...Polybius. The Histories: The Constitution of the Mid-Republic Often, when talking about Ancient Rome, images of a vast empire, flourishing cities, loyal citizens, and the most powerful and wealthy state of its time come to mind. While there are many factors that can be accredited to the success of this once grand nation, the most prominent, and impactful still today, would be that of the government—the Roman Republic. Much credit to the success of the Empire lies with the creation of this government that, to this day, is still viewed as ideal. Why though was the Roman government able to produce long periods of prosperity and unity? Perhaps a more detailed look how the government was able to operate functionally and efficiently for long spans of time lies within the Roman Constitution. Probably the first...
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...The Creation of the United States Constitution In 1787 Americans were finally through the revolution and officially independent from England. The need for change to unite and strengthen the new nation was apparent. Though there were many varying opinions of what that change would be, it was unanimous that the Articles of Confederation had to be revised. After the revolution the country’s great minds called a convention, debated over what this new government would be, and in the end ratified a document that would forever be the backbone of the United States. There were many reasons revolving around the decision to hold a convention to revise the Articles of Confederation. In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War the new country was in shambles. The economy was in trouble because of the enormous debt they had collected during war, and under the Articles of Confederation it was nearly impossible for the federal government to collect taxes from the states because the states had more power than the federal government. “Congress was attempting to function with a depleted treasury; paper money was flooding the country, created extraordinary inflation…” (Constitution of the United States- A History). The weakening economy had an especially adverse effect on small farmers, some were being thrown in jail for their unpaid debts and others were getting their land seized from them. Shay’s rebellion in 1786, where farmers tried to fight back against the government, was a grim reminded...
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...The U.S. Constitution: The First of Its Kind I still remember being in an eighth grade U.S. History class back in my junior high years. One distinct memory of that course, perhaps the most memorable of all the projects we had, came in the first month of the school year, in the curriculum’s first unit: the founding of the United States as its own nation. As the textbook timeline approached 1787 we prepared ourselves for a daunting task: memorize and recite the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution. We as students would wait anxiously as, one by one, each of our peers would step up to the front of the classroom and begin to recite from memory. Few people could recite the Preamble smoothly, but for those who stumbled, we all seemed to remember perfectly the first and last chunks: “We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union…” and “…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” To us back in eighth grade, that missing middle section was just a group of words to be more-or-less forgotten the next day. To our forefathers, however, that middle section was vital in creating the basis for the supreme law of the United States. Much like my peers and I in the eighth grade, our forefathers who assembled 226 years ago were faced with a daunting task for the state that they were in. At this point in our history, America was a newborn in the world, only eleven years of age. Now left without the common cause that the Revolutionary War...
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...reasons the ratification of the Constitution was thought to be performed by our fore fathers. The Constitution was and still is the combination of important laws that governs our Nation. It was very important to our fore fathers that we had these laws in place to make sure we honored the ideas that they fought so hard for and that this nation was built on. Although they did mold the Constitution Pauline Maier tells a different story as to how the Constitution was ratified. In the book Ratification the People Debate the Constitution 1787-1788 Maier argues how the people played an important part in ratifying what we today call our Constitution. She was very successful as she identified how the articles came about and how they were reviewed and became laws once nine of the thirteen states approved the Articles of the Confederation. She had dates and documents as well as sources she referred to as proof of her argument that the people played an important role in deciding what articles would become laws that were combined to serve as our ratified Constitution. Although the Constitution is a collection of laws that govern our nation it took a while and consideration of people from all thirteen states to make this document official. This debate began in on September the 19th in 1787 when a newspaper printed the Constitution that our fore fathers created and started a debate that lasted several years. This anonymous journalist questioned the Constitution and led to the discussion of...
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...states constitution overcame the weakness of the Articles of Confederation and provided for the organization of the new government. In the 1700’s, in the thirteen original colonies, the Americans won the Revolutionary war, and they decided they needed a government. The Articles of Confederation is what the continental congress made a plan for as a whole. The constitutional convention was ran by the legislature which caused the great compromises. The constitution was written by delegates and each state had to hold a convention to approve of the constitution but not everyone agreed about the constitution and that it should be ratified. In the late 1700’s the thirteen original colonies needed a government so they came up with the articles...
