Liberty, as defined by the Oxford dictionary, is explained as the "condition of being free from restriction or control; the right and power to act, believe or express oneself in a manner of one 's own choosing". Liberty is a word familiar to most Americans, since the fundamentals of the country is based on freedom and independence. Symbolism of liberty (such as the national 's flag, statue of liberty, the liberty bell, Uncle Sam, the bald eagle) can be seen throughout the United States as a reminder of the freedom in which this nation has achieved for over the past two hundred years. Perhaps one of the greatest achievement of liberty by the Americans in the past two hundred years has been the founding of the United States Constitution. …show more content…
First, let 's examine the contents of the United States Constitution. The opening line of the constitution states as follows, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." This simple introduction to the constitution holds many proposition of the "union"; it claims that the states are joined together in unity and that no, one state is independent from another. It is true that the beginning line already brings the nation together as one, but by saying "We the people" it is empowering the people of the United States as a source of power for ruling, not the authorities of the state. However, the people of the United States had no say in many aspects of politics in the past and even in the present day. A perfect example can be seen in the "Gore/Bush election", where Gore had the majority of the people 's vote for presidency, but through discrimination, corruption, and internal affairs, Bush proceeded to be President. Another contradiction in that opening statement is "...establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessing of LIBERTY to ourselves and our Posterity..."
The United States Constitution begins with the simple phrase “We the People”. Yet, with three simple words, the ideology it stands for has shaped the entire country (O’Connor et al., 2011). The short phrase signifies that the document, and thus, the government, is based upon the people themselves. The Constitution reflects the culture and ideologies of its citizens. Similarly, state constitutions reflect the people, albeit in a more specific locality. The key differences between the United States Constitution and that of local states are due to the distinctions between the scope and characteristics of the people they govern.
The United States would lose its name and stand divided if the Constitution did not bring the thirteen colonies into one body. Within this governing body, fears arise from the difficulty of controlling power in a central government, while still trying to keep unity between the states. Understanding that the United States was formed based on the people’s irritation with the corruption of the control of power in England, the Constitution reassured the people that their freedoms were going to be kept, but it required their trust. The founders of the United States Constitution established a just government through encompassing equal representation, with the people as the foundation, and protecting the injustices that could arise with the misuse of power.
Liberty. This word means many things to many people. There is no way to distinctly define the term without leaving someone's crucial point of view out of the equation.
America is a new country. Here, the first time ever, a group of brave people cut out the bondage from Europe, free the philosophers, thinkers, also gave people desire to founding a new country. In the United States, human rights is the foundation for building this country. “I hold that in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual.” Read from the Abraham Lincoln First Inaugural Address. President Lincoln have put every effort to make The United States united together. At the time he had the First Inaugural Address on 1861, there were seven states announced separate from the United States. In his document, Lincoln had mention thirty-four times of the “constitution” and “unconstitutional”. The Constitution of the United States has been used as the central support material for his document.
Liberty is in inalienable right of each and every person, and is the pre-political concept that gives us intrinsic worth.
Speaking against the ratification of the Constitution, Patrick Henry says, "If a wrong step be now made, the republics may be lost forever. If this new government will not come up to the expectation of the people...their liberty will be lost and tyranny must and will rise..." The leaders of the country created the U.S. Constitution due to an immense dissatisfaction with the system of government stated in the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation support a government in which there is only one branch, but it's power would be limited in order to protect the people's liberty and rights. Although the Articles of Confederation establish a better system of government than when the states were under British rule, some weaknesses were found and amended in a new document called the United States
Presently, our country is at its core guided by a document called the Constitution, and it has been that way since 1787. Before the time of the Constitution there was another written document that ran this country known as the Articles of Confederation. Though with both of them having, at the core, the same goal of uniting the country, they went about it in very different ways. In the Articles, equality and a feeble central government are praised, while state power runs rampant, and severe economic problems cause irreversible civil unrest that lead to the creation of a new document known as the Constitution. In
The constitution is the document that has framed and shaped the United States from inception. It is the document that is defended by all new presidents and also the document which affords the citizens of the United States freedoms and rights that cannot be removed. In its drafting it shaped the formation of a new country and a new style of governance. It is a ‘bottom up’ as opposed to established ways of government which are ‘top down’. However for all its virtues the Constitution is somewhat ambiguous and there is some debate of the intent of the drafters, did they intend to
In 1787, the Constitution of the United States was just written on September 17th. During this time, the common man was still under the power of the Articles of Confederation, a weak document that loosely connected the 13 former colonies. Although the Articles didn’t give the United States of America the strong centralized power that it needed, opposers to the new Constitution would argue that the Constitution took away the rights of the common man and gave that power, that the individual once had, to the federal government. Although this statement is correct, the federal government’s newly given power was used to protect the fundamental rights and liberties of its citizens and create a powerful government in the hopes that it would benefit
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union” (Source A). A more perfect union? Perfect at this point was not a thing nor is it a thing now. The constitution is far from similar to this world because there is always something happening. The history of the United States is not reflected in the world of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution through the ideas of inequality and abuse of power.
