Unconstitutional Constitution

Paper Summary:

This paper addresses the question of whether the reasons for celebration of freedom and equality related to the Constitution are valid. The writer shows how at the time of the ratification, much of the Constitution did not apply equally to all the people in the new United States. Slaves, woman, non land-owners and others were all excluded or marginalized by these new laws of "freedom" and "equality". The paper states that The Founding Fathers were part of an elite group of educated white males whose motives were materialistic in nature to a great extent, and their interests were given paramount importance in the government they created.

From the Paper:

"Prior to the start of the American Revolution, there was considerable class dissension developing in the cities and urban regions alike. In Boston, rich and poor were at odds, with the rich trying to keep the poor humble and the poor showing growing anger toward the rich. The conflict between rich and poor in the countryside was used by political leaders to mobilize the population against England. here were strong social movements in the Northeast aimed at a handful of rich landlords. Land rioters saw the issue as poor against rich. In the northern cities where the key battles were being fought, the colonial leaders had a divided white population. The leaders could win over certain segments of society, classes that were adversely affected by the British. Most of the leadership came from the middle class and well-to-do merchant class, and they were spurred to action by the Stamp Act. Certain British actions were specifically harmful to the working class, such as the impressment and quartering of troops (Zinn 59-66)."

More papers on Unconstitutional Constitution:

• Dissertation or Thesis # 115522 : "Neo-Convergence in the Indian Constitution"
• Research Paper # 57714 : "Abortion and the Constitution"
• Analytical Essay # 4292 : "The Constitution vs. Racial Profiling: The Knock-out Round"

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