When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in 1787, the United States just had 13 states. The Founding Fathers believed that more states would want to join the Union in the future. They saw that it would be significant for new states to have the same form of government as the original states had. Since then there are now over 50 states that have similar characteristics which were developed centuries ago; although, resembling the creation of new ideas and inventions, current state government had many problems from being the way it is today, it also has many important features that benefit many people, as well as plays an important role in how American democracy and government works. The 13 original states were individual colonies before independence in 1777, they adopted a federalist system and for 13 years they were independent units under the Articles of Confederation. Under Article II of the Articles of Confederation, “each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every Power, jurisdiction and right…” (Lowi, 2007, pg. 22). As a direct result the states had retained too much power relative to the national government, a problem which led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787. This convention placed major limitations on state authority. Under Article IV the Constitution, federal laws, and other treaties between U.S. and other countries make up the supreme law of the country. As a result outcome the framers of the Constitution feared that the states would not serve a strong role in federalist government. One way in which the framers sought to preserve a strong role was through the Tenth Amendment (Lowi, 2007, pg. 22). Under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, all powers not granted to the... ... middle of paper ... ...rnment exceptional. Since states have fewer people than the country, citizens have more personal contact with their state government. Citizens have a responsibility to obey the laws; pay their state taxes, vote and the state is responsible to protect its people, provide services, and provide justice. The purpose of the constitution is to organize the government of the United States of American. Without it the framework of the national and state government would not work. The development of a federalist system in the late 1700’s gave a division between the national and state government. Today the historical developments of this system are the key to everyday domestic programs and a key to a structure that is organized and just. It might have its advantages and disadvantages but it is why America is different than other nations and why we are unique and different.
Interpreting the Constitution as you see it, is very difficult because of the fact is when time changes, people change. What I mean by this statement is that different generations have different interpretations of what people believe that the Constitution says that they can do. Which leads to people becoming a textualism which means that the judges of the Supreme Court try to decide that they can make news laws, even though their job is just to interpret the laws. They figure since the Constitution was written
law is a faculty made by each state on their own. Moreover, the US defends jurisprudence made by their own Constitution, so no treaty, convention or agreement comes into play when the US discuses International Law. As many other states, the US believe their sovereignty and jurisdiction is supreme. One example of what I have stated before is the case between The Republic of Nicaragua v. The United States of America from 1986, the US argued that the ICJ had no jurisdiction to rule over them and blocked
The ratification of the constitution has the potential to change the course of history. Nine out of the thirteen states has to ratify this document, in order for it to go into effect. Without the constitution we would have no strong national government. In order for our nation to succeed, we must ratify the constitution. Granted, some changes have to be made. As a federalist, a strong government is extremely important to me. We didn’t fight, and win a war against one of the most powerful nations
U.S. Constitution was completed on September 17, 1789 and has served as a model for the constitutions of many other nations. The constitution of the United States of America is the oldest written national constitution in use and consists of twenty-seven amendments. The state of Texas has had six constitutions. The Constitution of the Republic of Texas was written in 1836 between the fall of the Alamo Mission in San Antonio and Sam Houston's stunning victory at San Jacinto. The constitution was written
The best ways in which to interpret the Constitution as well as how much power the court has is something that has been argued throughout legislative history. In Calder v Bull, Justice Chase and Justice Iredell have differing opinions on the matter. Chase thought that the government has no authority to interfere with an individual’s rights and the general principles of law and reason forbid the legislature from interfering. He said, “The purposes for which men enter into society will determine the
The Constitution lays out the rights and obligations of the newly formed United States government. But, what of the rights and obligations of its citizens? Starting in 1791 only two years after the Constitution was ratified the Constitution began to evolve and this process continues to this day. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known as the Bill of Rights. This Bill of Rights outlines the protections which citizens have from the government of the United States. The question raised
INTRODUCTION Constitution can be described as the fundamental law of the land. It is the basis on which all other laws are made and enforced. We can all also that Constitution is mother of all other laws which draws their validity from it. It also sets the outline and authority and limitation for all laws farmed by the legislative body of any country. Making of Constitution is one thing and amending it another. Amendments are introduced as per the changing situations or as per will of the people
part of being an American is being a part of this bigger pie rooted in our history called the constitution. Our forefathers created this document stating that we are all born with this basic right to freedom and equality and it is our duty as citizens to uphold these rights and it the duty of our government to protect them. But are we helping to continue to make the pie or are we just eating it? Through the course of history, values and expectations of society have changed. The responsibilities of
Patrick Henry’s Anti-Federalist argument had a big purpose when it was wrote. It was Henry’s way of talking about his objections to the new Constitution. He listed varies objection to the constitution and stated reasoning behind his objections to make others see his point. Henry was a liberal activist. He wrote his document in first person. The audience for his stated was for the general public. The general public that this would have been in interest to was the government, anti-federalists, the
The US Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788, with the purpose of establishing a central government of our new country, which would then provide the procedures and rules of how the government should run. The Bill of Rights, along with the other 17 amendments, states the rights that belong to and cannot be taken away from the people; these rights are protected by the Constitution, preventing the government from infringing on them. The freedom of speech, the press, religion, peaceable assembly
Global 1 This is an essay about the history of the Magna Carta and the impact it had on the founding of the United States. It will also show how the Magna Carta shaped the thinking of American colonists. This essay will also show why it was justified for the American colonists to claim independence. The Magna Carta also helps to show that the rule of law is a necessary part of democratic societies. The Magna Carta also helps us to explain the evolution of government. The magna carta
The Fourteenth Amendment What amendment to the United States constitution is considered to be illegally ratified? What amendment both grants the right to vote to men and then takes away that right to vote? If you answered the fourteenth amendment to both questions you would be right. Although most people think of the fourteenth amendment as being a "civil rights" amendment, it also defines citizenship, voting rights, and states congressional representatives and electors numbers. In this paper
The Constitution of the United States: The Preamble Thomas Jefferson once said "It is every Americans ' right and obligation to read and interpret the Constitution for himself."[1] In honor of that sentiment, the following are a few thoughts on the preamble Constitution of the United States. The supreme Law of the U.S. is the Constitution. The authors included a preamble that summarized the core values and purpose of this Constitution. “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more
question you might ask, what is the purpose of government? The main reason why we have government is because without government it would be anarchy. There would be no order, no organization, no food or water available, crimes happening at every corner,
The United States have always insisted that their codified constitution’s only purpose is to serve every US citizen and only them, with no ulterior motives. Can this always be considered the case when said constitution is so difficult to amend and struggles to keep up with the vigorous changes the world endures over the years? Critics often argue that the United Kingdom should adopt the same type of constitution, but if their aim to put their citizens first is reached and done so without the need