The Constitution of the United States

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The Constitution of the United States

The United States Constitution is the law of the United States. It is the foundation of this country and the most important document in its history. It provides the guidelines for the government and citizens of the United States. The Constitution will unquestionably continue to carry us into the 22nd century, just as it has for over two hundred years. The principles of the Constitution remain strong to this day, especially with respect to our government and to the Bill of Rights. To terminate the Constitution will essentially serve to undo two hundred years of history. If anything were to be changed about the Constitution, it would be the expansion of its principles, such as the growth of individuals’ rights.

The Constitution is based on ideas from other important historical documents and events. It uses ideas from England’s Magna Carta, which proclaimed the rights of Englishmen, and from Enlightenment developer John Locke. The Constitution consists of a preamble followed by the seven articles and the twenty-seven amendments.

In the Constitution, the Amendments serve to define to the people of the United States the rights that they possess. In 1920, the 19th Amendment, which pertained to women’s suffrage, was passed. The 19th Amendment afforded women the right to vote. Along with this, they were also allowed to run for public office, such as state legislator and county clerk. This was an enormous achievement for women. Before the amendment was passed, women had very limited rights. For example, they were not allowed to vote and could not obtain certain jobs even if they were just as qualified as the men. Due to the passage of the 19th Amendment, women were allowed to tak...

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...uling the country, the powers and decisions are not all concentrated with him alone.

Since the beginning of when the constitution was first initiated, times have drastically changed from one century to another. If the one thing that has stayed the same is the laws implemented by the United States Constitution, then why would that change now, or within the next century? It would not, because after being successful for such a long time period, there is no reason for that change to occur now or in the near future.

Bibliography:

• Great Issues in American History (Richard Hofstadter)

• http://www.usaelectionpolls.com/

• http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

• http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/business/21draftcnd.html

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Separation_of_powers

• http://blogs.courant.com/on_background/2008/09/house-passes-energy-bill-lifts.html

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