The Constitution
A case for the connection of America's colonial and revolutionary religious 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 thelack of advanced schooling among common Americans at that time. Otherpoints also concur with the main idea and make the theory of theMuch 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
The First Amendment's guarantee of religious freedomcould have been influenced by the colonial tradition of relative religiousfreedom. William Penn also contributed tothis idea in Pennsylvania, where the Quakers were tolerant of otherdenominations. 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. In addition to the tradition of religious tolerance in thecolonies, there was a tradition of self-government and popular involvementin government. Maryland developed a system ofgovernment much like Britain's, with a representative assembly, the Houseof Delegates, and the governor sharing power. The First Amendment states, "Congress may make no lawrespecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercisethereof. Events like these served tostrengthen the tradition of self-government that had become so deeplyembedded in American society. ," showing that, unlike the British government, the new USgovernment had no intention of naming or supporting a state church orsuppressing any religious denominations. In conclusion, the Constitution's basic principles are directlyrelated to the long tradition of self-rule and religious tolerance incolonial and revolutionary America. TheSons of Liberty also protested what they perceived to be excessiveinterference in local affairs by Parliament, terrorizing British officialsin charge of selling the hated stamps. The from of government specified by the Constitution seems to be acontinuation of this tradition. ------------------------------------------------------------------------**Bibliography**. The lower house, the House ofRepresentative, furthermore, is to be directly elected by the people. Ifthe Bill of Rights is considered, the religious aspect of the traditionbecomes apparent.
Common topics in this essay:
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House Delegates,
,
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Pennsylvania Quakers,
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bill rights considered,
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Acceptance Essays
