History of the US Constitution: Difference between revisions

From WikiDemocracy
Jump to navigationJump to search
← Older edit

Lilly (talk | contribs)

2 user groups
9,946 edits
VisualWikitext
Lilly (talk | contribs)
staff, Administrators
9,946 edits
No edit summary
Lilly (talk | contribs)
staff, Administrators
9,946 edits
No edit summary
 
(36 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 127: Line 127:
[https://www.pbs.org/tpt/constitution-usa-peter-sagal/about/ by PBS Shows]
[https://www.pbs.org/tpt/constitution-usa-peter-sagal/about/ by PBS Shows]
  CONSTITUTION USA, a production of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning team of tptNational Productions and Insignia Films, is hosted by Peter Sagal, the smart, sharp-witted star of NPR’s popular Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!. Over the course of the four-hour series, Sagal hits the road, travelling cross country on a customized red, white and blue Harley-Davidson, to find out where the Constitution lives, how it works, and how it unites us as a nation.
  CONSTITUTION USA, a production of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning team of tptNational Productions and Insignia Films, is hosted by Peter Sagal, the smart, sharp-witted star of NPR’s popular Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!. Over the course of the four-hour series, Sagal hits the road, travelling cross country on a customized red, white and blue Harley-Davidson, to find out where the Constitution lives, how it works, and how it unites us as a nation.
=====‘Nothing like this in American history’: the crisis of Trump’s assault on the rule of law
This article is more than 8 months old
Ed Pilkington=====
[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/mar/09/trump-assault-rule-of-law by The Guardian]
hen the chief justice of the US supreme court, John Roberts, delivered his bombshell ruling last July granting Donald Trump absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts, he laid out his vision of an expansive presidency. The executive, he wrote, should be “vigorous and energetic”, and free to carry out duties “boldly and fearlessly”.
=====Electoral College is ‘vestige’ of slavery, say some Constitutional scholars=====
[https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/electoral-college-slavery-constitution by Kamala Kelkar 6/11/16 PBS NEWS]
During that same speech on Thursday, July 19, Madison instead proposed a prototype for the same Electoral College system the country uses today. Each state has a number of electoral votes roughly proportioned to population and the candidate who wins the majority of votes wins the election.
=====A People’s History of the Supreme Court: The Men and Women Whose Cases and Decisions Have Shaped Our Constitution=====
[https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/peoples-history-supreme-court/ by ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT]
  In A People’s History of the Supreme Court, Peter Irons chronicles the decisions that have influenced virtually every aspect of U.S. society, from the debates over judicial power to rulings in the past regarding slavery, racial segregation, and abortion, as well as cases about school prayer, the Bush/Gore election results, and “enemy combatants.” [Publisher’s description.]
=====It’s Constitution Day! Time to Teach Obedience or History?=====
[https://www.zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-our-history/its-constitution-day-time-to-teach-obedience-or-history/ by ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT 14/9/12]
Pearson-Prentice Hall’s high school textbook, United States History, opens its chapter on the Constitution with this Daniel Webster quote: “We may be tossed upon an ocean where we can see no land — not, perhaps, the sun and stars.
=====Dec. 18, 1865: Ratification of 13th Amendment=====
[https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/thirteenth-amendment-ratified/ by ZINN EDUCATION PROJECT]
On Dec. 18, 1865, following its ratification by the requisite three-quarters of the states earlier in the month, the 13th Amendment was formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution, ensuring that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude. . . shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
=====Constitution of the United States—A History=====
[https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/more-perfect-union by NATIONAL ARCHIVES]
May 25, 1787, freshly spread dirt covered the cobblestone street in front of the Pennsylvania State House, protecting the men inside from the sound of passing carriages and carts. Guards stood at the entrances to ensure that the curious were kept at a distance. Robert Morris of Pennsylvania, the "financier" of the Revolution, opened the proceedings with a nomination--Gen. George Washington for the presidency of the Constitutional Convention.
=====We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution=====
[https://jlepore.scholars.harvard.edu/publications/we-people-history-us-constitution by Jill Lepore]
"In this remarkably engaging and deeply researched work, one of America’s most important living historians illuminates the most vital quality of our Constitution: its capacity for renewal."
― Pete Buttigieg, former secretary of transportation
=====The Constitution: How Did it Happen?=====
[https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution/how-did-it-happen by NATIONAL ARCHIVES]
Just a few years after the Revolutionary War, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared their young country was on the brink of collapse. America’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn’t regulate commerce, or print money. The states’ disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation.
