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Essays about the history behind the constitution
Essays about the history behind the constitution
Essays about the history behind the constitution
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If my friend was annoyed with, what he sees as, an attack on America’s religious values and suggested that the president just change the Constitution I would explain to him that changing the Constitution is a must more tedious process than what he seems to think. Article V of the Constitution lays out how amendments can be made. I would also tell my friend that it is probably a good thing that the president cannot just change our constitution at his or her whims because that wouldn’t truly uphold the ideals of the people like the constitution should. I would explain that the first step in amending the Constitution is to make a proposal. An amendment can be proposed by either a constitutional convention or two-thirds vote in Congress, including both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The most common way is through both houses of Congress. To make an amendment with both houses of Congress you must have two-thirds majority support from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, meaning that at least 290 Representatives and 67 Senators must support the amendment. Next a resolution is debated and passed. Again, for an amendment to be fully passed and adopted it must have the two-thirds support. …show more content…
First an amendment proposal must be written. Typically these proposals are written by legislators, social movements, or interest groups. Next the states meet at the convention. Once the states have approved the bill, then the states can file an application with Congress. While this method has been attempted hundreds of times since the original Constitutional Convention of 1787 it has never been called successfully. However, in the past, the threat of a constitutional convention has pressured Congress to introduce a proposal for an amendment thus accomplishing its goal in a roundabout sort of
The first of the Progressive amendments is the 16th Amendment. Approved by the Senate in 1909, it introduced the graduated income tax where a person’s taxes increase relative to his or her income. Specifically, the tax charged 1 percent of incomes over $20,000 and a maximum of 7 percent on incomes over $500,000 (Walter Nugent, p.86). It was brought about after the 2 percent tax on incomes over $4,000 tariff in 1894, and was supported by President Taft, Southern and Western farmers, and the Progressives (Foner, p. 718). They believed respectively that the government should wean off obtaining money from tariffs, and that the income tax should fairly correlate to a person’s income. Moreover, it was believed that the amendment would ameliorate the drastic income disparity, and that it would provide the government with more revenue for its increasing state budgets.
From five states arose delegates who would soon propose an idea that would impact the United States greatly. The idea was to hold a meeting in Philadelphia called the Constitutional Convention in 1787 meant to discuss the improvements for the Articles of Confederation and would later be called the United States Constitution. The United States Constitution was greatly influenced by Ancient Rome, the Enlightenment, and Colonial Grievances.
The Tenth Amendment was added to the Constitution of 1787 by James Madison due to the problem with its predecessor, the Articles of Confederation. In Article 2 in the Articles of Confederation it states, “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every Power, Jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.” With states having too much sovereignty this caused an issue. Madison was a Federalist and believed that the federal government should have some control over states, therefore, he proposed the 10th Amendment. By the constitution getting rid of state sovereignty it meant Anti-Federalists fearing the possibility of a federal government with unlimited power. However, the states were able to compromise and ratify the Constitution under the agreement that powers not stated on it are reserved to the states or to the people. The 10th Amendment overall gives clarification that federal power is limited and that states or the have control on the issues not stated on the constitution. However, not everyone agreed to the 10th amendment. It was seen as
Abraham Lincoln became the United States ' 16th President in 1861, delivering the Emancipation Proclamation that declared forever free those slaves within the Confederacy in 1863. If there is a part of the United States History that best characterizes it, is the interminable fight for the Civil Rights. This he stated most movingly in dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg: "that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain--that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. "The Declaration of Independence states “All men are created equal”.
