I. Introduction The First Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." Despite this most hallowed of constitutional imperatives, both Congress and the states have found numerous occasions ...

In 1798, there was a young Republican publicist named Benjamin Franklin Bache, the editor of the Philadelphia Aurora, who was known as "Lightning Rod, Junior" because he was the grandson of Benjamin Franklin and was known for his shocking phraseology. Impetuous, harsh, narrow-minded and d...

When our forefathers created the Constitution, they were not aware of the dramatic changes in the future. The first ten amendments which are also known as the Bill of Rights, are the most prominent rights given to an individual in the United States of America. The First Amendment, Congress shall ...

Richard Freed Topic 8: Federalism Is the federal division of powers an obstruction to good governance in the United States? The federal division of powers does not provide an obstruction to good governance in the US. For this argument to hold, federal division of power and good governanc...

Eminent domain is the moral groundwork by which government acquires private property through compulsory purchase. The idea holds that to advance the greater welfare of the public, government must be able to use land and other private goods to which it would not otherwise have access. Its present ...

According to Brian Bix, law is most often considered with deciding who gets to decide cases. In America's political system, this question is often distinguished. Much controversy and debate is focused on federalism. At what level should decisions be made, (individual, municipal, state or fed...

Government, the term applied to the institutions and processes, whether formally established or not, by which individuals and groups within a state or society are controlled and regulated for various purposes, such as common defense, general welfare, or internal peace. Thus government is an agency o...

"From My Cold, Dead Hands!" When anyone mentions "gun control," it makes me cringe with disbelief. It is impossible for me to understand why people want to (and might some day) take away my right to gun ownership. They defend their cases by using examples of school shootings and gang vi...

Does Britain need a written constitution? When questioning Britain's current constitution it is first necessary to define what a constitution is and more importantly what the British constitution consists of. A constitution is broadly described as, a set of rules that seek to establish the...

Johnson -1- THE BILL OF RIGHTS By the end of the eighteenth century, the majority of Americans had come to believe that government was created by citizens who consent to live under its laws in order to protect their rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." They also fe...

Overview: The U.S. and CA Constitutions Fall 2000 We turn now to a study of the basic institutional context or infrastructure of tbe U.S. and California systems of government and politics. It is important to remember that the political process is "contextual." It...

The Constitution Right from the beginning of it's creation the constitution of the United States has been a shaky document. The very basis for it being there was in fact illegal. The story of American politics starts with the Declara...

A Journey Though the "Golden Gates" of Promise Great controversy exists over the true promises of the "Golden Gates" in the United States. Discrimination occurs with different ethnic groups, but for those immigrants permitted into the country, the opportunities are excellen...

Identify and comment on what you see to be the strengths and/or weaknesses of the American system as far as the topics in this section are concerned. The constitutional system of the United States is a puzzling aspect of an American's life. Many do not understand. Some think they underst...

If the United States had a hall of fame, I think only the most important people in this nation should be admitted into it. In order to qualify you would have to have done at least three great things for your nation. Alexander Hamilton has done this and more: He has won the respect of many people inc...

Why Did the U.S. Involve Itself with the Middle East in the Early to Mid 1990's? When the United States of America was founded in 1776 it seemed to our forefathers there was little if any need for a real foreign policy. The general belief was that the United States was small and, to say th...

When looking at the men who founded this country it is easy to lift them onto a pedestal and perceive them as perfect. The time itself is looked at as purely American; a time when American ideals were lived for the first time, when the ideals were lived perfectly and perhaps lived for the last tim...

Operation Just Cause: The Truth Behind the Invasion of Panama. In 1501 Spanish explorer Rodrigo de Bastidas, sailing west from Venezuela, was the first European to reach the Isthmus of Panama. The Spanish King Ferdinand V saw in Panama a country filled with prospects and resources for years to c...

In 1927, the use, selling, and growing of marijuana became illegal. With the passing of these restrictions, there were several direct violations of the United States Constitution. The Constitution was put in place to guarantee that all Americans would be protected under it. Not being able to use,...

Fourteenth Amendment Before the slaves were freed, most citizens relied on their states to be protectors of their basic rights against the federal government (Klotter, Kanovitz, and Kanovitz 24). After the war freed the slaves, the relationship between the national government and state governmen...

Gun Control Government 2301 02 November 1996 A Well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms , shall not be infringed. Amendment II, Bill of Rights ...

Religion and public schooling, is one of today's most controversial issues in society. The question at hand is whether the teachers in the public schools should teach religion in America's school systems or not. This controversy has been the issue of many Supreme Court rulings within the past thirt...

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances (United States Constitutio...

Gun Control Government 2301 02 November 1996 A Well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms , shall not be infringed. Amendment II, Bill of R...

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE: THE FOUNDATION OR FISSURE FOR OUR COUNTRY? Foundations are one of the most important parts of houses. When building the foundations very carefully, the owner must know exactly what the house is to look like and what the floor plans are. Since the foundation...