Constitution The United States Constitution Is Based Essay

Constitution The United States Constitution is based on the self-interest view of human nature. It was created to provide people with a large number of freedoms. When the Founding Fathers sat down to write it, they carefully considered all the issues that they and their fellow countrymen had faced when they were still in England, before they came to America to have the freedoms they wanted (Billias, 2009). Because they knew what it was like to be oppressed, they also knew they could not operate the United States that way and have the people accept it. If they tried to turn the New World into what they had just left behind, it would be of no benefit to anyone involved (Pritchett, 1959). With that in mind, the Constitution was written to show that all men were created equal and that they had certain rights that were given to them simply because they were human beings (Maier, 2010). Because of that, those rights were not something to be controlled or taken from the people, and could not be controlled or taken by the government (Maier, 2010). The government, in short, did not have that right or ability, and was not designed to control the masses.

The self-interest view of human nature deeply influenced the structure of the original government (Billias, 2009). To some extent it still influences it today, but times have certainly changed when it comes to the rights people have and how they are provided to the American public. When people are focused on their own self-interest, they do not spend as much time interested...

...

This was a large part of what the original government was about. It was designed to be hands-off to a large extent, so people could do their own things and live their lives the way they wanted to, without excessive government interference. The interference from the government into everyday life was what the original colonists moved to the New World to avoid (Maier, 2010). As such, they were deeply committed to avoiding that type of problem and building a government that was too intrusive to the colonists and their desires for a more open society.
The government was designed to protect the people from too much actual governing (Pritchett, 1959). Instead, it was there to take care of them, and was much more about protection and much less about intrusion. Most of the rules and regulations that were focused on being involved with private citizens' business came later, with amendments and changes (Maier, 2010). The laws that were created by states were also a part of that intrusion (Maier, 2010). For the most part, the desire of the original American government was of protection of the people (Billias, 2009). It was there for ensuring that people worked with one another, did not harm each other, and contributed to society so that everyone could have some measure of equality and a good life (Billias, 2009). The Constitution, as it was originally written, was not about following rules but about providing freedom of choice (Maier, 2010).

That is a very notable issue, because most…

Sources Used in Documents:

Works Cited

Billias, George (2009). American constitutionalism heard round the world, 1776-1989: a global perspective. New York: New York University Press. Print.

Maier, Pauline (2010). Ratification: the people debate the Constitution, 1787-1788. New York: Simon & Schuster. Print.

Pritchett, C. Herman (1959). The American Constitution. New York: McGraw-Hill. Print.


Cite this Document:

"Constitution The United States Constitution Is Based" (2013, October 22) Retrieved April 25, 2024, from
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/constitution-the-united-states-constitution-125299

"Constitution The United States Constitution Is Based" 22 October 2013. Web.25 April. 2024. <
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/constitution-the-united-states-constitution-125299>

"Constitution The United States Constitution Is Based", 22 October 2013, Accessed.25 April. 2024,
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/constitution-the-united-states-constitution-125299

Related Documents

Domestic Terrorism Since the days of the Old West, domestic terrorism has dug its roots into the United States. From Timothy McVeigh, whose motivations for the Oklahoma City bombing ranged from his complaints over the governments' dealing with certain political situations to his anger over the violence he witnessed during his stint in the military, to eco-terrorists and animal-rights activists who use violence in order to win others to their cause,

The effect is that exclusion is not only applied to those who would hurt the government but also to those that would uphold the same. The Patriot Act provides facilitation of shared information as well as cooperation between agencies of the government in order for all the pieces of the puzzle to fit together. The Act moves aside the barriers that have Constitutionally speaking prevented the police, intelligence as well

United States History 1492-1865 Q.1) Why was it necessary to change the Articles of Confederation? Drawbacks of the Articles of Confederation Under the Articles of Confederation, the Congress was given charge of many affairs such as making decisions about war and peace, regulating the postage system and the currency, settling disagreements between various states, conducting foreign affairs, and managing the western lands. Nevertheless, in spite of this authority, the Articles of Confederation did

In addition it was agreed that issues of federal budget, revenue and taxation would originate with the House of Representatives. The Great Compromise issued in a spirit of success to the convention and essentially ended the division between the small and large states. However, it did nothing to alleviate the pending debate between the Federalist and the Anti-Federalist. Decisions on how much power to give to the people and to

USA Patriot Act the United
PAGES 7 WORDS 2175

However the disclaimers of USA Patriot Act agree on the necessity of protecting the nation and the world against terrorism, they also emphasize on the need to further analyze and change the act so that it does protect the individual liberties of the U.S. citizens and respects the provisions in the American constitution. 5. Discussion The question that has been asked by many simple individuals relies in the true agenda of the

United States has become preoccupied with the internal affairs at the expense of the foreign affairs after the civil war. It started interfering in overseas conflicts and interacting with the World after the diplomatic inactivity from Latin America and Spain to the China and Philippines. This interaction made the America to become a major World power. The first conflict of America was with the Hawaii in Pacific which was governed by