...The Articles of Confederation and The United States Constitution are two documents that essentially are the backbone of the structure and system that America relies on. The Articles of Confederation was a document instituted as a declaration of independence from Great Brittan by the thirteen colonies. The Articles of Confederation, as Sage (2016) states, designated no executive power and congress had very little power over the states. The Articles of Confederation strongly believed in small government and limited powers. According to Winkler (2012), The United States Constitution was implemented as a progressive, innovative document. The United States Constitution expanded on the idea of government and designated more powers to congress in order for them to handle national affairs efficiently. Despite the differences between the two documents, they relate in the idea that for a nation to function a government must be established. When the Articles of Confederation were in place, an executive did not have powers. Though Feldmeth (1998), says that the President would manage the congress. It is evident that the Articles of Confederation wanted nothing to do with powerful government that threatened their newly claimed...
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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 |Written in 1215, the document was a series of written promises |The magna carta served as the first piece of legislature attempting to keep the | | |that the King would rule England and deal with the people |rights for the people fair. The Americans saw it and read about it and decided it | | |fairly according to feudal law. It was an attempt by the barons|was time America had “higher law” ideas and design a document to give the people | | |to stop the king from becoming an oppressor more than a ruler. |rights and to protect them from oppression, such as the people during the time of | | | |the magna carta were suffering. | |Mayflower Compact |The mayflower compact served as the document needed to keep the|Much like the magna carta, the mayflower compact was put into...
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...University of Phoenix Material Influences on the Constitution Table Write one or two paragraphs in each section. Include citations for your sources. |Documents |Summary |What was its influence on the Constitution? | |Magna Carta |The Magna Carta was signed between the Barons of Medieval England and King John. The |The Magna Carta established the right of due process and provided a basis of higher law that could not | | |Great Charter was signed at Runnymeade near the Windsor Castle and was an attempt by |be altered by executive mandate or legislative acts ("Magna Carta: Cornerstone Of The U.s. | | |the Barons to prohibit the King from abusing his power over the people ("Magna |Constitution", n.d.). | | |Carta", 2000-2012).. | | | |The Magna Carta consists of 63 clauses, many of the clauses address the English legal |Magna Carta: Cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution. (n.d.). Retrieved from | | |system. It states that every man shall...
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...University of Phoenix Material Influences on the Constitution Table Write one or two paragraphs in each section. Include citations for your sources. Documents Summary What was its influence on the Constitution? Magna Carta Magna Carta, also called Magna Carta Libertatum or The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, is an English charter, originally issued in Latin in the year 1215, translated into vernacular-French as early as 1219,[1] and reissued later in the 13th century in changed versions. The later versions excluded the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority that had been present in the 1215 charter. The charter first passed into law in 1225; the 1297 version, with the long title (originally in Latin) "The Great Charter of the Liberties of England, and of the Liberties of the Forest," still remains on the statute books of England and Wales. The 1215 charter required King John of England to proclaim certain liberties, and accept that his will was not arbitrary, for example by explicitly accepting that no "freeman" (in the sense of non-serf) could be punished except through the law of the land, a right which is still in existence today. Magna Carta was the principal document forced onto an English King by a group of his matters, the feudal barons, in an effort to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges. It was followed and directly influenced by the Charter of Liberties in 1100, in which King Henry I had specified particular...
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...Influences on the Constitution Marlene Monarrez HIS/301 December 3, 2012 Instructor: Andrew Van Ness Influences on the Constitution Table |Documents |Summary |What was its influence on the Constitution? | |Magna Carta | Issued by King John of England in 1215 when Englishmen went to the colonies they were | The Magna Carta gave Englishmen certain human rights, | | |given charters that guaranteed them and their heirs would “have and enjoy all liberties and |freedom of religion, reform of justice system and regulated | | |immunities of free and natural subjects.” The document clearly stated that no free man could|officials. The Magna Carta limited the king’s power and created | | |be prosecuted by any means other than the law of the land. |what we know today as parliament. | | |The Magna Carta had been the very first document which proclaimed personal liberties. The | | | |Magna Carta was forced upon an English Emperor by a team of barons. This had been the first |This was used as...
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...principles upon which the US constitution is based? The three basic principles which the U.S. Constitution is based on are federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances. Federalism, or the federal system, is a method to divide the power of government between a strong national government and each of the states, with the national power being the most powerful. Separation of powers is basically a method of splitting up the power of government among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Checks and balances is a framework that gives each of the three branches some ability to oversee and control what the other branches do. 2. What were the principle weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and what prompted the desire for change? The principle weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation were Congress not having specific power to tax, Congress not being allowed to regulate commerce among the states or with foreign nations, no provision for an executive branch or judicial system to handle the ongoing conflicts among the states, and its failure to provide for a strong, central government. Alexander Hamilton and George Washington saw the nation in such disrepair and were interested in land expansion and trade that they saw how much the country...
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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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...under the Articles of Confederation, the first form of federal government created for the new nation. Adopted in 1781, the Articles were written when the colonists were revolting against an absolutist ruler. Since they witnessed the tyranny that could occur with a powerful central government, the founders of the Articles of Confederation ensured that the government was weak. Taking advantage of the weak government, Shays’s Rebellion broke out in 1786 when farmers’ land was being taken away due to mortgage foreclosures. This rebellion terrified the colonists, who were afraid this unbridled democracy would lead to a mobocracy. Washington recognized the need for a stronger central government so situations like Shay’s Rebellion would not get out of hand. Washington was a Federalist, a political group that agreed a stronger government was needed. During the summer of 1787, fifty-five delegates gathered in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, they ignored the Articles and started to draft the Constitution. Washington was elected as president of the convention and approved of the content. The Constitution was not easily ratified, mostly because it strengthened the power of the central government. But the Federalists had influence over many colonists because “they enjoyed the support of such commanding figures as George Washington” (Kennedy and Cohen 173). People’s devotion to Washington after the Revolution helped to sway them to approve of the Constitution since...
