The Origins of the Constitution

Paper Summary:

When determining the true roots of the United States' Constitution, the paper shows that this great document is a conglomerate of Greek, French, and English political ideologies. First, the very heart of democracy lies with the ancient Athenians and their city-state, or polis, where all citizens were individuals and could express their thoughts and opinions freely. Second, the paper shows that, through the ideals of Montesquieu, the Constitution reflects the French face of democracy and obviously serves as the very bedrock for the document. Finally, the paper shows that the English Constitution bears some responsibility for the formation of its American counterpart, due to the opinions of Carter Braxton (1736-1797), a wealthy planter, Continental Congress delegate ,and signer of the Declaration of Independence, who argued that "the best way to preserve liberty and stability would be to model the new government after the British Constitution", which fortunately did not occur, and thus allowed the "Founding Fathers" to employ their own principles as they evolved from the minds and works of those that came before them.

From the Paper:

"But one of the most influential aspects of Athenian democracy which was later incorporated into the American Constitution was the idea of majority rule which symbolizes the principle that the interest of the group must prevail over that of the individual citizen when the freedom of the group and the freedom of the individual come into conflict. Thus, the Athenians assumed that the right way to protect democracy was always to trust the majority vote of free-born, adult male citizens without any restrictions on a man's ability to say what he thought was best for his country and for democracy. And much like the political ideals associated with the "Founding Fathers" such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, majority rule rested on the belief that the cumulative political wisdom of the majority of voters would always outweigh the voices of the minority, especially when such minorities exhibited certain eccentricities and irresponsible acts which on the whole might upset the democratic system."

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• Analytical Essay # 16242 : "Origins of the Bill of Rights"

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