history colonisation
A case for the connection of America's colonial and revolutionaryreligious and political experiences to the basic principles of theConstitution can be readily made. One point in favor of this conclusionis the fact that most Americans at that time had little beside theirexperiences on which to base their political ideas. This is due to the lack of advanced schooling among common Americans at that time. Otherpoints also concur with the main idea and make the theory of theconnection plausible. Much evidence to support this claim can be found in the wording ofthe Constitution itself. Even the Preamble has an important idea thatarose from the Revolutionary period. The first line of the Preamblestates, We the People of the United States... ." This implies that thenew government that was being formed derived its sovereignty from thepeople, which would serve to prevent it from becoming corrupt anddisinterested
The Puritan colony inMassachusetts originally had a government similar to a corporate board ofdirectors with the first eight stockholders, called freemen" holdingpower. If the Bill of Rights is considered, more supporting ideasbecome evident. The from of government specified by the Constitution seems to be acontinuation of this tradition. Maryland developed a system of government much like Britain's, with a representative assembly, the Houseof Delegates, and the governor sharing power. Events like these served tostrengthen the tradition of self-government that had become so deeplyembedded in American society. Later, the definition of freemen" grew to include all malecitizens, and the people were given a strong voice in their owngovernment. ," showing that, unlike the British government, the new USgovernment had no intention of naming or supporting a state church orsuppressing any religious denominations. The First Amendment states, "Congress may make no lawrespecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercisethereof. This tradition was clear even in the early colonies, like Plymouth, which was formed by Puritan dissenters from England seekingreligious freedom. Jamestown, the earliest of thecolonies, had an assembly, the House of Burgesses, which was elected bythe property owners of the colony. Second, it specifies that each state shall berepresented in both houses of Congress. Ifthe Bill of Rights is considered, the religious aspect of the traditionbecomes apparent. In 1765, the colonists convened the Stamp ActCongress, which formed partly because the colonists believed that thegovernment was interfering too greatly with the colonies' right toself-government. Roger Williams, the proprietor of Rhode Island,probably made an even larger contribution to this tradition by advocatingand allowing complete religious freedom.
Common topics in this essay:
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Houseof Delegates,
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Bill Rights,
Pennsylvania Quakers,
,
People United,
Act Congress,
Americans Otherpoints,
House Burgesses,
tradition religious,
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Acceptance Essays
