Civics and Citizenship
The Framers of the Constitution looked to history for examples of governments that directly represented the people. Early Romans wanted to create a lasting republic, a government in which citizens rule themselves through elected representatives. A republic is a government in which citizens rule themselves through elected representatives. Americans liked the roman form of government but also knew that eventually the Roman republic became a dictatorship, a government in which one person rules with all authority. The Framers wanted to avoid the Roman’s fate. They wanted to create a permanent government where the informed citizens ran their own government.
Another historic document the Founders looked to was the Magna Carta. In 1215, many of the landowning gentry of England rebelled against the unpopular King John. In order to help restore peace the rebels forced the king to sign the Magna Carta. It placed limits on the power of the English king and made Parliament the ruling body in England. The English Bill of Rights (1689) was another document the Framers looked to. It gave the citizens of England certain rights such as freedom of speech and separation of powers.
John Locke published “Two Treatise [essays] of Government” in 1689. In these tow documents Locke proposed that every person had the rights of life, liberty and property. The government cannot take these unalienable rights away unless they have a reason. Locke also stated that the
The framers attempted to perfect the constitution by protecting the minority while giving majority some power. The Constitution was drafted by framers that took a lot of time and effort to make a document that has held this nation together for centuries. The
CD: In his Second Treatise on Government, published in 1689, Locke discusses the natural human state as free, unregulated, and that “no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions”. (BOOK)
1. The framers of the constitution had conflicting goals and interests. The first attempt at a new arrangement for self-government relied on institutions that were to weak to achieve action on behalf of the nation. The framers were able to limit its influence on the structure of government by working with many representatives of the states and using strong leaders to work through many different plans.
When the Framers of the Constitution met in Philadelphia, they came together with one common purpose in mind. They needed to form a fair and solid system of government that would stand the test of time; one that was both fair for the people and would not involve a monarchy. Each of these men had their own ideas on what would constitute this system, however, so many compromises had to be made. Together, the men gathered in Philadelphia created a federal system of government and drafted a constitution outlining this government. They took care in developing three branches of federal government with a system of checks and balances so that no one branch would gain too much power, thus avoiding any
While reading the “The Second Treatise of Government,” you can notice and see that John Locke has a strong standing for civil rights as well as helping with the development of the Constitution of the United States. He states that the “consent of the governed,” is basically saying that communities are not put together by the divine right or ruled by. Paternal, familial, and political are types of powers that John Locke mentions that have all have unlike characteristics. He inspired others to believe in and want equal rights and democracy. John Locke talks about the state of nature, which basically states that no one has the power to be ruler of someone, as well as they are able to do what they want in a freely matter. In other words people are born just like anyone else that is born, and should have equally rights to property, health, and liberty, and that no one should have the power over anyone. Everyone should be able to live and enjoy his or her own freedom and wellbeing. However, the state of nature is not a guarantee to have natural laws, which could help with the protecting of one’s property. According to him having your own personal freedom was the true meaning of state of nature. John Locke thought that people were following his faith in human rationality through the declaration of Locke. John Locke states that if the government takes away from others for them to empower them then the people have right and opportunity to go against
Securing the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity The Framers of the Constitution overall succeeded in protecting and giving the rights of liberty, freedom, and those of all people to the citizens of the United States. This was ultimately made possible as they made sure one can change its government if necessary, now and in the future. In article one section 8, congress is given the power to create any law necessary for the country going forward, protecting the rights of the people.
The founding documents expressed that all of the documents listed on the Constitution were a reasoning behind the American colonists' decision to revolt against King George III; mostly because they were not treated as men because the king always declined the Americans’ requests. The British monarchy they were living in showed them how they didn’t want to be ruled. They wanted to have equal power between the government and the citizens. They created the "unalienable rights" (Jefferson and Morris 2), in which this allowed them to have "Life, Liberty and Happiness"(2). The Preamble was a
Locke wrote the “Treatise on Government” during the 1690’s, well before the American Revolution. He said that people had the right to own property. Locke stated, “...whenever the legislators endeavor to take away, and destroy the property of people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people…” Locke meant that if legislators took away the right of colonists preserving their properties, they were angering the colonists and gave colonists the right to
In our society today, we have a government that was made the founding fathers of the constitution. The founding fathers created the way, our government is by making the constitution. As a society, individuals give up rights in order to feel safe and not have one branch of government to control our government. This is why the framers created the bill of rights, so that individuals would have their rights protected. Did the bill of rights always protect the rights given to the people? During times of crises, individuals lose or are limited in the powers that were given to the people of any country. The Unites States was no exception. The framers during the late 1790S were in fear of the French influence on our newly founded nation. With the fear of influence of outside forces, our government passed the sedition act in 1798. The sedition act limited our first and tenth amendment rights and gave our government more discretion to label individuals criminals. Is it right for our government to restrict our individual rights for the safety of the whole nation? In this essay, I will argue how the sedition act of 1798 was unconstitutional and how it violated our amendment rights. I will also take a look at how the sedition act came to be and why the government and president during that time agreed with the law. Does our government always have the best interest of the nation, or is it self-interest?
