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Essays on Constitution

Writing an essay about this important document can help you understand its significance in shaping our society and laws. The Constitution is the backbone of our government and outlines the rights and responsibilities of citizens. Exploring this topic in an essay can give you a deeper understanding of its impact on our daily lives.

When choosing a topic for your Constitution essay, consider what aspect of the document interests you the most. You could explore the history of the Constitution, its impact on current laws, or its role in shaping the rights of citizens. For an argumentative essay, you could debate the relevance of certain constitutional rights in today's society. For a cause and effect essay, you could explore the consequences of certain constitutional amendments. For an opinion essay, you could discuss your views on a specific constitutional issue. And for an informative essay, you could delve into the details of a specific constitutional topic.

For example, you could write an essay on the impact of the First Amendment on freedom of speech, or the role of the Constitution in shaping the civil rights movement. There are countless topics to explore, so choose one that resonates with you.

When crafting your Constitution essay, it's important to have a strong thesis statement that clearly outlines your main argument. For example, a thesis statement could be "The Constitution's First Amendment has played a pivotal role in protecting freedom of speech in the United States."

In the of your essay, you could provide historical context for the Constitution and explain why your chosen topic is significant. For example, you could discuss the historical background of the First Amendment and its relevance in today's society.

In the of your essay, you could summarize your main points and reiterate the significance of your topic. For example, you could emphasize the enduring impact of the Constitution's First Amendment on shaping freedom of speech in the United States.

With these tips and examples, you're ready to embark on your Constitution essay journey. Happy writing!

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Essay: The Constitution

When the American Founders declared independence from Britain, they explained that they were doing so because its government was violating their inalienable rights, which include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” As they organized to fight the British and write the Declaration of Independence, the American colonists formed a confederation of states with some basic agreements called “The Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.” The Articles of Confederation enabled them to cooperate in waging the Revolutionary War and to speak with a single voice when negotiating for weapons and trade with countries like France.

Soon after the war ended, however, many Founders began to argue that the Articles of Confederation were not adequate to secure the rights they had fought to defend. Any law or treaty established under the Articles could be ignored by a state government. Citizens of one state could be treated with unfairly negative bias by courts in another state. States were beginning to tax one another’s products, threatening to undermine American prosperity by hampering free trade.

“The peace of the whole,” argued Alexander Hamilton, “ought not to be left at the disposal of a part” (Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 80, 1788).

Americans had battled one of the most powerful nations on earth because its king trampled their rights. Now many believed they faced the opposite problem: a government without enough authority to pay its debts, guarantee equal treatment before the law, or fund a small defensive army.

As states sent delegates to a convention organized to revise the Articles of Confederation, many ideas emerged about how a national government should work. Despite their differences, most delegates agreed that government should be constrained from abusing citizens’ rights while also possessing sufficient power to protect those rights. They also understood that whatever they proposed needed approval from legislatures in most of the states, which meant that they also had to take into account local interests and concerns.

Their goal—as they eventually explained in the opening sentences (the Preamble) of the Constitution—was “to form a more perfect union.” Many who think the word “perfect” can only mean “flawless” miss what the Constitution’s framers intended. They weren’t claiming that the Constitution would make for a flawless national government. They were using the definition of “perfect” that meant—especially in their day—“complete” or “lacking in no essential detail.” In other words, they desired a true union of states, with enough authority to bind them and their citizens, yet with a universal set of rights and freedom for people to make most governmental decisions in their states and communities.

The Constitution’s preamble also reveals that its framers believed the system they devised—by dividing government into branches that would check one another’s exercise of power, and listing specific government powers in order to ensure rulers wouldn’t imagine they had more authority than intended—would “establish justice” for its citizens.

Justice meant that citizens would be treated equally and fairly by their government and also have their persons and property protected.

This more perfect union, rooted in ideas of freedom, individual responsibility, and justice, would help to “insure domestic tranquility” between states and their citizens and also provide “for the common defense.” Our national government would have courts to handle disputes between states or between citizens of different states, as well as the power to raise an army if foreign enemies threatened our lands or people.

“Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States,” painting by Howard Chandler Christy

Instead of a mere collection of states as a “firm league of friendship,” the ratification of the Constitution by state conventions would recast the nation as a sovereign entity authorized by “We, the people of the United States.” It would have a government with specific and limited authority. Its leaders would be expected to “promote the general welfare,” meaning they would only pass laws that benefited the nation as a whole and not merely narrow or local interests.

This new, federal government would not make most decisions or take responsibility for making people’s lives better. That would remain the responsibility of individuals and families acting independently or joined together in their communities. That is why the Founders placed such a strong emphasis on virtue. They knew that no government could ever establish peace and prosperity without citizens who were willing to work hard, take care of their families, and stand up for freedom and justice. The job of the federal government would be to protect the freedoms people needed to govern themselves, pursue religion as they saw fit, engage in commerce, and live peaceably alongside one another.

It was designed to “ensure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.”

United States Constitution

Although delegates disagreed on many points (for example, how to balance the power between the large and small states), they produced a document that they believed gave their proposed national government the necessary power to protect freedom while shackling it with the necessary restrictions to keep it from becoming a tyranny. John Adams wrote John Jay from his diplomatic assignment in Europe:

“A result of accommodation and compromise cannot be supposed perfectly to coincide with everyone’s idea of perfection…But, as all the great principles necessary to order, liberty, and safety are respected in it, and provision is made for corrections and amendments as they may be found necessary, I confess I hope to hear of its adoption by all the states” (John Adams to John Jay, December 16, 1787).

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The Constitution

In 1787, many Americans were concerned that the Articles of Confederation did not grant enough power to the central government to protect the rights of the people. Under the Articles, the national government was unable to regulate commerce, taxation, currency, treaties, and protect the rights of individuals and states. The states called a delegation to meet in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 and from that convention the new Constitution was born.

The United States Constitution

How it works

On October 17th 1781, the English surrendered and peace negotiations were initiated in Paris, with an American delegation lead by Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790). The Versalles treaty was signed in 1783and the British government recognized the independence and birth of a new nation: The United States of America.

Four years later, the constitution of 1787 came about and was enacted in Philadelphia, influenced by the ideas of illustrious people and enciclopedists in federal court. The election of a president and two representatives for the House of Representatives and the senate was established. Need a custom essay on the same topic? Give us your paper requirements, choose a writer and we’ll deliver the highest-quality essay! Order now

New York was established at that moment as the headquarters of the federal government.

• 1 US Independence
• 2 Bibliography

US Independence

Almost every state, during the independence war, had their own particularly different constitutions. However, there was no government or constitution at the federal level. Every state continued to direct their own policy and, interpreted, sometimes to their needs, the treaty that was signed with England.

Just as the economic and commercial problems had been an important cause for the war, they were now found at the base of the federal constitution. In 1785 delegates from virginia and Maryland met to discuss navigation problems by the Potomac. The discussion later extended to Pennsylvania and Delaware. Lastly, Virginian common sense proposes that every state sends delegates to Annapolis to study the possible uniformity of the foreign trade system. The beginnings were timid,and only five states sent twelve delegates. Hamilton, however, requested them to appeal to all other states to summon a convention which would also be in charge of getting commercial conditions up to date and discuss a federal government.

The second issue, was of course, the most important; but when the Constitution was left in a secondary position, the organizers laboriously reassured the autonomists so there would be no alarm. The convention met in Philadelphia, in may 1786 under the indisputable presidency of George Washington. John Adams and Jefferson were ambassadors in England and France and congress was dominated by Hamiltons personality, who was the delegate from NY.

Virginian James Madison, close to Jefferson and, therefore, opposed to Hamiltons aristocratic conceptions, found himself, nonetheless, in agreement with him to set up a strong federal government, struck by the fear of seeing the young country paralyzed, due to the petty complaints between states. After a few weeks of deliberations, the weight of Washington’s opinion was decisive.

Delegates were also troubled by Daniel Shays insurrection. A former official and poor farmer from Massachusetts, he lead a troop of rebels, all victims of the economic crisis. The rich were fearful, and many adhered to the idea of a strong executive, destined to maintain order.

