We The People...
In his Federalist Paper #51, James Madison said, "If all men were angels, no government would be necessary." However, all men are not angels; therefore, some form of government is needed to maintain order, protect the rights of the minority, express the wishes of the majority, defend it's citizens from outside intrusions, etc. It has been seen throughout the centuries since the Ancient Grecian city-states and Acropoli to Britain's monarchy all the way to our very own Constitutional democracy. John Locke, in fact, discussed at length what life would be like without a central governing body. He called it a "state of nature," where individual rights remain unprotected and vulnerable. No one person is ever truly the leader, so what's left is a constant battle for dominance and power; chaos runs rampant and no one is safe. The Romans realized this and created a republican form of government, whereby officials are elected by the people to represent the people when making political choices. The English realized this same point and drafted the Magna Carta in order to prevent King John and all future kings from wielding too much power. Thus, when the colonists first came to America, they agreed, before even l
Amendments were included to lay the foundation for our judicial proceedings. Where the Constitution left off, the Bill of Rights picked up. However, Madison realized that this was still not enough to protect the rights of the majority, should a minority faction seize power. Through the Bill of Rights an In order to prevent an oppressive aristocratic government, the Bill of Rights guarantees the first amendment individual liberties of free speech, religion, petition, press and assembly. The second amendment's collective right to bear arms ensures the states' defense against a despotic government. Madison included the 9th amendment to quench the fears of the Anti-Federalists and to satisfy the unlisted liberties assumed in the Constitution. Despite all of these provisions and guarantees, the Federalists realized the Bill of Rights was necessary to appease the Anti-Federalists, preclude another constitutional convention and obtain ratification from all thirteen states. The Federalists agreed to add a protection of individual liberties once the new government was established. The Bicentennial Commission of the Constitution said, "America has always been about rights...While many nations are based on a shared language or ethnic heritage, Americans have made rights the foundation of their national identity." The numerous protections of individual, minority and majority rights create a constitution within the Bill of Rights. These liberties frame our democracy, and yet the Bill of Rights lacks the structural details the Constitution embodies. Thus, it is only through the combination of the Bill of Rights and Constitution that our government can exist as a nation "for the people, by the people and of the people."
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1292
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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