Jonah Patel
The United States Constitution, initially consisting of 4,500 words on four parchment pages, is now a document with nearly 8,000 words. It is considered a living document because it can be changed or amended and is the foundation of the American government, outlining the system of government and the rights of the American people. It has been described as a revolutionary document, with the delegates who drafted it aiming to create a government of limited powers with the requisite energy to fulfill its promises. However, some academics have also critiqued it as a reactionary document, arguing that it betrayed the democratic spirit of the American Revolution by frustrating majority rule and catering to the interests of a self-interested economic and political elite.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Revolutionary or not | The US Constitution is considered revolutionary by some, but others see it as a reactionary document that betrayed the democratic spirit of the American Revolution. |
| Amendments | The Constitution has been amended 27 times since its ratification, including the Reconstruction Amendments and the Nineteenth Amendment advancing equality. |
| Equality | The Constitution has been interpreted as advancing the notion of equality, including for former slaves and women. |
| Popular Sovereignty | The Constitution embodies the principle of popular sovereignty, with government power derived from the people. |
| Limited Government | The framers of the Constitution intended to create a government of limited powers, while also ensuring it had the "energy" to fulfill its promises. |
| Federalism | The Constitution established a federal government with a system of checks and balances across three branches to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful. |
| State Representation | The Constitution provided for a bicameral legislature with equal representation for each state in the Senate and population-based representation in the House of Representatives. |
| Ratification | The Constitution was ratified by two-thirds of the states and became law on June 21, 1788. |
| Influence | The US Constitution has been influential globally, including in the Philippines and China. |
| Worship | Some Americans worship the Constitution as a "living document" that holds the nation together. |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation
The Articles outlined a unicameral legislature with limited powers, including the ability to make war and peace, negotiate diplomatic and commercial agreements, and resolve disputes between states. However, the central government lacked the power to regulate commerce, tax, or effectively support a war effort. It could not print money and had no enforcement powers.
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The Declaration of Independence
The United States Constitution, initially consisting of approximately 4,500 words on four parchment pages, has evolved into a document with nearly 8,000 words, some of which advance the concept of equality not only for former slaves but also for women. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and marked a significant shift from the nation's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, which lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money.
The process of drafting the Declaration of Independence began with the appointment of a Committee of Five, including John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert R. Livingston, and Roger Sherman. Jefferson, a talented political writer, largely wrote the Declaration in isolation between June 11 and June 28, 1776, borrowing from existing documents like the Virginia Declaration of Rights and incorporating Enlightenment ideals.
On July 2, 1776, Congress voted to declare independence, and two days later, it ratified the text of the Declaration. The official copy, printed under Jefferson's supervision, was sent to the states and the Army and was widely reprinted in newspapers. The Declaration became a symbol of the nation's founding ideals, with its emphasis on the unalienable rights of individuals, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to bear arms, and the right to trial by jury.
In conclusion, while the Constitution of the United States underwent revisions and expansions over time, the Declaration of Independence remains a revolutionary document that laid the foundation for the nation's independence and continues to shape American society and government.
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The Revolutionary War
In the years leading up to the war, the American colonies were governed by the British king, who had established 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast in the early 1600s. People were drawn to these colonies for various reasons, including economic opportunities and religious freedom. However, as the colonies grew and prospered, tensions arose between the colonists and the British crown. The colonists resented being subjected to taxes and laws imposed by a distant monarchy, leading to their desire for independence and self-governance.
To address these issues, a Constitutional Convention was convened in Philadelphia in 1787, bringing together 55 delegates from the states. The convention aimed to revise the Articles of Confederation and create a stronger central government. The delegates debated the contents of the Constitution, including representation in Congress and the protection of individual rights. The final document, signed on September 17, 1787, established a powerful central government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It also included a Bill of Rights, guaranteeing certain freedoms and protections for Americans.
The United States Constitution has been described as both revolutionary and reactionary. Some academics, such as J. Allen Smith, viewed it as a betrayal of the democratic spirit of the American Revolution, arguing that it prioritized the interests of a self-interested economic and political elite. Others, like Forrest McDonald, challenged this interpretation, emphasizing the democratic character of the framers' republic. The Constitution has endured as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions globally, shaping American government and society.
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The Grand Convention
However, some progressive academics, including J. Allen Smith, Carl Becker, and Charles Beard, have criticised the Grand Convention as reactionary, arguing that it rolled back democratic progress and frustrated majority rule. They claim that the delegates, who were mostly wealthy and conservative, created a system that served their own self-interested economic and political elite. Additionally, many of those who had advocated for democratic doctrines during the Revolution became conservatives after the war, contributing to a political reaction that influenced the Constitution.
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Checks and Balances
The United States Constitution, initially consisting of around 4,500 words on four parchment pages, has been described as a revolutionary document. It is now a document with nearly 8,000 words, some of which advance the notion of equality. The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This ensures that no individual or group will have too much power.
The legislative branch makes laws, but the President in the executive branch can veto those laws. The legislative branch can, however, override the President's veto with enough votes. The legislative branch also has the power to approve Presidential nominations, control the budget, and impeach the President and remove them from office.
The executive branch can declare Executive Orders, which carry the force of law, but the judicial branch can declare those acts unconstitutional. The judicial branch interprets laws, but the President nominates Supreme Court justices, court of appeals judges, and district court judges. The Senate in the legislative branch confirms the President's nominations for judicial positions, and Congress can impeach any of those judges and remove them from them from office.
The system of checks and balances ensures that each branch of the government can respond to the actions of the other branches. This system was designed to prevent any one branch from having too much power. The Framers' separation of power was not rigid, but it incorporated checks and balances whereby one branch could check the powers assigned to another.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitution of the United States is the foundation of the American government. It lays out the system of government and the rights of the American people.
After the Revolutionary War, the states joined together to set up a Federal Government under the Articles of Confederation. However, the Articles turned out to be a weak system of government, unable to regulate commerce or print money. Disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
The US Constitution created a powerful central government with three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It also established a system of checks and balances to ensure that no single branch became too powerful. The Constitution has been amended over time to advance the notion of equality, including the Reconstruction Amendments after the Civil War and the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, which granted women the right to vote.
The US Constitution is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world. It has been amended only 27 times since its ratification and continues to serve as the foundation of the American government and society. The Constitution is considered a "living document" that can be changed or amended to adapt to the needs of the nation.
Some academics, such as J. Allen Smith, have criticised the US Constitution as a "reactionary" document, arguing that it betrayed the democratic spirit of the American Revolution. They claim that the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was dominated by a self-interested economic and political elite who sought to frustrate majority rule. However, other historians and political scientists have challenged this interpretation, arguing that the US Constitution was, in fact, true to the democratic ideals of the Revolutionary movement.
