Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
essays about the history behind the constitution
us constitution
essay on american constitution
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: essays about the history behind the constitution
The Constitution and The Bill of Rights The Constitution and the Bill of Rights are looked upon by the American people as priceless artifacts, constructed perfectly by the founding fathers over 200 years ago, but is that the case? Is the Constitution, the document that built our government from the ground up, dead? Can we interpret it to fit our modern technologies? I am going to go more indepth on these questions and unravel my opinion on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Let’s start off at the beginning; the founders gathered in 1787 for the Constitution Convention, the purpose was to ratify The Articles of Confederation. Ultimately, they drafted the US Constitution. “Despite what some believe, the 55 men that met in Philadelphia and hammered out a new form of government, were not gods” (Green). However, they were extraordinary for their time, many were rich property owners and an astonishing over …show more content…
I believe it is neither, I’ll explain why later on. A living Constitution would be a document that shapes to modern time and is still relevant today, while a dead Constitution would be a document that worked back then, but doesn’t fit our modern times needs. Edwin Vierra states, “what it meant in 1789, is what it means today”(Perry). The language has changed over time, but the original meaning does not. This excerpt from Original Intent or Evolving Constitution? Two Competing Views on Interpretation, in my opinion, shows how the courts can skew the interpretation of the Constitution to fit their needs. “[t]he text of the document and the original intention of those who framed it would be the judicial standard giving effect to the Constitution” (Lasser, 1996: p. 443). Original intent thus signifies constitutional interpretation that attempts to determine the initial meaning of the text as revealed by the intentions of those who produced it (Hall, 1992: p.
The “Bill of rights” had been proposed as a follow up to Parliament’s original Habeas Corpus bill, which safeguarded personal freedom and liberty. Now just about every colony had a bill of rights, so James Madison suggested that if the United States was to survived as a a country it would need to have a set of rules versus thirtheen and every state would have the same rules.
Originalism, an orthodox principle of legal interpretation, focuses on interpretation pursuant to the original understanding of constitutional words . This incorporates arguments from the ‘text, context, purpose and structure of the constitution’. The originalist method of constitutional in...
For many, the Constitution is the document meant too symbolize the freedom and liberty associated with America; over the course of a few years the most important aspects of a nation were created that still affect generations.
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 in the title of this paper is; Are the Bill of Rights, written well over 200 years ago still relevant today? Of course they are and probably even more so. To illustrate this fact we will examine each of the ten amendments rewrite each one using common everyday language of today and if possible discuss why this was important in 1791 and why we may or may not need this document in writing today. In restating each amendment I will try to write it as if it is a brand new document, which is a stretch to say the least. With out the struggle of the colonies through war and abuse by the English Monarchy would one have the foresight to see how a government may take for granted the rights of its citizenry?
Through the years many changes have taken place, and technologies have been discovered, yet our Constitution remains. Some say that the Constitution was written for people hundreds of years ago, and in turn is out of step with the times. Yet its principals and guidelines have held thus far. The framers would be pleases that their great planning and thought have been implemented up until this point. However this does not compensate for the fact, that the we the people have empowered the government more so than our fore fathers had intended. Citizens were entrusted with the duty to oversee the government, yet so many times they are disinterested and only seem to have an opinion when the government’s implications affect them. As time has changed so has the American people, we often interpret our freedoms in a self serving manner, disregarding the good of the whole and also the good for the future. Thus there are no true flaws in the Constitution, it appears that the conflict emerges in the individual and their self, and poses question when we must decide when to compromise the morals that our Constitution was founded on, or when to stick to what we know is right and honest.
