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Constitution
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What is Constitution?

The Constitution stands as one of the most examined documents in American political and legal history, making it a central subject in history, political science, law, and civics courses. Students write about it because it raises enduring questions about the balance of power, the protection of individual rights, and the relationship between citizens and their government. Its origins in the turbulent period following the Articles of Confederation, the debates surrounding its ratification, and its ongoing interpretation through amendments and Supreme Court decisions give it layers of complexity that reward sustained academic attention.

The papers collected here approach the Constitution from several distinct angles. Some take a historical perspective, examining the political pressures of the mid-1780s that drove delegates toward a new framework, or asking whether the document represented a counter-revolution or a national salvation. Others focus on legal and structural analysis, tracing how amendments shape the broader legal system or how federal power is distributed through federalism. Case-focused essays use specific Supreme Court decisions and cases such as Ruiz v. Estelle to ground constitutional principles in concrete legal outcomes. A smaller number of papers place the Constitution in comparative or thematic contexts alongside topics like secular humanism or revolutionary America.

A strong essay on the Constitution requires a focused thesis that moves beyond description toward an interpretive claim about power, rights, or legitimacy. Evidence drawn from the text of amendments, congressional authority, and documented legal precedent carries the most weight in historical and legal arguments. The most common pitfall is treating the Constitution as a static document rather than one continuously reshaped by political conflict, court interpretation, and the evolving relationship between citizens and federal government.

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Research Paper Doctorate

Indian removal policy and Cherokee sovereignty before 1830

¶ … Removal Act of May 28, 1830 was an act by both Houses of Congress of the U.S., which provided for an exchange of lands with the native Indian tribes residing in any of the states or territories and for their removal…

Research Paper Doctorate

Commercial speech protections and billboard advertising restrictions

¶ … First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees to us freedom of speech - promises to each citizen and resident of the United States that the government will not tell us what we can or cannot say. Right?

Paper Doctorate

The legality of the Patriot Act and homeland security

This paper focuses on the Patriot Act of 2001, passed in the wake of the September 11 attacks. In this vein, it examines both the legality of the Act, the ensuing debates after its passion, as well as whether the Act is still legal and useful today.

Thesis Undergraduate

John Stuart Mill's libertarianism and the constraints of the U.S. Constitution

None of the issues being raised today by the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement are new, but rather they date back to the very beginning of the United States. At the time the Constitution was written in 1787, human rights and civil liberties were far more constrained than they are in the 21st Century. Only white men with property had voting rights for example, while most states still had slavery and women and children were still the property of fathers and husbands. Only very gradually was the Constitution amended to grant equal citizenship and voting rights to all, and even the original Bill of Rights was added only because the Antifederalists threatened to block ratification. In comparison, the libertarianism of John Stuart Mill in his famous book On Liberty was very radical indeed, even in 1859 much less 1789. He insisted that individuals should be left totally free to do as they pleased so long as they did no harm to others. To that extent, he would have supported the rights of OWS to protest and dissent, and been highly critical of how the authorities were suppressing the movement on the flimsiest of pretexts. As a supporter of free markets, he would also have opposed the trillions in dollars in bailout money that large banks and corporations have received from governments. On the other hand, he probably would have found the ideas of many OWS supporters too radical or socialistic, but at the same time have defended their right to assemble and demonstrate

Paper Doctorate

Privacy rights should supersede media freedom in journalism

The right to privacy should be protected more than the freedom of the press to avoid more harm to victims of crimes and to allow celebrities to enjoy private lives with family. the courts have upheld a broad view of the right to privacy and interpreted amendments where journalists do not have special privileges. The press should be made to uphold the right to privacy as well.

Research Paper Doctorate

Maria Bailey's misrepresentation of her business through consequentialist and deontological ethics

Maria Bailey clearly and blatantly misrepresented the size of her start-up business, but shrugged it off saying she knew what she was "capable of doing" and just wanted to show potential clients "what we were going to…

Research Paper Doctorate

Legal prohibition of alcohol and its effectiveness in reducing crime

How effective has the legal prohibition of alcohol been in controlling crime? A recent Department of Justice Report (U.S. Department of Justice) said that alcohol was a factor in 40% of all violent crimes and accounted…

Research Paper Doctorate

The critical importance of religion in contemporary society

¶ … religion in our age. The writer takes the reader on an exploratory journey through the current stresses of the world and the ways that religion helps us deal with that stress. It also explores our need to believe…

Research Paper Doctorate

John Locke's theory of punishment and natural rights

John Locke was an English philosopher, who is undoubtedly the philosopher of modern times and the originator of concepts like self and identity, human nature and understanding, theory of mind and several other concepts regarding political philosophy and ethics. Born in 1632 and died in 1704, Locke is unanimously termed as the Father of Classical Liberalism since during the enlightenment era; he was amongst the most influential and widely followed scholars. Many of his works regarding liberalism and republicanism have been included into the US Declaration of Independence and Constitution, due to their authenticity and practicality in real terms.

Paper Doctorate

Constitutional requirements for U.S. presidential eligibility and natural-born citizenship

In many countries of the world, actually in most countries of the world, the position of the supreme commander of that nation can only be a person who was born in that country. The reason behind this requirement is that…

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