History is a major part of a country and its citizen’s heritage. However, America’s heritage is a short yet confusing one with different events and opinions argued as its true beginning as a sovereign nation. Although historians argue that the Spanish settlement of St. Augustine in Florida marks the start of American History, the written Constitution and development of a government more accurately reflects the beginning because this shows the beginning of an organized, connected and strong nation.
According to Albert P. Blaustein, “It can easily be argued that America’s most important export has been the Constitution of the United States.” (Blaustein). The American Constitution is a building block to democracy and structure, studied by many
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Mahoney, “The Constitution both grants power and imposes limitations on the exercise of governmental power.” The early American government relied on the Constitution as its guidelines, careful not to give one person too much power or too give written word too much power. There were disagreements over interpretations and the functioning of the government, like there is today, yet the freedom of interpretation was a symbol of their independence as a nation from Great Britain. With a Constitution to help them, the American people created an organized and helpful guidelines that are newly interpreted and discussed today. Broad construction, sometimes called "loose construction," is an approach to CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATION emphasizing a permissive and flexible reading of the Constitution, and especially of the powers of the federal government. Like its opposite, STRICT CONSTRUCTION, the phrase has political, rather than technical or legal, significance. (Mahoney). Although they are different, both forms of interpretation depend on the Constitution for …show more content…
Milanich, “In 1565 Spain established the earliest permanent European settlement in North America at San Augustín (present-day St. Augustine) on the Atlantic coast of the Florida peninsula.” When the Spaniards anchored in Florida, they did not mean to colonize or begin a new nation separated from Europe, or even their native Spain. Instead, they chose to claim the area of land that they had settled on, for Spain. The Spanish did not consider themselves “Americans” but as Spaniards, claiming new land and protecting it for their country. To be a Spaniard, or African, living in San Agustín during the 1500s meant isolation from the outside world, inadequate supplies, constant threat of attack from Indians or the French (which occurred in 1568), and a lack of female companionship. (Milanich). Life at San Agustin was not meant to be a chance at organizing a new country, but honoring their native one, and refusing to discover the natural beauty and people of
The words spoken by man have the power to shape and ratify everything in its path. These following questions will do just that. Is not the strengthening of our federal government essential to the maintaining of a stable bureaucracy? Must we forego the strong fundamental structure that will ensure that every man will benefit immensely from a nation governed by those of the utmost intelligence and experience? We as a nation must procure a stance that will enforce and implement the necessary laws by any means possible. This can only be obtained only if all parties are on one accord with an understanding that the rights of the people and their protection are our governments’ only concern. The strong structure of a government can only
This book emphasizes the alternative interpretations offered by Americans on the origins of the Constitution. Holton’s purpose with this book was to show that the framers interests involved making America more attractive to investors. In order to do so, they purposefully made the government less democratic with the writing of the Constitution. However, with the addition of the Bill of Rights, one could argue the Framers had at least a slight concern for the American people and their civil liberties.
In early 19th century America, there was a shared feeling of exceptionalism, often leading to egocentrism and prejudice towards foreigners. This egocentrism and prejudice belief system has been passed down, and ignorance towards reforming these beliefs is evident throughout history. Many Americans believe that the colonies of Jamestown and Plymouth were the first settlements in America, thus that the Europeans who traveled across the Atlantic were the first to inhabit the New World. In fact, St. Augustine was a Spanish settlement in Florida established in 1565, 42 years prior to the Jamestown settlement and 55 years prior to the Plymouth settlement. Historical accounts of the American nation tend to neglect this information, resulting in American citizens believing that people of Spanish and Mexican descent do not belong, when in reality, they settled America first. Furthermore, American history tends to neglect mentioning the resistance which Anglo-Americans met as they expanded westward into lands which Native Americans and Mexicans lived in. Accordingly, people of Mexican descent occupied present-day Texas when Anglo-Americans first arrived. Through brutal, immoral, and unjust conquering, Texas became a state separate from Mexico, disregarding the Tejanos of Mexican descent and forcing them to migrate elsewhere.