The 1787 Constitution, implied a commitment in diverse planes. Inspired by Montesquieus ideas about the separation of power, it insures the strength of such executive by presidential regime. Elected for four years (not by the Chambers or by universal suffrage, but by special voters, elected by each state) the President (assisted by a Vice President) represents the people of the United States, sporting a power equivalent to those of the King and Prime Minister of England. Later, George Washingtons election as the first president of the United States in 1789, further reinforcing the offices prestige.

Two chambers or houses, exercised legislative power: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The number of representatives is proporcional to the population in each state. While senators, regardless of population, were two per state which satisfied smaller states that could’ve been crushed by their more populous neighbors. The two chambers vote on laws, but tax laws must be presented to the representatives, while the senate has prerogatives in matters of foreign policy. The president must also have the approval of the senate to nominate certain senior officials. Furthermore, the senate can transform into an unappealable court to judge the citizens accused by the House of Representatives. To insure the separation of the legislative and the executive, the president must select his ministers, outside of congress, the opposite of British tradition, which would select the ministers from members of parliament and were accountable to them. American ministers cannot be deposed by congress. There may be conflicts between Congress and the president, especially since the latter is is elected every four years and the congress is renewed every two.

In that case, the president may exercise the right to veto against the decisions made in congress which, are not in effect unless a two thirds majority is achieved. Over the laws, the interpretation of the constitution and of men themselves there is the Supreme Court, whose seven judges are named by the president and receive a life title to insure complete independence. This court, decides if laws are in conformity with the constitution and God-given, natural rights. Resolves the differences between states and conflicts amongst citizens and the administration.

The constitution numbered the presidents powers carefully: decide taxes, ask for or give loans, regulate commerce between states and with foreign countries, mint currency, ensuring the defense of the country, creating positions, declaring war and to form armies and militias. In turn, numerous powers and decisions remained in the hands of individual States and their assemblies.

Bibliography

H. (2009, October 27). Constitution. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/united-states-constitution/constitution

The Constitution of the United States. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution

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The American Constitution: Short History Essay

Introduction, reference list.

The United States’ Constitution was created in during the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and has served the nation since then. The country has also changed in many ways in those two centuries since the constitution was made such as population increase from 1 million to 300 million today yet the constitution has remained unchanged. This makes the US constitution the oldest in the world, where 159 countries of the world had a constitution by the end of the 20 th century.

Some countries have had more than one constitution for example France, which has had ten different and distinct constitutions (Cato Institute, 2002). Some other countries have adopted the US constitution with various degrees of success but not as nearly successfully as the US. This then leads to the question of what makes the US constitution to survive for that long and why attempts to adopt it by other countries have not been successful. The discussion that follows answers these questions in detail.

The US Constitution has the principle of clear and balanced separation of powers in the three structures of the government, that is, the legislature represented by the Congress and is charged with the power to create laws, the executive represented by the president and his advisers charged with the power to enforce laws and the judicially represented by supreme court and the federal courts charged with the power to dismiss or reverse laws that it feels are ‘unconstitutional’. Separation of powers and responsibility ensures that each branch of government performs its mandate without conflict with the other and the interests of minority citizens are safeguarded from those of the majority rule. It also creates state and federal governments using the same principle. This system ensures that each arm does not overstep its mandate as the other can easily censure it (United States Senate, 2009).

The flexibility of the US constitution is another feature that has made it survive for more than two centuries and reason it does not work outside US. The constitution is around 6000 thousand words which lays down the basic details about the four principles it is made of. This allows room for the document to be interpreted to met the needs of the changing time without loosing its meaning or altering the original intent of the founders. This is made possible by the mandate of the US Supreme Court to interpret its meaning and application. In most countries that adapt it they have no institution charged with this mandate or is made overly detailed so as it loses meaning while interpreting (Collier& Collier, 2007).

