Abraham Lincoln once said, “Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable – a most sacred right – a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world” (Charters, 2014, Inspiring Quotes, pg. 1). America was founded on the backs of people who had the ability to stand up and fight for freedom and a new found government. There were many aspects that brought the development of American freedom as it exists today. However, American freedom is not what it used to be. “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves,” …show more content…
This document gave freedom to the 13 colonies/ states (Declaration of Independence, 2015). The Constitution of the United States which was founded in 1788, however, gave the world’s first blueprint of modern democracy (Constitution, 2015). A few founding fathers of this country had the idea that the laws portion of the constitution was giving the government too much freedom, so they added the Bill of Rights to ensure that the citizens of this country had the correct amount of freedom they deserved (Constitution, 2015). Alexis de Tocqueville said, “Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith” (Tocqueville, 2015, Alexis de Tocqueville quotes, pg. 1). This adopted document meant the beginning of a wonderful country built on freedom, faith and modern democracy (Constitution, 2015). The definition of a democracy is a, “government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system” (Dictionary.com, 2015, Democracy, pg. …show more content…
Rights to personal gain include examples like: rewarding innovation, profit and responsibility, and decisions in career or production (Constitution, 2015). Rights to equal economic opportunity includes the following examples: open class system, competition, and economic mobility (Constitution, 2015). Last but not least, equal legal rights include the following: right to free contracts, private property, and ,of course, constitutional guarantee (Constitution, 2015). However, “No fair-minded person contends that the private enterprise system is perfect. It is operated by human beings who are full of imperfections. Many of us deplore the fact that a few of our corporate entities seem to lack that social consciousness proportionate to their power and the privileges granted them by the state. Some businesses apparently still fail to recognize that there are social and spiritual values as well as profits that should be considered in their operations. Neither do our needs always correspond to our demands under the free enterprise system” (Charters, 2014, Inspiring Quotes, pg. 1). The American Free Enterprise is not what it used to be; in the beginning of our flourishing country this system seemed flawless but as this country has grown over the past 30 years, a “generation now” America has been teaching the people to depend
In comparing Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution, it is evident that the basis of all three documents is the idea that all human beings possess God-given fundamental rights and that government is created to protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, is the first of the three documents penned. This is important because it defined the rights of liberty and equality of all American citizens as outlined in John Locke’s natural law thesis (Martin, page 113). In addition to providing an itemized account of the grievances colonist’s held against King George III of England, it served to justify the colonist’s quest for independence and separation from British rule. The Declaration of Independence conveyed to the crown that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Founders’ of the New World understood that their pursuit of liberties and autonomy specified in the Declaration of Independence could not come to fruition without instituting decrees. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution, was written to replace the Articles of Confederation with a better defined series of stringent laws that would legally uphold the freedoms and privileges established in the Declaration of Independence. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights in
In the winter of December 7th, 1787, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the U.S. Constitution was ratified to establish the new country of the United States as a democracy. After their victory over the British for American Independence, the United States government created the Constitution in an effort to further establish themselves as an independent nation. With a new form of government that would not allow the injustices caused by the British monarchy to occur again, the Constitution’s fundamental principles abided by many of the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian beliefs about people and government. The Judeo-Christian and Greco-Roman seeds of democracy contributed to the United States’ democratic government by protecting the rights of the individual and by giving the ability for the citizens to vote on its leaders and laws.
America is the universal symbol of freedom. But is it really free? Does the history of the United States stay true to the ideas of our forefathers? Or has the definition been altered to fit American policies? Has freedom defined America? Or has America defined freedom? I believe America was at first defined by freedom, then after time, America defined freedom, altering the definition to fit the niche it fits in, but still keeping key components so it still seems to be staying true to the ideas of America’s founding fathers.
In 1776 Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. In the Declaration of Independence, many important concepts were written some of these are Equality, Democracy, Government protects rights, and the people have a right to change the government. In 1787 the U.S. Constitution was written but, it wasn’t ratified until 1788. James Madison wrote the document that formed the model of the constitution. In the constitution, there are many civil rights or personal freedoms. The U.S. Constitution did live up to the ideals in the Declaration of Independence about how the people have a right to change government and government protects rights, however, it didn’t live up to the ideals of
The creation of the US constitution was prompted my many different things going on. What established America’s national government and fundamental laws is the U.S constitution. It also guarantees basic rights for its citizens. The U.S constitution was signed on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pa. The first document before the U.S constitution was the Articles of Confederation, with that the government wasn’t very strong and the states didn’t act like they do today. In 1787, at the 1787 convention, delegates made a decision to make a stronger federal government that consisted of the executive, legislative, and the judicial branches. That wasn’t it either, it also had a system of checks and balances because they did not want one branch to be able to overpower another branch. The ten amendments of the Bill of Rights guarantees protections for people like religion and freedom of speech. In total, there are twenty-seven constitutional amendments.