=====A HISTORY OF THE CONSTITUTION=====
[https://supreme.findlaw.com/documents/consthist.html by FindLaw]
The United States Constitution was constructed on September 17, 1787 after months of conflicting views, heated debates and clashing ideas finally yielded to compromise and thoughtful reconsiderations. The founders of the Constitution were delegates appointed by the state legislatures to represent each state’s welfare. They had first convened in the Philadelphia statehouse as a quorom of 55 emissaries on May 25, 1787. Of the thirteen original states, only independent-minded Rhode Island declined to participate. The group’s express original purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation, our nation’s first constitution that was constructed in 1777 after the Revolutionary War with Great Britain.
=====The United States Constitution=====
[https://constitutioncenter.org/the-constitution by NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER]
Beginning with the words “We the People,” the U.S. Constitution is composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.
=====Constitutional Convention and Ratification, 1787–1789=====
[https://history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/convention-and-ratification by OFFICE OF THE HISTORIAN]
The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The United States Constitution that emerged from the convention established a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to conducting relations with foreign governments. Under the reformed federal system, many of the responsibilities for foreign affairs fell under the authority of an executive branch, although important powers, such as treaty ratification, remained the responsibility of the legislative branch.
=====The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription=====
[https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript by NATIONAL ARCHIVES]
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
=====Historical Context: The Survival of the US Constitution=====
[https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/historical-context-survival-us-constitution by Steven Mintz History Resources]
The United States has the oldest written national framework of government in the world. At the end of the twentieth century, there were about 159 other national constitutions in the world, and 101 had been adopted since 1970. While the United States has been governed by a single framework of government for over two centuries, France, in contrast, has had 10 separate and distinct constitutional orders (including five republics, two empires, a monarchy, and two dictatorships). The country of El Salvador has had 36 constitutions since 1824.
=====Constitution of the United States=====
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States by WIKIPEDIA]
The drafting of the Constitution by many of the nation's Founding Fathers, often referred to as its framing, was completed at the Constitutional Convention, which assembled at Independence Hall in Philadelphia between May 25 and September 17, 1787.[4] Influenced by English common law and the Enlightenment liberalism of philosophers like John Locke and Montesquieu, the Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, in which the federal government is divided into the legislative, bicameral Congress;[c] the executive, led by the president;[d] and the judiciary, within which the Supreme Court has apex jurisdiction.[e] Articles IV, V, and VI embody concepts of federalism, describing the rights and responsibilities of state governments, the states in relationship to the federal government, and the process of constitutional amendment. Article VII establishes the procedure used to ratify the constitution.
=====Constitution of the United States: Primary Documents in American History=====
[https://guides.loc.gov/constitution by LIBRARY OF CONGRESS]
The members of the Constitutional Convention signed the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Constitutional Convention convened in response to dissatisfaction with the Articles of Confederation and the need for a strong centralized government. After four months of secret debate and many compromises, the proposed Constitution was submitted to the states for approval. Although the vote was close in some states, the Constitution was eventually ratified and the new Federal government came into existence in 1789. The Constitution established the U.S. government as it exists today.
=====Timeline of the Constitution=====
[https://teachingamericanhistory.org/resource/the-constitutional-convention/timeline/ by TEACHING AMERICAN HISTORY]
From the beginning of the Revolution to the adoption of the Bill of Rights, trace the timeline of the American Constitution.
=====Constitutional History in the United States=====
[https://pluralpolicy.com/blog/constitutional-history/ by Yemi Adewunmi plural]
While the United States Constitution was not written until 1787, American constitutional history began well before then. From the nation’s beginnings as a collection of British colonies to its declaration of independence and beyond, many historical developments played a role in the development of the Constitution and constitutional history from 1787 until now.
=====Constitutional history of United States=====
[https://constitutionnet.org/country/united-states by CONSTITUTIONNET]
The United States of America consists of fifty states, one federal district and several territories. Forty-eight contiguous states sit between Mexico to the south and Canada to the north. Alaska, the forty-ninth state, is located to the west of Canada, and Hawaii, the fiftieth, is an island located in the Pacific Ocean.
=====Proposal for a Constitution=====
[https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/american-democracy/online/great-leap/adopting-constitution by NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY]
Adopting a new frame of government also required Americans to make a leap of faith. After a long war and many disputes, supporters of the U.S. Constitution declared the need for a stable, central government to “secure the blessings of liberty” to Americans.
=====The US Constitution through History=====
[https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/the-us-constitution-through-history# by GREAT COURSES Plus]
America was born out of a group of ideas and a series of conflicts with England. Begin your course on the US Constitution with a look at the English tradition that underpins American law and the tensions with England that led to revolution.