To begin, why did the framers choose to start the constitution with we the people? During the creation process of the constitution the framers had one thing in mind and that was to create a system of government that was anything but the tyranny Britain had. Perhaps the biggest flaw Great Britain had been the lack of voice the citizens of England had. Not even the Articles of Confederation began or even mentioned the people in the document. It only made sense for the foundation of our country’s future to revolve around the thing that allows our government to function. The citizens run the government, if the citizens don’t go out and fight for things to get done then nothing will ever get done. This is why we have representatives in each state to listen to what the people have to say on issues and laws. Another point referring to both the government of Britain and the articles of confederation is that by saying “we the people” it shows that the constitution
Firstly, “We the People” give us a means of hierarchy and statue of this new confederation. The rights are set guidelines for its citizens, the states and those who are in leadership such as the Representatives, Congress, and Senates. “We the People” in the Constitution of the United States, set in mandated guidelines for the means of making amendments for its citizens within every government branch. Executing where our laws come from among those who have power and authority such as Executive Cabinet, Judicial Branch, Legislative Branch, and the President of the United States. The rights given in this Constitution secures the long lasting welfare of its citizens in the United States. We the People have the rights to vote, and elect officials
The words spoken by man have the power to shape and ratify everything in its path. 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 if all parties are on one accord with an understanding that the rights of the people and their protection are our governments’ concern. The strong structure of a government can only promote strong commercial growth and prosperity. For the Americans, forming a new nation with its own values and beliefs was a very daunting task. It was supremely difficult when the members of the nation were holding on to the beliefs of the old ruling country. In 1787 the Constitution of the United States of America was created. Though it may appear to be not difficult to clarify the development of the US constitution, the procedure through which its shaping was fulfilled is a long way from simple to clarify. Prior to the Constitution, the Articles of Confederation governed the states, yet immediately nullified in light of the fact that they were excessively powerless. “The ratification of the national constitution was the founders’ political response to excessive democracy” unleashed by the American Revolution. Several framers of the United States Constitution benefited from their knowledge of the states’ experience and tried to create a better constitutional system, where the US constitution and state constitution complements each other (Shivakumar, 146). The proposed
A concept of freedom (or liberty) has been the foundation of the United States since its founding in 1776. After all, its Declaration of Independence states that every citizen deserves the rights to “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”. However, “Liberty” doesn’t just mean a literal freedom from captivity, or the right to live independently from the rule of a monarch. The Constitution preserves multiple different types of Liberty, including the freedom of speech, freedom of expression, freedom of the press, and many more.
Whats is inequality? According to Merriam-webster inequality is “the quality of being unequal or uneven: such as lack of evenness, social disparity, and disparity of distribution or opportunity…” The issue of inequality is a rising topic in light of current events surrounding rights of people in America, specifically minorities and the poor. It is controversial in the sense that there are a vast majority that have been targeted and discriminated against due to their demographics, beliefs, preferences, etc, resulting in negative impacts to the lives of those people, whereas another individual of differing traits may not have the same experience. This is where inequality comes in. But the true controversy is in the rebuttal of others who believe these reports are inadequate, claiming every man has equal opportunity, that crowd of individuals including those who may have never had to stomach the disheartening taste of inequality. This can be seen as adding insult to injury,