The US Constitution, written in Philadephia in 1787 by the Founding Fathers was the product of the revolutionary war of independence, with it’s foundations strongly influenced by the works of political theorists such as Montesquieu and Locke. The Founding Fathers favoured a government that prevented any individual or particular group becoming tyrannical. Furthermore, they strongly opposed the notion of excessive government power, seen as the potential threat to individual freedom, wanting to protect minorities as well as the population as a whole, from arbitrary or unjust rule. Consequently, the Founding Fathers outlined main provisions within the US constitution in order to avoid tyranny: the separation of powers, a federal structure of
The U.S. Constitution was the first constitution in the world, and for its time, it was an outstanding document. For this reason, the subsequent constitutions could not ignore the experience of the drafters of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution (including the Bill of Rights) had great influence on modern policy documents: the Declaration of Human and Civil Rights of 1789 and the Polish Constitution of 1791.
America was founded on the principles of establishing and protecting liberty, which is described by The Declaration of Independence. The Constitution of the United States was written to provide a unified and functioning government and also to protect individual rights. The colonists disagreed with the workings of the British government and decided to become an independent state. Once the Constitution was put in place, “the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution.” The
In 1783, the Americans triumphed in the American Revolution, which granted independence from Great Britain. After their victory, it became evident that the new country would need a secure and central government to thrive. The Constitution is a document formed to aid the new republic and ensure that it would become and remain stable. It gives a complete and thorough outline of the rights that all citizens are entitled to have. However, prior to the ratification of the Constitution there had to be many debates and factors that influenced the idea of such a document that would form the basis for the United States. The creation of the Constitution was a result of America’s perseverance through certain political, economic, and social issues of the 1780s. Even through the unfavorable circumstances, America was able to devise a doctrine that would become to be known as the basis for the greatest country in the world; the US
The first Laws of the land. The foundation on which our country would stand for years to come. Drafted in 1791 by James Madison the Bill of rights which holds the 2ns Amendment was formed during the very first presidency of The Unites States, George Washington. The United States was forming the foundation of our country. In a time where the country wanted to form its Laws but also allow the citizens to feel secure they would not oppress them. Beginning with The American War of Independence the citizens wanted to feel safe. Fighting Great Britain for its Independence America wanted to be firm and strong, with its citizens on board.
The U.S. Constitution, drafted by the founding fathers at the constitutional convention, drew from several historical documents, ideas, and figures in order to “form a more perfect union.” Among these influences were the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights, originating in England. However, the U.S. sought to differentiate from England, in order to be better than what they had recently gained independence from. In order to do so, the founding fathers referenced The Mayflower Compact, The Articles of Confederation, Social Contract Theory, Classical history, and Montesquieu. Through the inclusion of these ideas, the United States Constitution made improvements to Great Britain’s government system.
After the United States gained Independence on July 4th 1776, there was a need for a new rule on law and basic rights. The foundation of our country needed an official document to be established and written for future generations and for concrete reference. The original idea regarding the document, was thought necessary to be drafted from the Articles of Confederation, but later this idea was deterred. The Constitution was created on new precedent and adopted on September 17th, 1787. Our Constitution was written to be the backbone of our established government “for the people by the people”. According to the Independence Hall Association’s
In comparing the Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to the Danbury Baptists, The Declaration of Independence, and U.S. Constitution, it is evident that the basis of all three documents is the idea that all human beings possess God given fundamental rights and that government is created to protect those rights. The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, is the first of the three documents penned. This is of great importance because it defined the rights of liberty and equality of all American citizens as outlined in John Locke’s natural law thesis (Martin, page 113). In addition to providing an itemized account of the grievances colonist’s held against King George III of England, it served to justify the colonist’s quest for independence and separation from British rule. The Declaration of Independence conveyed to the crown that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The Founders’ of the New World understood that their pursuit of liberties and autonomy specified in the Declaration of Independence could not come to fruition without instituting decrees. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution, was written to replace the Articles of Confederation with a better defined series of stringent laws that would legally uphold the freedoms and privileges established in the Declaration of Independence. The First Amendment of the Bill
In 1776, Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence; declaring our independence from Britain and stating the unalienable rights of men to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The ideals of The Declaration of Independence are the same ideals that we rooted our nation in. Nearly every political struggle since the composition of this document (ie. women's suffrage) has been in an attempt to reach these ideals for all individuals. Eleven years after the signing of The Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers assembled at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to draft a document that would shape the modern government. The United States Constitution is a document that established the duties and limitations of the federal government. It clearly laid out what the federal government can and cannot do, and how it is to go about doing its duties; this includes the idea of three branches of government and the checks and balances to maintain an even distribution of power. Our federal government has changed very little since then and still directs itself on the guidelines stated within the Constitution. These founding political documents and governmental plans obviously directly influence our modern politics and, in turn, modern society
The Declaration of Independence was one of the most important document ever written in our US history. This document defined the colonies freedom from Britain. This document defined that the colonists became its own nation, freeing themselves from Britain. The Declaration of Independence was written with the ideology that everyone will live equally and free. Soon after the Declaration of Independence was written, the Constitution was written. the Constitution was written so that there were rules on how the new nation will be run. The Constitution developed the 3 branches of government that will help run United States. According to the Declaration of Independence, the goal of united states was to “ hold the truths to be self-evident, that