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How Did The Constitution Influence The Integrity Of The Government

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The Constitution of United States of America was ratified in 1787. Prior to the Constitution the Articles of Confederation had been the law of the land since the Revolutionary War. They proved weak and inefficient and a new governing document was needed. The drafters of the Constitution studied past texts of philosophy and government in order to create their ideal government. Although, the creators of the Constitution were influenced by many previous documents the most influential documents were the Articles of Confederation, the English Bill of Rights, and the Magna Carta. These documents limited state power, allowed for government criticism, and protected citizen’s individual rights. The failure of the Articles of Confederation created the desire of a stronger federal government and limited state power. The Articles allowed the states to raise …show more content…

This allowed citizens to obtain rights that threatened the government’s power. “That it is the right of the subjects to petition the king, and all commitments and prosecutions for such petitioning are illegal” (English Bill of Rights). The Constitution similarly allows for petitioning of the government, this can be seen as a way to gather constructive criticism from the general public even if it does weaken the integrity of the government (U.S. Constitution Amendment I). The English Bill of Rights and the Constitution both allow for citizens to own arms. (U.S. Constitution Amendment II) This allows for citizens to form a resistance if the government becomes corrupt, keeping the government in check. The English Bill of Rights and the Constitution also allows for peaceful assembly of people to protest. The right to assembly allows for large groups of people to spread their ideals and publicly bring the government’s shortcomings to the light. This allows for rapid spread in ideas that can benefit a government such as the civil rights

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