Running head: Constitution Timeline

Julie Haire
Grand Canyon University: POS-301
June 29, 2012
Paul Oranika Constitution Timelines The great nation we live in is unlike any other because of “liberty, equality, individual rights, self-government, and lawful powers” that are afforded to its people through the United States Constitution (Patterson, 2011, p28). Since we began our journey away from parliamentary government, the colonists who created this nation worked hard to create a nation that would be fair to all who lived here. Americans enjoy the pursuit of happiness, freedom of living and equality because of our Constitution. The foundation for our constitution can be traced back as far as medieval times and the Magna Carta. Even then people were fighting for the rights of the people. Through the signing of this document the King could not infringe upon the rights of the people in any unfair or unjust way. The colonist used many ideas from this document to help create our first constitution it helped to create the due process of law. “This concept, embraced by the leaders of the American Revolution, is embedded in the supremacy clause of the United States Constitution and enforced by the Supreme Court”( Edsitement, 2012, parg 1). As time passed many who lived in England began to feel conflict with in the country they lived in and set sail for a new land called the America’s. Upon arrival they began to build colonies. During this time the Mayflower Compact was created to provide a type of Government to be established for the colonists. “On May 21, 1620, the Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 adult males in Provincetown Harbor, Mass, representing the first agreement on self-government in English North America” (Digitalhistory, 2012) Based on the character of man, it is very clear that there be a necessity for laws to govern the