Executive Actions That Changed US History

Democracy's Guidelines and the Supreme Court

Introduction

The United States has followed important democratic guidelines from the beginning. These are written in important documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Over the years, these guidelines have been used and interpreted in different ways through important Supreme Court decisions and key actions by Presidents. How power is shared between the three parts of government, how individual rights are protected, and how social rules change have been influenced by these court decisions and presidential actions. This paper looks at the main ideas and guidelines of American democracy. It also talks about Supreme Court cases and presidential actions that have greatly changed the country's laws and society.

The Guidelines of American Democracy

The basic guidelines and ideas of American democracy are written in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. These are the main documents that guide the country. These guidelines include the idea that power comes from the people, the idea of a republic, limited government, dividing power, and individual rights (Dippel, 1996).

Power Comes from the People

This guideline says that the people are the source of power. The start of the Constitution says, "We the People," highlighting that government power comes from the people's agreement. This idea is also repeated in the Declaration of Independence, which says that governments are created by people and get their fair powers from the agreement of the people.

Republic

American democracy uses a republic type of government, which means that people vote for representatives to make decisions for them. This provides a balance between a direct democracy, which can lead to the majority having too much power, and the need for effective government.

Limited Government and Rule of Law

The U.S. Constitution puts specific limits on what the government can do to prevent misuse of power. This guideline, called limited government, is made to protect citizens from random and unfair rule (Smith, 1997). The rule of law says that no one is above the law, not even the people in power, making sure everyone is equal under the law.

Dividing Power

The Constitution shares governmental powers between three parts: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. This is done to prevent power from being concentrated in one place or in one set of hands. The intention was to establish a system where each part can limit and balance the others. This is known as separation of powers.

Individual Rights and Freedoms

The Declaration of Independence stresses the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that can't be taken away, while the Constitution’s Bill of Rights promises specific individual rights, like freedom of speech, religion, and the right to a fair trial. These rights protect citizens from government overreach and are a very important part of American democracy.

Supreme Court Cases and Presidential Actions

The United States Supreme Court has had a key role in changing the country's laws and society through important cases. Similarly, actions by Presidents have had large effects on various parts of life.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

This case created the rule of judicial review, which gives the judicial part of government—i.e., the Supreme Court—the power to say if laws are constitutional or not. The case happened because of an argument during the change from President John Adams to incoming President Thomas Jefferson. Just before he left office, Adams appointed a bunch of Federalists for jobs in the government, including William Marbury as Justice of the Peace. But Marbury's commission was not delivered before Adams left office. When Jefferson started his term, he told his Secretary of State not to deliver the remaining commissions, including Marbury's. Jefferson did not want Federalists in the government. Thus, Marbury did not receive his commission. Marbury asked the Supreme Court to make Jefferson deliver the commission. At root, this case focused on the issue of whether the Supreme Court had the power to tell the executive part of government what to do. The Court decided that Marbury had a right to his commission, but also said that it did not have the power under the Constitution to intervene on this specific matter. Still, it created the rule of judicial review. Jefferson himself thought it would lead to judicial tyranny (Tiedemann, 1899).

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

This case started when some black parents in Topeka, Kansas, were not allowed to enroll their children in the white schools near their homes. The Supreme Court said that racial separation in public schools was against the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, and thus they overturned the "separate but equal" rule from Plessy v. Ferguson (Warren, 1954). This was the start of the end for legal separation in America and was a big win for the Civil Rights Movement.

As for Presidential Actions, two are more important than many others in American history: Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and Roosevelt’s order to intern Japanese Americans during WW2.

Emancipation Proclamation (1862)

Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was a pivotal point in the American Civil War. Lincoln gave this executive order, saying that all enslaved people in the Confederate-held areas were to be set free. It did not end slavery in the nation, but it changed the nature of the war. Before the Proclamation, the Union was fighting to keep the nation together. After the Proclamation, the war was also a fight to end slavery. The order also allowed African Americans to serve in the Union Army and Navy, giving the Union more manpower and moral strength.

Executive Order 9066 (1942)

Given by President Franklin Roosevelt after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Executive Order 9066 allowed for the forced relocation and internment of about 120,000 Japanese Americans (Nakanishi, 2009). This is often seen as one of the worst violations of civil rights in American history. Many interned citizens lost their homes and businesses, and the effect on the Japanese American community was deep and long-lasting. It was not until 1988 that the U.S. government formally apologized for the internment with the Civil Liberties Act, which gave reparations to survivors of the internment camps.