Tuesday, May 17, 2011

American Citizens Live By The Six Goals Of The US Constitution

American Government is a required and key course for history majors. You cannot get a full grasp of the history of our country without the knowledge of the one element that unified the nation and established the government process that we honor today, the United States Constitution. In your American Government course, you will gain insight into the inner workings and goals of the U.S. Constitution.

There are six individual goals of the Constitution, the first being to form a more perfect union. During the time the country was governed by the Articles of Confederation, the states acted as independent nations, working autonomously and without collaboration. The framers of the Constitution wanted to unite the country, thus one of the goals was to bring them together in unison.

A second goal of the Constitution is to establish justice. This refers that the laws of the land must be applied fairy to all citizens, regardless of race, religion, gender, etc. Justice is maintained through the federal system of courts; they review a diverse collection of cases involving the Constitution and national laws. Without the national systems of courts, disputes about law interpretation would remain unsettled, and confusion and even injustice might result.

The national government must have the power to ensure domestic tranquility. This is the third goal of the Constitution - to give the national government certain powers that enable them to keep the peace. National agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Guard were established under the domestic tranquility objective; both of these entities can step in and help to protect life and property.

The framers of the Constitution realized the importance of having armed forces. Military powers help to prevent attacks by opposing nations as well as protect economic and political interests. Therefore, the fourth goal of the Constitution is to provide for the common defense. The President is the commander of the armed forces, and the different branches include the army, navy, air force, marine corps, and coastguard.

The Constitution gives the national government the means to promote the general welfare of all the people. This includes collecting taxes and setting aside monies that will benefit people and their specific needs. Some of the familiar ways the government promotes the general welfare of the people is by providing free public education, social security for retired or disabled persons, and grants for college education.

The sixth, and possibly the most important, goal of the Constitution is to secure the blessings of liberty. The major reason the colonists fought the American Revolution was for the protection of liberty, so it only makes sense that it would be a main goal of the Constitution. Liberty refers to the freedom to live an individual life, as long as laws are obeyed and the rights of others are respected. The Constitution ensures individual liberty through the Bill of Rights.


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