=====America's Founding Documents High Resolution Downloads=====
[https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/downloads by NATIONAL ARCHIVES]
These images are in the public domain and no permission is required to use them. Please credit the National Archives as the original source.
=====Learn about the United States' founding documents=====
[https://www.usa.gov/historical-documents by usa gov]
The Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights, known together as the Charters of Freedom, established the government’s structure and continue to secure the rights of American citizens.
=====Adopting the constitution, 1987-1988=====
[https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/exhibitions/american-democracy/online/great-leap/adopting-constitution by NATIONAL MUSEUM FOR AMERICAN HISTORY]
Adopting a new frame of government also required Americans to make a leap of faith. After a long war and many disputes, supporters of the U.S. Constitution declared the need for a stable, central government to “secure the blessings of liberty” to Americans.
=====The US Constitution through History=====
[https://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/the-us-constitution-through-history by GREAT COURSES Plus]
America was born out of a group of ideas and a series of conflicts with England. Begin your course on the US Constitution with a look at the English tradition that underpins American law and the tensions with England that led to revolution.
=====Constitution of the United States of America=====
[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Constitution-of-the-United-States-of-America by Britannica Editors 25/11/25 Britannica]
Constitution of the United States of America, the fundamental law of the U.S. federal system of government and a landmark document of the Western world. The oldest written national constitution in use, the Constitution defines the principal organs of government and their jurisdictions and the basic rights of citizens. (For a list of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, see below.)
=====U.S. Constitution signed=====
[https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/september-17/u-s-constitution-signed by History 28/5/25 HISTORY]
The Constitution of the United States of America is signed by 39 delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Supporters of the document waged a hard-won battle to win ratification by the necessary nine out of 13 U.S. states.
=====Constitution of the United States=====
[https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/usconstitution/history by Penn State]
To Form a More Perfect Union
An essay from the Library of Congress' American Memory Project on the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention.
=====What is the U.S. Constitution?=====
[https://constitutioncenter.org/education/constitution-faqs by Constitution FAQs]
The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776. It was a list of grievances against the king of England intended to justify separation from British rule.
=====History & the Constitution=====
[https://www.brennancenter.org/topics/courts/history-constitution by BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE]
The Supreme Court is using flawed history to roll back individual rights and shrink the federal government’s power to solve problems.
=====The U.S. Constitution: Preamble=====
[https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/us-constitution-preamble by UNITED STATES COURTS]
The preamble sets the stage for the Constitution (Archives.gov). It clearly communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. The preamble is an introduction to the highest law of the land; it is not the law. It does not define government powers or individual rights.
=====Constitution Day: Origin of the Constitution=====
[https://libguides.rice.edu/c.php?g=386691&p=9815238 by RICE UNIVERSITY]
The year is 1787.  The Articles of Confederation are a failure as  a design for government.  Congress has no ability to raise or collect taxes.  The Government cannot pay its debts or the soldiers who had fought in the Revolution.  The individual States are fighting amongst themselves with the larger states abusing the smaller ones.  Interstate trade and commerce are in chaos.
=====Meet the Framers of the Constitution=====
[https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/founding-fathers by NATIONAL ARCHIVES]
The original states, except Rhode Island, collectively appointed 70 individuals to the Constitutional Convention. A number of these individuals did not accept or could not attend, including Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. In all, 55 delegates attended the Constitutional Convention sessions, but only 39 actually signed the Constitution. The delegates ranged in age from Jonathan Dayton, aged 26, to Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, who was so infirmed that he had to be carried to sessions in a sedan chair.
=====The US Constitution Through History=====
[https://www.kanopy.com/en/product/15740027 by kanopy]
Unpack the ideas of America's founding and trace the evolution of those ideas through the schisms of the 19th century, the transformations of the 20th century, and into our present era.
=====What is the historical background of the U.S. Constitution?=====
[https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-historical-background-of-the-U-S-Constitution by Quora]
Our government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” was not a copy of some other country or governance concept. It was completely new to the world. World scholars called it the great experiment, and they fully expected it to fail.
=====Amendments to the U.S. Constitution=====
[https://archivesfoundation.org/amendments-u-s-constitution/ by NATIONAL ARCHIVES FOUNDATION]
More than 11,000 amendments to the Constitution of the United States have been proposed, but only 27 have been ratified. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. The 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress proposing these amendments is on display in the National Archives’ Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom.
Retrieved from "https://wikidemocracy.us/wiki/History_of_the_US_Constitution"