The United States Constitution came about in the 1700s when the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Britain. Declaring their independence in 1776, the colonies had to quickly establish a strong framework for the United States. The creation of the Articles of Confederation established the framework for the Constitution. The Articles of Confederation was the original constitution that was thought-up and written by the thirteen colonies. After this document failed to work, the United States Constitution was created in 1787. The Constitution is composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and twenty-seven amendments. The Preamble explains why our Founding Fathers made our government republic. The Preamble also explains why the Constitution …show more content…
The seven articles of the Constitution are the foundation for how the United States government is organized. The seven articles talk about the duties of the three main parts of the United States government: the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. The Articles of the Constitution also explain how the federal government interacts with the citizens, states, and people of the country. The twenty-seven amendments change the constitution, either adding new rules or changing old ones. In the United States Constitution, the first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, essentially prevented the new federal government from usurping the basic rights that the country was founded to …show more content…
At the age of 18, one has new rights associated with being independent. One also has new responsibilities and are held personally accountable for their actions. The new rights that come along with being 18 lead into the topic of the 26th amendment. Section 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 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. Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation (U.S. Const., Amend. 26). When turning 18, one will be able to vote in state, local and federal elections. However, the voting age was once 21, not 18. The move to lower the voting age was the final barrier on voting rights. This barrier was rectified by an amendment to the Constitution called the 26th
Click here to unlock this and over one million essays
Show MoreIf a twenty year-old in a university can be the catalyst in ratifying an amendment
US senate lowers voting age to 18 On March 10th, 1971, U.S senate lowered the voting age to 18. Richard Nixon was the senate who made a law on lowering the voting age to 18. He also made the 26th amendment stating, “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.” Georgia was the first state to lower their voting age. A lot of teenagers started voting after this change was made.
The Article of confederation drafted in 1777. The Arise of war was a top priority however, instead of increasing it decreased by fear of central authority and expansive land claims by states before was it was ratified in 1781. rephase THIS--“It coin money but lacked the ability to levy taxes or regulate commerce”( Foner 195) and issues that influenced A new constitution in 1787.It had a state government, important laws, and guaranteed a few rights for its citizens. There are more significant similarities than differences between the Article of Confederation 1777 and the Constitution of the United States 1787. The people who wrote the Constitution believed it was essential to have a new constitution rather than simply amending the old one.
The Articles of Confederation was the first American constitution. The Articles was a form of government that had strong state government and a weak central government. This form of government was extremely flawed due to the lack of power in the central government. The power of the national government was limited in the Articles of Confederation. The U.S Constitution has three branches of government, a Legislature branch, and Executive branch, and a Judiciary branch.
The United States Constitution, written in 1787, is one of the most influential documents ever created and has continued to stay relevant for over 200 years. The Constitution was proposed in order to replace the ineffective Articles of Confederation, which previously held the newly freed states together. The main goal of the Constitution was to unite the states together under a strong national government, outlined within the document. Between 1787 and 1788 when the Constitution what ratified, two main political groups arose with opinions in regards to the Constitution. They were the Federalists and the Anti Federalists.
The United States had a problem: the country was only about a decade old and the Articles of Confederation, created in 1781 to provide a basis for government, were not working. The country needed a new solution. That solution that the Founding Fathers came up with was the Constitution of the United States, which with the addition of the Bill of Rights, has been the basis of government since it was written in 1787. Since its writing, the Constitution has influenced the development of similar works in other countries. The US Constitution itself was the product of influences from other times and other countries including forms of government and the published works of various men.
That is the purpose of the amendments. The Constitution can be modified through the adding of amendments. Amendments may be proposed by Congress, and become part of the Constitution when they are ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the States. The American Constitution has been successfully changed 27 times since its inception through the method of adding amendments.
21st Amendment Repealed the eighteenth amendment, alcohol prohibition. Gave regulation of liquor to the states. Since then, alcohol control has largely been resolved at local level. Each state acquires own laws to regulate sale, transportation, and importation.
The Constitution will provide a governing body for the citizens along with basic rights; the Constitution would ensure liberty for the people, a balance spread among the government, the states and the people, suffrage, the right to secure private property, and equality through life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The power within the government would be separated into three branches (legislative, executive, and judicial) by the separation of powers, and a system of checks and balances would ensure that one branch would not overcome each other, and would rely on each other to enforce the law. The principles of the Constitution include: individual liberty, federalism, limited government, representative government, private property, the
The Articles of Confederation is made up of a preamble and then it has 13 articles to follow. This was created by the 13 colonies and they created it to set up a central and strong government (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 1p. 1). The United States Constitution was needed because during this time period none had a set of rules that said what they could and couldn’t do. They didn't have a simple set of laws. Since they didn't have any rules the country was complete chaos.
The Seventh Amendment What is the United States Constitution? The U.S. Constitution is a document that is composed of seven articles. It states that U.S Constitution is the “supreme law of the land.” There were people who supported the new Constitution, the Federalists, and people who did not support it, the Antifederalists.
Since its inception in 1787, the U.S. Constitution has been considered as the oldest and most influential document. It laid down the principles and foundation which helped shape U.S. as a nation, and the more than one hundred countries that used it as a model for creating their own Constitution (Constitutionfacts.com, n.a.). But the circumstances during its creation were critical. The American War of Independence (1775-1783) against Great Britain had ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris that gave sovereignty to the U.S. in 1783.
Stepping into a voting booth for a teenager at age 16 or 17 can go either way really. In the article, “Takoma Park 16-year-old savors his history-making moment in the polls” author Annys Shin explains how Ben Miller a 16-year-old who works a part time job and attends high school was part of 350 other 16 and 17-year-olds who were granted the right to vote in municipal elections. Obviously much of the criticism that Takoma City Council received was from the older voters, as they argue that young people barely old enough to drive a car don’t have the experience as well as the perspective to vote. Nevertheless, I believe that even if teenagers at this age are not the most experienced, the City Council should still allow 16 and 17-year olds to vote.
What is described in the first three articles of the Constitution? The first Constitution article outlines the organizational structure and bylaws of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The section also defines legislative member term lengths, legislative candidate requirements – such as age and residency restrictions - and how the government will decide each state’s fiscal responsibility (based on population) to the federal government. Article 2 describes the qualifications, duties and rights of POTUS, while Article 3 describes US judicial system organizational structure and the duties and rights of United States judicial officials.
Imagine your 16 year old self. Would you not want to be voting in elections and make the right decisions towards politics? States in America are already lowering the age when you can vote to 16. Turn out of US voters below 25 at presidential elections fell from 50% in 1972 to 38% in 2012. The Asia-Pacific Economics Blog notes the young demographic is some of the most engaged, and by extending it to a younger age could fuel their passion for many years.