With Liberty and Justice for All

1585 Words4 Pages

In a time of transition when people began to question the purpose of government, fifty-five men who represented thirteen victorious colonies of the new world gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They gathered here to discuss and develop a government never before know to the world. This revolutionary idea of government would forever change the way the world looked at power and liberty, but in order to produce such a government the fifty-five delegates would have to answer a couple questions first. A huge theme that had emerged throughout the preceding revolution had been the importance of liberty. The supporters of the revolution had stressed on multiple occasions that all men have certain liberties that they are entitled to, but the questions that lacked an answer during this session of the Constitutional Convention were “What exactly were those liberties?” and “How does one form a government that can coexist with those liberties?”

According to Mr. Webster today’s definition of liberty is “the quality or state of being free; the power to do as one pleases.” Today the design of a government designed to protect liberty has been seems natural, but in the days of the Constitutional Convention this foreign concept came with many complications. One example of a problem the delegates had to face was the fact that giving the people liberty allowed people to make bad choices as well as good. Because it is in human nature to compete for power a system had to be created that would limit the power of government and guarantee it to the people. This would allow protection of the people’s liberties without fear of government interference.

Though it was agreed that the government must protect the people’s liberties it was still unclear e...

... middle of paper ...

... good and bad choices. Those fifty-five delegates at the Constitutional Convention did not have all the answer, but they understood the importance of equal opportunity and created something they expected to last less than fifty years but is still thriving today.

Works Cited

"Iowa House Bill Would Legalize Discrimination against Gay Couples - Iowa State Daily: News." Iowa State Daily: We Deliver. You Discover. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. .

Kramnick, Isaac, and Theodore J. Lowi. American Political Thought: a Norton Anthology. New York: W.W. Norton, 2009. Print.

"Liberty - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 04 Mar. 2011. .

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