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...has increased since the ratification of the Constitution in 1791. Describe how the provisions within the Constitution pertaining to the ‘power to tax and spend’ (Art.1, sec.8, pt.1) and the ‘commerce clause’ (Art.1, sec.8, pt.3) have been used over time to expand federal power and thus the power of the President. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that 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” (Declaration of Independence, n.d.). Taken adapted from the scholar John Locke’s “Life Liberty and Estate” in his text the ‘Second Treatise of Government’, (Locke, J. 2005) and incorporated into the United States declaration of independence. Much has been said on the influence of Locke, on Thomas Jefferson during the drafting of the United States declaration of independence, such as was argued by McKay, (2005 pp. 44) . However, where Locke emphasized the importance of procuring and maintaining a limited government, it appears his influences on the political foundation of the United States drew to a halt here. As we are now bearing witness, to one of the most rapidly expanding government institutions in western liberal democracy. In this essay, I intend to discuss how the expansion of federal government power has increased exponentially, all the while power at the state level has diminished. I also intend to view how the head of the judicial branch of government;...
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...waiting for the doors to open to the Constitutional Convention . He was holding his notes and his hat. This man is James Madison, also known as “The Father of The Constitution”. In the months ahead, he would play a central role in developing a formal government. Madison lived during the American Revolutionary War and was involved in forming our nation. Madison took part in drafting the U.S. Constitution and giving people freedom and prosperity. He was born on March 16, 1751 in Virginia and grew up there. Madison helped draft the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights, which helped us because it gave the U.S. a better government that has lasted until the present day. He also made laws that ensured the rights of the people. James Madison was also known for being the fourth President of our country....
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...Discretion 2. Judicial Protection of Business 3. National Authority Prevails C. Toward National Citizenship III. Federalism Today A. Interdependency and Intergovernmental Relations B. Government Revenues and Intergovernmental Relations 1. Fiscal Federalism 2. Categorical and Block Grants C. Devolution 1. The Republican Revolution 2. Devolution, Judicial Style IV. The Public’s Influence: Setting the Boundaries of Federal-State Power Chapter Summary The foremost characteristic of the American political system is its division of authority between a national government and the states. The first U.S. government, established by the Articles of Confederation, was essentially a loose alliance of states. In establishing the basis for a more powerful national...
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...US/AZ Government-Pre-Test Section 1 of this examination contains 100 multiple-choice questions. Therefore, please be careful to fill in only the ovals that are preceded by numbers 1 through 100 on your answer sheet. After you have decided which of the suggested answers is best, COMPLETELY fill in the corresponding oval on the answer sheet. Give only one answer to each question. If you change an answer, be sure that the previous mark is erased completely. 1) The Preamble to the Constitution begins A) "We the People . . ." B) "Four score and seven years ago . . ." C) "When in the course of human events . . ." D) "In order to form a more perfect Union . . .” E) "These are the times that try men's souls . . .” 2) A social contract theory of government was proposed by A) Plato and Aristotle. B) Aquinas and Luther. C) Newton and the separatists. D) Locke and Hobbes. E) Plato and Luther. 3) Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government sets out a theory of A) the divine rights of kings. B) aristocracy. C) democracy. D) republicanism. E) natural rights. 4) Indirect democracy is based on A) consensus. B) unanimity. C) the system of government used in ancient Greece. D) representation. E) "mob rule." 5) Republics are A) representative democracies. B) direct democracies. C) a hallmark of unitary governments. D) frequently found in totalitarian regimes. E) another name for states. 6) Who was the major author of the Declaration of Independence? A) George...
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...United States Constitution gives significant power to the individual state governments. States are not mere provinces set up to take orders from a central authority in Washington DC and execute these orders regionally. States are afforded sovereign powers of their own. In Federalist #45, James Madison summarized the powers assigned to the individual states: “The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.” “The Tenth Amendment was intended to confirm the understanding of the people at the time the Constitution was adopted, that powers not granted to the United States were reserved to the States or to the people. It added nothing to the instrument as originally ratified.” It’s quite clear that the Tenth Amendment was written to emphasize the limited nature of the powers delegated to the federal government. In delegating just specific powers to the federal government, the states and the people, with some small exceptions, were free to continue exercising their sovereign powers. When states and local communities take the lead on policy, the people are that much closer to the policymakers, and policymakers are that much more accountable to the people. Few Americans have spoken with their president; many have spoken with their mayor. It was clear in the minds of our founding fathers while they were framing the constitution that federal government...
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...understand what is going on to know which candidates to elect. Matthew Robinson, the author of the Clued article “Party On, Dudes!” discusses how “ignorance is the curse of the information age” and how Americans know more about television than a single thing that goes on in Congress. Furthermore, Robinson focused on polls and how they are influenced, shaped, and dominated by voter ignorance. Media also plays a role in voter opinion because of the main focus points and and people’s attraction to media (Robinson, Clues). With that being said Americans know very little about politics, which brings up problems with polls, media, and the electoral college. Robinson describes what Americans know about politics as discouraging. For example, the constitution serves as the supreme law of the land that was...
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... | | |College of Humanities | | |HIS/301 Version 6 | | |U.S. Constitution | Copyright © 2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1997, 1994 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course is an introduction to the historical, political, philosophical, and economic roots of the U.S. Constitution. It first reviews the philosophical arguments of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists, those that supported and opposed ratification of the Constitution. The course then examines milestone Supreme Court decisions and the Court’s evolving interpretations of the Constitution. This course focuses on the first ten amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, and the issues of slavery and civil rights as seen through major court decisions. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document...
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