Certain interests do not change over time in our society. Over 200 years ago, the prominent concern that led to the framing of the Constitution regarded the establishment of a government that was “for the people and by the people.” The framers of the Constitution, with concern of an over powering central government in mind, provided a basis for the structure of the federal government of the United States. The powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government are laid out strategically in a way that no one branch can have more power than the other. The national concern of maintaining a legitimate government has not shifted since the initial days of the framers. Although the capacity of the government has grown over time, the system of checks and balances that was adapted in the framing of the Constitution allows for the structure and powers of the federal government to remain in order today. Other than providing a structural map for how the government will operate, however, the additional aspects of the Constitution fail to administer practical framework for addressing 21st century interests. This document was written over 200 years ago and it has not been altered substantially since then (Lazare). While certain Amendments have been added to assist the Constitution in staying relevant, such as the abolishment of slavery and the addition of women’s right to vote, there has been practically nothing added to help in applying the framers’ intentions
John Locke was one of the most influential writers during the Enlightenment period, and was the first “Enlightenment Thinker”. Locke is the author of the “Two Treatises” and believed that every person was born with “natural rights” such as: life, liberty, and property (Locke). These rights were meant for everyone, and not just the nobility or wealthy. Locke uses references from the Bible throughout the “Two Treatises” stating that “God created man without any state of inferiority” (Locke). This disproves the idea of “Divine Right” given from God that many countries in Europe had been participating in. John Locke also discussed the importance of “The Beginning of
John Locke was born in 1632, in Wrington, England. He studied medicine at the University of Oxford, but he eventually became the great philosopher everyone remembers him as (Connolly, n.d.). In 1688, King William III, supported by the Whigs, took the throne of England from King James II in what is known as the Glorious Revolution (UK Parliament, n.d.). Locke had a strong connection with the Whigs in England, so he wrote the Second Treatise on Government as a justification for the revolution. Throughout the Second Treatise on Government, Locke claims that an individual is born with the rights to “life, liberty, and property.” He believes that it is the governments purpose to preserve these rights with laws which favor neither the rich nor poor. In addition, these laws must be designed for “the good of the people.” Lastly, “[the government] must not raise taxes on the property of the people, without the consent of the people…” (Locke, 1688)
The first document that significantly influenced the Constitution was the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was signed by King John of England in 1215. It stated that the King was not above the law of the land and protecting the rights of the people. The Magna Carta is now documented as the most important documents in the history of democracy. It is so important because it established a
John Locke had many accomplishments. John Locke has public may significance writing; Essay Concerning Human Understanding in 1689, Two Treaties of Government in 1690, and Letters Concerning Toleration in 1689-1692. John Locke’s “Essay Concerning Human Understanding” defined the theory of human knowledge, identity and selfhood. In his “Two Treatises of Government” believing that the legitimacy of government relies on consent from its citizens which is given on the basis of equality. A government has the duty to protect the natural rights of its people, if they fail to protect these rights, the citizen have the right to overthrow the government. This writing shows John Locke beliefs in “life, liberty, and property.” In his “Letters Concerning Toleration,”
In his Second Treatise on Government Locke focus’ on liberalism & capitalism, defending the claim that men are by nature free and equal against the idea that God had made all people subject to a king. He argued that people have ‘natural rights’, such as the right to life, liberty, and property, that hold the foundation for the major laws of a society. He says, “…we must consider, what state all men are naturally in, and that is, a state of perfect freedom to order their actions, and dispose of their possessions and persons as they think fit.” (2nd Treatise, Chapter 2, sec 4). John Locke used this claim, that all men were naturally free and equal, for understanding the idea of a government as a result of a social contract. This is where people in the state of nature transfer some of their rights to the government in order to better guarantee the steady and comfortable enjoyment of their lives, liberty, and property.