The basic moral principle in which the US Constitution was based is another strength that has made it survive for more than two centuries. The founders of the Constitution derived the principles grounding the Constitution on the Declaration of Independence in which a basic truth recognized that all men are created equal with undeniable natural rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These rights require that one respects the rights of another. This is how a government is instituted in the constitution: to protect and safeguard these rights meaning government is constituted for by the people for the people instead of the other way round, as experienced in other countries (Collier& Collier, 2007 & Stevens, 1995).

The United States’ constitution has lasted for more than two centuries surviving a civil war and assassinations among other things. This is because of several strong features of the document such as its flexibility which allows it to meet the needs of the people, the basic moral principle of equal rights to life, liberty and persuasion of happiness, and clear and balanced separation of powers among the three structures of government.

Cato Institute. (2002). The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America. Cato Institute.

Collier, C. & Collier, J. L. (2007). The decision in Philadelphia: the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Random House.

Stevens, R. G. (1995). The Declaration of independence and the constitution of the United States of America. National Defense University Press.

United States Senate. (2009). Constitution Day .

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IvyPanda . "The American Constitution: Short History." November 30, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-american-constitution-short-history/.

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The Constitution of the United States

One strength of the u.s. constitution, one weakness of the u.s. constitution, one option to maintain the strength of the u.s. constitution, one option to correct the weakness of the u.s. constitution.

One of the most important strengths of the U.S. Constitution is the fact that it protects human rights. In particular, the right to private life, the right to freedom of speech, or the right to life can be noted. These rights are inherent to every person regardless of sex, ethnicity, and age. Therefore, it is of great importance to make sure that they are properly defined and protected by law. The role of the Constitution is to serve as a guarantee of the mentioned rights (Mason & Stephenson, 2012). The Constitution strengthens the understanding and promotes the abidance of these inalienable and equal rights. Furthermore, basic human rights are considered to be virtually unalterable due to their universal and independent nature that is proposed by the Constitution.

The weakness of the Constitution is that it has no universal interpretations that are typically observed in political disputes or litigations. In other words, there is no wrong and no correct interpretation of the Constitution articles (Fine, 2016). For example, during their re-election campaigns, some of the politicians try to interpret the Constitution by their personal beliefs and needs, thus making it difficult to consider their correctness. The situation is complicated by the fact that this document was completed in 1787 when the environment was quite different from nowadays (Wilson, DiIulio, Bose, & Levendusky, 2015). This creates additional misunderstanding and various interpretations that lead to confusion among citizens. Thus, some points of the Constitution often become an issue of debate that is especially evident in court cases.

The strength of the U.S. Constitution that was mentioned in section A can be maintained by ensuring that the requirements set by this document are respected and followed appropriately. All the levels of the government, including federal and local ones, are to control protection of the basic human rights (Mason & Stephenson, 2012). It is important to ensure that those who protect citizens’ human rights are fully aware of all the peculiarities regarding the topic, including the protection mechanisms, obligations, and so on. It seems essential to point out the fact that the provision of definite and clear interpretations is also vital to maintain the mentioned strength. Taking into account that the requirements of the modern ever-changing world may vary with time, it is necessary to adapt the provisions of the Constitution to them. Even though the described option may require significant time and effort, it is undoubtedly necessary to maintain its implementation to keep human rights equal, fair, and inviolable.

By the very definition, the lack of a definite interpretation may be corrected by the introduction of univocal refinements. This can be achieved through the comprehension of the views of citizens of that period in which the Constitution was created. Considering the document in the mentioned way may be beneficial in terms of understanding its core objectives and goal. To eliminate ambiguous interpretation of the Constitution, it can be useful to come up with a specific vision of an issue. However, the Constitution states: “We the People of the United States” (Wilson et al., 2015, p. 78). This means that every case is unique and requires an individual approach, thus making it impossible to create an unequivocal interpretation. In other words, some extent of ambiguity should be preserved to ensure citizens’ rights integrity.

Fine, T. S. (2016). American government (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.

Mason, A. T., & Stephenson, D. G. (2012). American constitutional law: Introductory essays and selected cases (16th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Wilson, G. Q., DiIulio, J. J., Bose, M., & Levendusky, M. S. (2015). American government institutions and policies (15th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

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