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...The Constitution of Medina – Islamic Constantinople HIS201 – Middle Eastern History Sama Ibrahim Ayyoub 999028699 October 17th, 2013 In contemporary society, Islam is often depicted as a religion, which lacks in democratic values. Contrary to this popular belief, the importance of human rights in the religion is charted in “The Constitution of Medina.” Furthermore, its body of precedents proves the respect and humanity the Prophet Muhammad showed towards his Non-Muslim equals in early Arabia. This essay will aim to argue that the document titled “The constitution of Medina” is an Islamic attempt at a cosmopolitan multicultural state, which acknowledges the rights of all individuals. For the purpose of organization and analysis, this essay will first attempt to acquire knowledge on the socio-political environment Pre-Islamic Medina. Secondly, the relationship between the early Jewish community and Muslims will be examined, followed by a commentary on the Prophet Muhammad’s accomplishments in the state of Medina. In result, this will prove the democratic influence this constitution had not only on Islamic history but the Middle East as a whole. In order to grasp a clear understanding of the topic, it is most appropriate to begin by inquiring on the socio-political environment Pre-Islamic Medina which is important to understand as it had a historical influence on the constitution. Specifically speaking, the civil wars...
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...Bill of Rights and Amendments Paper Renee Sumpter History 301 October 2, 2013 John Carter The Bill of Rights and the amendments to the Constitution is a very important in our history. These documents were written to correct mistakes that were within the original document. This paper will cove why the amendments became part of the Constitution, what parts of the original documents motivated the adoption of the Bill of Rights, and finally what the effects of the Bill of Rights has had for us as a society. Amendments are revisions or improvements to the original document that was written in 1788. Amendments become part of the Constitution when mistakes are found or a revision is needed to the original. To have an amendment go through two thirds of the House and the Senate must be in approval of the proposal. They must then send it to their states for a vote. Once the proposal has been sent to the states and voted on, three fourths of those states must affirm the propose Amendment. Amendments can be updates on already existing regulations or they can also be improvements on existing regulations. It is a revision to what has already been written in the Constitution. Because the law states that a law that is made in the Constitution cannot be removed or taken out of the Constitution. The only way to change or improve that law is to modify it. Amendments are meant as a way to change the Constitution. The problem with the original document of the Bill of Rights was that...
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...CONSTITUTION The Laws in the land is governed by a constitution - it is a written instrument in which the fundamental powers of the government to govern are established, defined, as well as limited. It is also written in the constitution how the powers are being distributed among the several departments of the government. The constitution is a written charter that are enacted as well as adopted by the people in a particular state. The Laws on the land should be guided on what was being written in the constitution. The policies of the government should also be in accordance with the constitution so that any action will not be lead unto constitutional crisis - a constitutional crisis is an event where in a particular part of a constitution is or are not being followed in accordance with the policies or actions taken by the authorities. THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSTITUTION * As to form: * Written Constitution * Unwritten Constitution * As to origin or history * Conventional or Enacted Constitution * Cumulative or Evolve Constitution * As to manner of amending the constitution * the Rigid or Inelastic Constitution * Flexible or Elastic Constitution All of the above mentioned constitutions have their different features and characteristics. The Written Constitution * is the constitution where the provisions are all contained in a single document. The Unwritten Constitution * is the constitution where the provisions...
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...original United States Constitution was ratified in 1787. However the current document by which all laws are governed was confirmed and made into law on September 17th of 1789. This document enabled the people some control over government, which was created not only for them by also by the said people. The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in a manner, that the text could evolve and mature just as the persons for which it was written. This paper will detail how and why amendments become a part of the constitution, problems which have arisen due to the original document motivating the adoption of the Bill of Rights and their effects. Further listing other issues arising, due to changes in society which have led to amendments thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen, and their affects (University of Phoenix, 2010). Amendments In Article V of the Constitution an amendment process was adopted to ensure that as changes in society occur, so should the document by which all inalienable rights and freedoms are explained in depth. The aforementioned article stipulates the ways in which the Constitution may be amended. The first is by a two-thirds vote from both the House and Representatives and the Senate and 38 of the 50 states must ratify the proposed amendment, which has been the only manner in which all additional amendments have been achieved. The second and last option is to hold a Convention for the sole purpose of amending the Constitution, where at a minimum two-thirds...
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...University of Phoenix Material Influences on the Constitution Table Complete each section below. Include citations for your sources. |Documents |Summary |What was its influence on the Constitution? | |Magna Carta |Magna Carta is a document that King John of England was forced |Magna Carta served to lay the foundation for the evolution of parliamentary clause | | |into signing. The document was a succession of written promises|of the United States Constitution and enforced by the Supreme Court. | | |made between the king and his subjects that he would govern | | | |England and its people in accordance with the customs of feudal| | | |law. ("History Learning Site ", 2000-2013). | | |Mayflower Compact |Mayflower Compact is one if the first governing document of |The Mayflower Compact called for equality amongst people and...