The U.S. Constitution was setup to be a living Constitution, which means that the Constitution changes,
Without a loose interpretation, the Constitution would not be as adaptable and influential of a document as it is today. The Constitution, created in order to address the need of a flexible governing document, due to the Articles of Confederation’s failure to succeed in successfully governing the newly created United States. In order to ensure the flexibility of the Constitution, clauses such as the elastic clause and procedures such as the amendment procedure included in the Constitution. Without these flexible aspects of the Constitution, the document would not be as relevant to 21st century America and the issues that occur today. Although some argue that the Constitution should not be interpreted, I believe this document would not be as withstanding if it was not interpreted throughout history. The Constitution is a document for interpretation, a “living document”, not a direct translation, and must apply to the events occurring in 21st century America. It is a document with many new amendments since its inception as well as citations for application, and will continue to include new amendments and applications for years to
... document and not the will of those in powers is tremendous. Except for the 17 of the 27 amendments that make part of the United States of America constitution, the constitution has remained largely the same. What has changed, and continues to change, is the interpretation of some parts that have expanded to include contexts that were not envisioned by our founding fathers. It is truly remarkable that the Constitution has sustained many powerful historical events over time and today remains pretty much intact.
The U.S. Constitution has a unique history. Facing drafts and ratifications it was finally created under the founding fathers in 1787. The constitution is the foundation for the government we have today and influences almost every decision that government officials make. However, before the constitution was influencing, it was influenced. The political, economic, and diplomatic crises of the 1780s not only helped shape America, but also the provisions found the constitution.
The document I chose to write about is the United States Constitution. When the thirteen British colonies in North America declared their independence in 1776, they laid down that “governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The “colonies” had to establish a government, which would be the framework for the United States. The purpose of a written constitution is to define and therefore more specifically limit government powers. After the Articles of Confederation failed to work in the 13 colonies, the U.S. Constitution was created in 1787.
The Constitution of the United States is the spirit of America written on a piece of parchment. It is the linchpin of American life, the source of our liberty and freedom, written by some of the wisest and most courageous men ever to walk the earth; our “Founding Fathers”. Our Founding Fathers were intelligent, religious men. The Constitution is so great because it was founded upon principles and rights given by God through the Holy Bible.
The United States Constitution is the law of the United States. It is the foundation of this country and the most important document in its history. It provides the guidelines for the government and citizens of the United States. The Constitution will unquestionably continue to carry us into the 22nd century, just as it has for over two hundred years. The principles of the Constitution remain strong to this day, especially with respect to our government and to the Bill of Rights. To terminate the Constitution will essentially serve to undo two hundred years of history. If anything were to be changed about the Constitution, it would be the expansion of its principles, such as the growth of individuals’ rights.
There will probably never be a document or Constitution that fully represents the views and the conditions of today’s society, although the Constitution now does not accurately reflect the views of society today. The Constitution was drafted in the late 1700’s, so it reflects the views and problems that were ongoing during that time period (Constitution Government). The problems facing the newly formed nation during its founding aren’t the same problems that the nation is facing today. Changes can be made to the constitution, but they are very difficult to actually get changes or additions approved. There have been almost 11,000 attempts to change the constitution, but only 27 changes/amendments have actually been made and with each change the constitution loses its value (Constitution Government). In order to add an amendment or change the Constitution, a person must go through a very lengthy process. To add an amendment, the amendment must be proposed by either the Congress with two-thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate or by a constitutional convention called for by two-thirds of the State legislatures. Adding an amendment through a constitutional convention is significantly more difficult, so none of the current 27 amendments have been added through this way (Constitutional Amendment). With the 11,000 attempts to change the constitution, it is clear that society believes that there are changes that need to be made to the document to keep it relevant with today’s
When the framers of the constitution penned these 45 words could they have known the extent that they would be studied and scrutinize? Are the words meant to be taken literally or is it the “spirit” to them that is most important? Many views exist and are hotly debated, but most agree that this amendment has enabled some of the best things in the history of our country to be said; and ultimately done. However it has also enabled some of the worst.
The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States that provides framework for the organization of the government. The Constitution was made from May 25- September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation, however the founding fathers replaced the Articles. There was several controversy in giving the leaders too much power, therefore the Constitution made basic principles, (o/i) three branches of government, (Doc 1) a system of checks and balances, (Doc 2) and included the Bill of Rights. (Doc 3)