The Fundamentals of U.S. Government
You are a recent immigrant who has moved to the United States to attend a U.S. university. Your family has never been to the United States, and you are excited to tell them all about it, in particular the fundamentals of the U.S. government you are learning about in one of your courses.
Compose a 3-page letter to your family in which you outline the fundamentals of the U.S. government. Be sure to include the following:
-A brief explanation of the Constitution and its purpose.
-A brief explanation of two American ideals (e.g., democracy, liberty, equality, justice, freedom, or opportunity). This should include a definition and your understanding of what those ideals mean to the average U.S. citizen.
-A current event (from the last 6 months) that serves as an example of one of the two ideals you chose to explain. This will be the current event you selected in the Searching for Current Events About American Ideals activity in Week 4.
-Constitutional liberty that has benefitted/affected you as a student or a citizen in the United States. For example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is a federal law that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, and religion. Title VII also applies to private and public colleges and universities, employment agencies, and labor organizations. So if you chose this one, in your letter you would identify this constitutional liberty and how it applies to you specifically.
The Fundamentals of U.S. Government
Student’s Name
Institution
Dear family,
Living in the U.S. is a whole new experience for anybody coming from abroad many reasons: the infrastructure, technology, social aspects, and the American culture, among other things. In this letter, I am going to share with you some of the attributes that have made the U.S maintain robust political stability in over two centuries: the constitution and some of the few ideals ingrained in it to be specific.
I think it is quite important that the citizens of the contemporary governments familiarize themselves with the basic principles that govern the state, define the structure of governments, and the processes that outline the government function. The constitution can be seen as the bearer of the basic principles that govern the state and conveys the fundamentals rights of individuals living in a particular jurisdiction or country (Bulmer, 2017). Different countries have varied interpretations of the constitution and may vary in content and concepts. However, there are few commonalities for a broadly accepted constitution. The constitution must be accepted by a large multitude of citizens as a legitimate legal, social, and political document, meet the threshold for a democratic system through the representation of human rights, and can only be changed through a referendum (Bulmer, 2017).
The U.S. Constitution is undoubtedly the most popular or at least the most talked-about constitution by scholars of history, law, and any other disciplines whose concepts are intertwined with the overall ideals of such a document. The U.S. Constitution remains the most effective government charter for over two centuries, thanks to the skillfulness of the American founding fathers who had one purpose in mind during its enactment, to serve the people (sanate.gov, n.d.). The U.S. Constitution bears the most fundamental American ideals that serve and protect the U.S. citizens as well as the elected leaders who represent the people in government. The most fundamental ideas that bring out the sense of Americanism among all U.S. citizens and are well captured in the U.S. Constitution are freedom and democracy.
Freedom forms a major part of the American history and everyday life of an American citizen. The U.S. prides itself as the free state, with freedom as a fundamental basic right to all American citizens regardless of race, social class, or gender. Freedom from a conservative American point of view denotes the autonomy to have collective control over the government and also the enjoyment of ones’ private life without the infringement from other external forces. The concept of freedom in America has undergone a massive evolution for the last three centuries and has had an immense impact in shaping the American image. The pursuit of freedom marked the end to slavery in the U.S., allowed women and people of color to enjoy their democratic rights, and led to economic liberation.
Closely related...