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Six Principles Of The Constitution

Decent Essays

How Are the Six Principles of the Constitution Embedded in the Constitution?

Bernardo Moyza
Mr. Collin
29 August 2014
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Plan of Investigation The Constitution of the United States was written to form and maintain the government. It consists of six basic principles. The following question will be answered by this investigation: “In what ways are the six principles of the Constitution of the U.S. embedded in the Constitution?” An issue that will be evaluated is the definition and an explanation of the six principles. Another issue will be explaining in what ways the principles are embedded in the Constitution. One source used will be a transcript of the Constitution. I found access to the Constitution through …show more content…

When the Constitution was signed, it replaced the previous government plan, The Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation were unsatisfactory. They created what Alexander Hamilton described as “an unequivocal experience of the inefficiency of the subsisting federal government.” (Library of Congress). After the incident of Shays’ Rebellion, many politically involved figures thought that a new plan of government was needed. These men were known as Federalists. Other men opposed the idea of a strong central government. These were known as Anti-Federalists. In order to come to a solution, these men met at a convention in Philadelphia, where they debated and discussed a new plan for government. After the Constitution was put into action, the government underwent a very positive change. The Constitution gave citizens new rights. Later on, the Bill of Rights was added, which are ten amendments giving citizens basic rights. The Constitution is very important for the people. It limits the power that the government has, but also gives it enough power to function as a government. It makes sure that every citizen has a set of rights that can’t be taken from them. It’s important because these rights are what the revolutionaries fought for, and if they are taken away, the whole war was for …show more content…

Limited government is similar to popular sovereignty. Basically, this principle limits the government’s power. The politicians at the time wanted to preserve the personal rights of every citizen, and the rights of the states. To do this, the Constitution only gives the government certain powers. These powers are outlined in the Constitution and fall under the next of the six principles. In the Bill of Rights, under Amendment X, it says the following, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people” (National Archives). This means that any power that isn’t given to government is given to states or to individual citizens. This limitation to the government is important because it prevents a dictatorship or anything leading to

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