Constitution as the Backbone of American Government
Democracies routinely fail. According to Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, “Military coups and other violent seizures of power are rare….. Democracies still die, but by different means.…most democratic breakdowns have been caused not by generals and soldiers but by elected governments themselves…elected leaders have subverted democratic institutions.” While Levitsky and Ziblatt wrote this in 2018, the drafters of the United States Constitution were aware that democracies are fragile institutions. They understood that political systems can collapse when citizens lose faith in their government and/or despotic leaders subvert democratic institutions to push policies without regard for the views of the people. The framers of the United States Constitution sought both to create a strong national government and to stop the executive from having too much power, while ensuring that the public view would view the government as legitimate. 230 years after the document was drafted, America’s political system remains intact.
In your essay, you should discuss features of our constitution that support the claim that is highlighted in bold in the previous paragraph.
When writing your essay, you should make an effort to incorporate the assigned readings from the semester. You should also incorporate explicit examples from the United States Constitution. Citations to readings or other materials should be in any format you are comfortable with, however all materials should be cited. Most students will utilize either footnotes or a "Harvard" reference style that relies on brackets (e.g. Roche 1961, 290).
It is important to note that your essay will be graded upon your ability to develop a coherent argument based upon a clear understanding of our political system, the readings and the Constitution. Your grade will not be based upon the position you take. The quality of organization and writing will be given weight in the grading process. Thus, your essay should include an introduction that lays out the argument that you will be making and a conclusion that summarizes the argument. A string of quotes from the materials is unacceptable. All references or quotations must be cited in either footnotes or endnotes. The paper will be primarily graded content. However, a small portion of the grade will depend upon the quality of the writing.
A strong essay will have these elements:
Clarity of thesis and purpose. The thesis and purpose are clear to the reader.
Organization. The essay is organized in a way that fully supports the thesis and purpose. It is imperative that the reader feels that the writer is in control of the organization. The essay's introduction should tell the reader where you are going. The conclusion needs to reiterate your argument.
Support. The essay provides the best possible evidence and reasoning to convince the reader.
Sources. The essay effectively utilizes the assigned sources to support, extend, and inform the ideas but not to substitute for your own presentation of ideas. You should make a point of utilizing materials from the syllabus (films, podcasts, articles, etc....).
Style. Language is used with control and elegance. Every sentence makes the point you want to make in as succinct a manner as possible.
Mechanics. The essay uses proper punctuation and spelling.
Presentation. The essay looks neat and professional.
Professor suggests we mention: framers wanted to create a strong national government, stop the executive from having a strong national power, all while ensuring the public view the government as legitimate.
Mention: How did they create a strong national government and where is that highlighted in constitution? How did we limit the power of the executives? (checks and balances, electoral process) How did they craft this document that the public believed it as legit?
You can also go over 825 words, the cap is 1,000 words it just didn't fit into category.
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Since its inception, the Constitution has served as a basic framework for the American Government. The framers of the Constitution aimed to achieve Government systems based on fair laws that apply equally to all people by instilling principles that would provide a solid foundation for establishing new nations in an uncertain future. This Government system is anchored on cooperation, unity among the states and between the states and nations. To achieve strong national power, the architects of the Constitution designed the three branches with distinct, separate powers but with authority over each other to limit excessive use of power to constraint the government, as evident in the texts of the Constitution.
The United States Constitution is designed to protect various individual liberties of American citizens. With more than 200 years, the American Constitution has become the longest-serving lasting government charter. The first three words, "We the People", affirm that the American government is designed to serve the people. In this regard, the Constitution has been regarded as a symbol of unity encompassing freedom from physical restraint and freedom from unsolicited government intrusions.[Böckenförde, Markus. A Practical Guide to Constitution Building: Decentralized Forms of Government. International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), 2011.] [Llewellyn, Karl Nickerson. "The Constitution as an institution." Colum. L. Rev. 34 (1934): 1.]
The precepts of the Constitution reflect the vision of our forefathers under the 14th Amendment (Bill of Rights). This provision defines our core fundamental freedoms in common language "free exercise," of one's right equated to voting, "freedom of speech," "equal protection of the laws," "cruel and unusual punishment." Similarly, Article 1 of the United States Constitution establishes the Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The symbolic positioning of the Congress, in the beginning, affirms its status as the first arm of government. The Constitution granted Congress power to pass laws and responsibility for the executive and judiciary. The President can veto specific legislative acts, but Congress can bypass the presidential vetoes by two-thirds votes of both houses. Under this provision, the Constitution accorded powers to the Senate to approve instrumental judicial and executive figures. In Article 2 Section 2, the Constitution grants executive power vested in the President to supervise the implementation of laws and serve as th...