Constitution Timeline Essay

Our founding Fathers had a vision in mind when writing the Constitution to ensure all citizens of the United States were treated equally and fairly. The Constitution was also to place rules and guidelines in place so that not one person or government politician would have full control. It was to be a country for the citizens’ where they have a voice in what takes place and in the way it is managed. There were many items that influenced the Constitution and had a significance that contributed to it. I’ll start with the Magna Carta. The Magna Carta was an English Charter that was issued in 1215. Its purpose was to limit government authority. It is considered one of the most important documents in the establishment of democracy; its influence is clearly seen in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. (GCU, 2012) The Magna Carta also represented several ideas, one in which is the significant innocent until proven guilty. Others include; right of individuals to know the charges filed against them, right to judgment by peers before imprisonment, and right to be represented by an attorney. The Magna Carta is evident in the Constitution by the limiting of government authority. It was the founding Fathers purpose to not let any one person or political group have complete control. But, to include the citizens in the say of how things worked and were ran. Second, is the Mayflower Compact which was issued in 1620. It was the first governing document that was passed because settlers agreed to abide by the rules of the government. It consisted of two essential elements; it reveals the promise that America, as it develops, is to be built upon Christian principles and a government of law, not men. It enjoins upon the government to enact constitutionally equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most just and convenient for the general good of the people. (Digest, 1951) The Mayflower Compact came about by the settlers coming over on the Mayflower, when they realized that the earlier settlers had failed when it came to guiding their developments. The settlers wanted to be successful in their developments and be fair to everyone; by treating everyone equally. Its contribution to the Constitution is the Christian faith and the equality of all people. Without this, we may be treated differently by the amount of money we make or even because of our race. This ensured everyone the same opportunities in our country and rules to live by. Third, is the Declaration of Independence. It was passed in 1776 adapting resolutions of endorsing independence. It all started from the French and Indian War, the British Parliament wanted the colonists to pay for the war. The colonists however believed that they should not have to pay taxes in which they did not believe in. The colonists wanted to voice their concerns but were denied by the British Parliament. From this, came the revolutionary cry No Taxation without Representation. This is when a committee of 5 was formed and the Declaration was formed. It declared all colonies free from the British Parliament and declared all colonies to be free and independent states. The most radical idea advanced by the American Revolutionaries was the proposition set forth in the Declaration of Independence that â€Å"all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.† (Mintz, 2012) Its contribution to the Constitution is the free and independent states along with the separation from British Parliament. Without this, we probably would not have our 50 different states. We would more than likely still be running and operating with the British Parliament as one big nation. This allowed colonists to be individualized, independent, and free to set their own government rules and regulations. Fourth, is the Articles of Confederation. It was signed in 1777 and was the first governing document of the newly formed nation. This turned the colonies into a confederation. The articles explained individual states rights; defined the rights of the central government; and declared the Articles could only be changed with ratification of all state legislatures. (GCU, 2012) It also specifies how the national government is to operate. Under the Articles the states were more powerful than the central government, which consisted only of a Congress. Each state had one vote in Congress, with that vote determined by a delegation of from two to seven representatives. Though the Congress had the authority to regulate foreign affairs, wage war, and maintain the postal system, it had no power to levy and collect taxes or regulate interstate commerce. (West 2005) The contribution to the Constitution is defining the rules and regulations of the government. Without rules and regulations, many states would have been run not equal or even without any rules. This would cause many states to be a mess and not have regulation. These articles played a huge part in how our government runs today by giving different members of Congress votes and not having a certain group where they can run everything. Last, is the Federalist Papers. These were papers written between 1787 and 1788 arguing for the ratification of the Constitution that was published in newspapers. There were approximately 85 papers written by John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. All three of the authors drew from their extensive experience in national politics and the military and diplomatic struggle for independence. Their purpose was to clarify and explain the provisions of the Constitution, expounding its benefits over the existing system of government under the articles of confederation. (West, 2005) There were 3 influential articles that included: strong republic and addresses how to guard against factions, establishes separation of powers and introduces the idea of checks and balances, and expressed opposition to what eventually became the Bill of Rights. The contribution to the Constitution is probably the most influential from these papers. All of them were influential and resulted in the 9th and 10th amendments to the Constitution. There were many factors that played a major role in the development of our nations Constitution. These listed above were only a few but many were the most influential. I personally am thankful to live in a country that has rules and guidelines and allows us as citizens to be a part of the voting process. It is our right to vote and have a say in how we think our money should spent or how things are ran in our state. Regardless of which law passes or fails, we are all treated equally in the eyes of the law and are all here because our founding Fathers took the time out to create a document that laid out guidelines for us and many generations to come to live by. In the words of Washington, â€Å"Let us Raise to the standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the rest is in the hands of God.† (Digest, 1951) REFERENCES Grand Canyon University. (2012). Retrieved November 29, 2012, from POS 301 Lecture 1 Notes: www.gcu.edu THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT. (1951). Congressional Digest, 30(6/7), 171-172. Mintz, D. S. (2012). Digital History. Retrieved November 29, 2012 , from Declaration of Independence: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=149 â€Å"Articles of Confederation.† West’s Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved November 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437704858.html â€Å"Federalist Papers.† West’s Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005. Retrieved November 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3437701784.html