Constitution Timeline

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Constitution Time Line
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Constitution Time Line

Running Head: Constitution Timeline

Constitution Time Line

Grand Canyon University: POS-301 Arizona/Federal Government

September 29, 2012

There are five important documents that have had an impact on the evolution of the United States Constitution. These documents include the Magna Carta (1215), the Mayflower Compact (1620), the Declaration of Independence (1776), the Articles of Confederation (1777), and the Federalist Papers (1787-1788). Significant documents in their own right these papers laid the framework for the creation of the modern day United States Constitution. The inception of the constitution was born partly from the successes and failures these previous ruling documents brought to their countries.

The Magna Carta or “The Great Charter” was created by Great Britain in 1215. It consisted of 63 clauses that dealt with the rights, customs, and administration of justice. It was put in place because of King John’s abuse of his people. He created chaos and did inhumane things to his people against the justice system. Only 3 of the original 63 clauses still remain which consist of “the clause confirming the privileges of the city of London and other towns; and the most famous clause of all which states that no free man shall be imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed or exiled without the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land” (Magna Carta 2008) The others have been replaced by modern laws and the original clauses were put in place so that limits were set on royalty and so that the King adhered to the law just like the rest of the people in Great Britain. This document has an impact on the evolution of the United States Constitution because

The next document was the Mayflower Compact which was signed in Provincetown Harbor in 1620 abroad the Mayflower. There was no government in place at the “New World” so the Mayflower Compact was put in place to establish a government until an official government was established. This document was the foundation of the U.S. Constitution because it was the first form of government on U.S. soil. It gave the Pilgrims rights but was run by the King of England. This form of government didn’t last too long though, the next document was written to separate the colonies from England.

The next document was the Declaration of Independence. It consists of five parts which include the Preamble, the Statement of Human Rights, Charges Against Human Rights, Charges Against the King and Parliaments and the Statement of Separation and Signatures. The reason that this document was written was to separate England from the colonies. It gave the colonies independence and stated that men are created equal and granted “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” These words are also stated in the U.S. Constitution which is the basis of how our government runs today. The Articles of Confederations are next which were established in 1781. The colonies had become states and they had ratified them. The three branches, legislature, executive and judicial were just starting to function and the government was still weak. This resulted in a total re-write of the Articles of Confederation and that turned into the Constitution. The Constitution was bases of these Articles and without them the Constitution wouldn’t be what it is today.

The last set of documents that contributed to the U.S. Constitution were the Federalist papers. These papers were published burring 1787 and 1788 and were written to persuade voters to ratify the United States Constitution. The Federalist Papers are about 85 essays that in detail explain how our new government would run and why everyone should agree and vote for it. It is undetermined who wrote these papers but it is assumed that Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay contributed to most of them. These papers are a great way to really understand how the Constitution came about and understand what it means.

In conclusion these five documents are a great way to shshow how the United States Constitution came about. These documents did not only play a huge role in how the United States Constitution came to be but are also important individually. With out these documents the Untied States of America would not be the county that it is today.

References:

Congress. (2008). Travel Back in History. The Declaration of Independence. Retrieved

on September 29, 2012, form HYPERLINK "http://www.congressforkids.net" http://www.congressforkids.net/

Constitution_index.htm

Magna Carta. (2012). The Basics. Retrieved on September 29, 2012, from http://

HYPERLINK "http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/basics/basics.html" www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/basics/basics.html

Mayflower History. (1994). The May Flower Compact. Retrieved on September 29,

2012, from http:// HYPERLINK "http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/PrimarySources/MayflowerCompact.php"

References: Congress. (2008). Travel Back in History. The Declaration of Independence. Retrieved on September 29, 2012, form HYPERLINK "http://www.congressforkids.net" http://www.congressforkids.net/ Constitution_index.htm Magna Carta. (2012). The Basics. Retrieved on September 29, 2012, from http:// HYPERLINK "http://www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/basics/basics.html" www.bl.uk/treasures/magnacarta/basics/basics.html Mayflower History. (1994). The May Flower Compact. Retrieved on September 29, 2012, from http:// HYPERLINK "http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/PrimarySources/MayflowerCompact.php"