Constitution De Los Estados Unidos

The United States Constitution is the supreme law of the United States of America. It was adopted in its original form September 17, 1787 by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and later ratified by the people in conventions in each state in the name of "the People" (We the People) The Constitution has a central place in law and American political culture. The Constitution of the United States is considered the oldest national constitution that is currently in effect in the world. An original copy of the document can be found in the Administration of National Archives in Washington D. C.

In September 1786, commissioners from five states met in Annapolis Convention to discuss amendments to the Articles of Confederation that would improve commerce. Invited representatives from other states to meet in Philadelphia to discuss improvements to the federal government. As a result of the debate, the Congress of the Confederation was proposed to revise the Articles of Confederation on February 21, 1787. Twelve states, Rhode Island being the only exception, accepted the invitation and sent delegates to the convention in May 1787. The resolution calling the Convention specified its intention to amend the Articles of Confederation, but the Convention decided to propose to write a new constitution. The Philadelphia Convention voted to keep deliberations secret and decided to draft a new fundamental government design which eventually stipulated that nine of the thirteen states had to ratify the constitution for it to come into effect for the participating states.

Ratification Unlike the amendment process provided for in Article 16 of the Articles of Confederation, Congress submitted the proposal to the states and set the terms of representation. On September 17, 1787, the Constitution was completed in Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin then made a speech in which he spoke of unanimity, though only nine states were required to ratify the constitution so that it came into force. After a hard struggle for ratification in several states, New Hampshire became the ninth state on June 2, 1788. Once the Congress of the Confederation received word of the ratification of New Hampshire, set dates for the Constitution took effect, and the government created by the Constitution began operations on March 4, 1789.

Historical Influences

many of the ideas in the Constitution were new, and many of them were derived from the literature of Republicanism in the United States, the experience of thirteen states and the United Kingdom's experience with mixed form of government. The most important influence in Continental Europe came from Montesquieu, who stressed to have balanced forces that oppose each other to prevent tyranny. (This reflects the influence of Polybius sought-century BC - about the checks and balances of the Constitution of the Roman Republic). John Locke is known to have a mixed influence, and the due process clause of the Constitution of the United States was partly based on common law with references to the Magna Carta of 1215. It should also highlight the influence that the tradition of democratic and egalitarian of the Iroquois Confederacy was in Benjamin Franklin when drafting the Constitution.

The Preamble states:

WE, THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare and secure for ourselves and our posterity the blessings of liberty, ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

References

Constitution of the United States. (2002). World Almanac and Book of Facts, (p.1315). World Almanac Education Group. Retrieved July 06, 2011, from General OneFile via Gale:

http://find.galegroup.com.ezp-02.lirn.net/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=lirn_crevc

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