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...Rights and Amendments Bill of Rights and Amendments The United States Constitution was recognized to Americans as a vague statement in clarifying the privileges and the rights of individuals and centralizing the power within the government itself. With the passing of the Bill of Rights and the first ten amendments, it grants the people to what is said to be their “natural rights” following additional rights that have significantly changed our society. Amendments and Constitution According to the Constitution, an amendment may be proposed and be presented, where it is put to a two thirds majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The original article is then forwarded for processing and publication to NARA's Office of the Federal Register (OFR) (U.S. Constitution, 2011). The OFR maintains the document until it is either adopted or a failed amendment, then it is transferred for protection to the National Archives. Soon after a proposed amendment is ratified by three-fourths of the states, it becomes a part of the Constitution. (U.S. Constitution, 2011) Not all proposed amendments are accepted and must meet certain constitutional purpose to be passed, for example: after the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and stating that “all men are created equal” the institutionalized system of servitude was a reason to pass to what is now the 13th Amendment of the Constitution and the abolition of slavery. This amendment provided that neither slavery nor...
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...The Articles of Confederation was the original Constitution of the United States that was ratified in 1781. It was later replaced with the U.S. Constitution in 1789. The Articles of Confederation was a written document that established the functions of the national government of the U.S., after it declared independence from Great Britain. It is an important document in American history because it united the individual states and established the federal government. https://www.reference.com/history/three-weaknesses- articles-confederation. This document was needed so that the governing states could act together to become a nation. The Articles of Confederation needed to be changed to allow the citizens the freedom of speech and religion. The Articles...
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...Running head: Arizona Constitution Arizona Constitution Arizona Constitution Arizona became the forty-eighth state on February 14, 1912. Many events led to the admission of Arizona as a state in the Union and are recognized in the following timeline. ❖ Arizona History – 1700’s • Arizona was first explored by the Spanish • 1539 – Father Marcos de Niza explores Arizona and claims it for Spain • 1752 – First permanent Spanish settlement was established in Tubac • 1776 – A Spanish fort is built at Tucson ❖ Arizona History – 1800’s • 1821 – Mexico gains military control of Arizona • 1821 – Trappers and traders from the United States came into Arizona • 1848 – United States won the Mexican War and gained all of Arizona, north of the Gila River through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo • 1850 - The Great Compromise organized this new territory and allowed for division of the territory into states to be admitted to the Union in the Future • 1854 – The rest of Arizona becomes part of the United States by the Gadsden Purchase • 1891 – An Arizona Constitution was written and passed by voters. While the US House of Representatives also passed the constitution, the Senate did not approve statehood. ❖ Arizona History – 1900’s ...
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...The atrocities of slavery have been shown throughout humanity's history and Kansas happens to play an extraordinary part in the cure of such a sickness. The Civil War was the bloodiest conflict the United States has ever seen, and we all know its causes: The South saw problems within the constitution, its economy focused on slavery, and a staunch abolitionist had just been elected. However, an often overlooked cause is Kansas, my home state. In the years ranging from 1855 to 1861 kansas earned the nickname “Bloody Kansas.” It earned this title because of the bloody conflicts that took place on its soil when its constituency had the task of making kansas a slave state or a free state. The results of the fighting that took place were fifty-six...
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...11 August 2013 The U.S.S Constitution The U.S.S Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the United States Navy today. The U.S.S Constitution enjoys a rich history forged in battle. From the time it was commissioned the Constitution has become deeply ingrained in our American history. The battle of 1812 earned the U.S.S Constitution the nick name old Iron Sides. Today The U.S.S Constitution stands as an iconic image of American history. In the latter part of the 1700’s, United States merchant ships were being attacked by the Barbary pirates. Their crew and cargo were held for ransom. This forced the United States to write the Naval act of 1794. This act called for the construction of twenty-two vessels to be built. The stipulation was the construction would be halted if the Barbary Pirates ceased attacking United States merchant vessels. For a short period of time they did so. However President George Washington insisted on the continuation of construction of these vessels. The United States Constitution had it’s maiden voyage and was ordered to protect merchant ships in a quasi-war with France. The U.S.S Constitution has been involved in many major conflicts in a variety of capacities. During the Battle of Tripoli Harbor the Constitution served as gun support vessel. The squadron of newly commissioned ships defeated the Tripoline ships. On June third a peace treaty with Tripoli was forged on the deck of the U.S.S Constitution and finalized on August of...
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