After the Revolution, the country was left in an economic crisis and struggling for a cohesive path moving forward. The remaining financial obligations left some Founding Fathers searching for ways to create a stronger more centralized government to address concerns on a national level. The thought was that with a more centralized, concentrated governing body, the more efficient tensions and fiscal responsibilities could be addressed. With a central government manning these responsibilities, instead of the individual colonies, they would obtain consistent governing policies. However, as with many things in life, it was a difficult path with a lot of conflicting ideas and opponents. Much of the population was divided choosing either the
Section 1. of the Amendment XXVI of the Constitution of the United States (US) states that the right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. Both houses of the Congress passed the amendment in March 1971.With thirty-eight states adopting it by July 1971; the 26th Amendment was ratified because the prerequisite for three-fourths of states approval had been achieved. President Nixon signed the amendment into law in the same year making the 26th constitutional amendment the quickest to ever be incorporated into the US Constitution. The amendment evoked diverse reactions amongst the public, with some saw it as a judicious
The eighth amendment of the United States Constitution prohibits cruel and unusual punishments. New Cutting edge technology carries with it the likelihood of new treatment for criminals. A fictional example of such technology is Ludovico treatment, which alters the consciousness of a criminal and makes them non-violent. The use of the Ludovico treatment on prisoners can be considered a cruel and unusual punishment and thus violate the eighth amendment. Even though this treatment may be technically unconstitutional, it would be allowed in the United States for the betterment of society.
The first step of the Constitution was undemocratic. No popular vote was taken either directly or indirectly on the proposition to approve a convention (Beard 14). The group of men who wanted the convention was skillful in getting it approved in that their proposal of it was a surprise. This gave the Federalists an upper hand. Their opponents, the Anti-Federalists, could not refuse to a discussion of possible, and perhaps necessary, reforms. By refusing, they could lose the support of the public very easily (Roche 18).
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The Antifederalists were extremely concerned that the national government would trample their rights. Rhode Island and North Carolina refused to ratify until the framers added the Bill of Rights. These first ten amendments outlined things that the government could not do to its people. They are as such:
In 1787, the Constitution, created by a group of men known as the “Framers”, is the highest law in the United States. At first, the Constitution was not ratify because it did not have a bill of rights which is a list of rights that belong to the people. Therefore to allow changes to the Constitution, the Framers created the amendment process. In 1791, congress proposed twelve changes to the Constitution. Ten of the twelve changes were agreed to by the states and were called “The Bill of Rights.” Some of these rights include the right of free speech, the right to practice your own religion and the right to be silent if you are arrested.
The Second Amendment has always been met with much debate on whether gun control is constitutional or unconstitutional. The framers of the Second Amendment have left many people with different opinions on what its true intent was. Charles L. Blek Jr. and Joseph Sorban have two different views with many over lapping ideas and use court rulings, Second Amendment history, and past events in their articles to help support their positions.
In 1787, The United States of America formally replaced the Articles of Confederation with a wholly new governing document, written by the delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. This document, known as the Constitution, has served as the supreme law of our land for the past 228 years. It has stood the test of time and a majority of Americans still support it today (Dougherty). The Constitution was designed in a way that allows for it to be amended, in order to address changing societal needs. Article V discusses the process by which the Constitution can be altered. This feature has enabled it to stay in effect and keep up with current times. The Constitution should not be rewritten every 19 years because it would not only weaken its importance, but it would also hurt foreign relations and continuously rewriting it would give political parties too much power.
It seems the Founders wanted to make the passage of legislation difficult. The Constitution settles how bills become law in the United States. The procedure is operose and can take significant time to complete. The course materials of week three offer more than enough information on how the procedure works. This essay will, mainly, use the course materials to describe the process of how a bill becomes a law. The process of transforming a bill into a law requires the participation of both the Legislative branch and Executive branch of government.
In your opinion, I am wrong and that’s what this forum is about! Well, here is my opinion amplified;
The amendments are a set of rights assured to every American as part of the freedom our country promises. The amendment that will be the focal point of this paper, the second, was ratified in 1791. It states, "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Our country was a completely different place during those times, which is the reason I believe the Bill of Rights should be rewritten, and updated every so often. By updated, I do not mean anything taken away or added to it, but for the way it was written to be altered. If it was more easily understandable there would be no leeway for people to get away with limiting these rights of our people.