Throughout more than two centuries of the grand experiment in democracy known as the American union, a time marked by the rise and fall of empires, the technological transition from plough horse to combustion engine, and even mankind's first steps into the frontier of outer space, a single document has stood as the defining feature of our nation's ideals and purpose. The Constitution of the United States, including the Bill of Rights which grants every citizen certain unassailable liberties, and the subsequent amendments made to reflect society's slow progression, is undoubtedly one of history's most significant and substantive texts. Just as it did during the uncertain years following our forefather's successful revolution, today the Constitution establishes societal boundaries and provides structure to the uniquely uninhibited way that American lives are led. Epitomizing the values of a true charter of supreme law, the U.S. Constitution has since become the model for other emerging democracies, as countries such as Mexico and the Philippines have adopted similar measures within their own national charters. Indeed, during the 1987 bicentennial celebration of the Constitution's first signing, TIME Magazine reported that "of the 170 countries that exist today, more than 160 have written charters modeled directly or indirectly on the U.S. version" (Liptak, 2012), illustrating the extensive influence this essential document has exerted on global affairs.
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.
Viewing the Constitution of the United States of America – one of America’s oldest documents - as another great beloved American classic may be demanding for almost anyone to do. Because of its old age and “unrelatable” content, the American Constitution remains a difficult thing for people of all professions, races, religions, and political views to read and enjoy just as much as any other novel. Thanks to the renowned Akhil Reed Amar, the average person’s perspective of the United States’ Constitution is altered and their knowledge of the work is expanded through the explanations provided in America’s Constitution: A Biography. By explaining not only the mentality of those who dreamed, drafted, and voted for the Constitution but also the desires of the founding fathers when creating a democracy as their choice of an ideal government for their country in a world full of monarchies, Amar is able to give readers insight on a piece that was not only relevant when it was created but is able to expand as society does. Amar creates a biography perfect for those who desire to know more about the foundations America was built on and its ability to adapt and evolve throughout the
All this together gives grounds to say that the adoption of the U.S. Constitution was a historic event and played a major role in the development of democracy in the USA, as well as throughout the world. According to one of its founding fathers and the third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, “The Constitution of the United States is the result of adding the wisdom of our country”.
The first european settlement in the United States, Fort St. Augustine was built in 1565 and still stands today in Florida. During the Columbian Exchange -- were shared With the sharing of “new ingredients such as beef, pork, chicken, bread, dairy products, rice, animal fat, sugar, and spices nutrition improved and added to food diversity. Gastronomical diversity is just one of the aspects of Spanish heritage that can be experienced in modern day America. Presently, spanish is the official language in approximately 20 countries of the New
Have you ever wonder the process that the Founding Fathers of America had to go through to create our system of government? One of the vital pieces to establishing this government was the famous document known as the Constitution. The Constitution was a highly argued document, because many people were concerned about if it would protect the newly-separated country of america from the tyranny that they had faced with their previous king. The Constitution ended up being the people's’ savior after the delegates signed it in September 1787, and protected them from tyranny in their country even better than before. All and all, the Constitution guarded the United States against tyranny creating a system
The Preamble is an opening statement of the U.S. Constitution. The Preamble replaced the Articles of Confederation. The 7 principles of the U.S. Constitution is popular sovereignty, republicanism, federalism, separation of powers, checks and balances, limited government, and individual rights. It was agreed by the representatives. This is about the U.S. Constitution.
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
After the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 the American colonies faced an identity crisis. No one knew what would become of the former colonies, soon to be states. With their new found freedom what would they make of themselves?
issues of all kind. The country I was born in did not guarantee freedom of
Chapter one of the textbook, Constitutional Law and the Criminal Justice System by J. Scott Harr, Karen M. Hess, Christine Orthmann, and Jonathon Kingsbury discuses a historical overview of the United States, or better known as the U.S. Constitution. To elaborate, the textbook educates the reader on why the U.S. Constitution was created, as well as what its main purpose is. Most people know that the U.S. Constitution was not necessarily an original thought by the United States. In fact, it was greatly influenced by the English document known as the Magna Carat (Harr, Hess, Orthmann, & Kingsbury, 2015, p. 13). In addition, the U.S. Constitution was fashioned, mainly, as a binding document to prevent any one person from having complete power in the United
The Constitution of the United States organizes the government in a style similar to that of ancient Rome, extracting basic ideas. It can therefore be concluded that the Roman doctrine was a heavy player in drafting both major American documents, and in doing so can be credited for the creation of not just the documents but the idea of modern