill – CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs." CNN Political Ticker - CNN.com Blogs. Web. 20 Mar. 2011. . "U.S. Judge Rules Health Care Reform Act Unconstitutional | Business Insurance." Business Insurance News, Analysis & Articles. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .

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