Founding documents and their historical significance

Founding Documents

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution is the cornerstone of American democracy. As, they are designed to: prevent the government from abusing its power and highlight how the ultimate authority rests with the people. This is significant, because for over 225 years, these basic ideas have ensured that the philosophy of founding fathers continues to flourish. To fully understand the role of both documents in our society requires examining: the actions that were taken by King George to justify independence, how the Constitution was created to prevent similar kinds of abuses and the role that ethics played in the creation of these documents. Once this takes place, it will offer specific insights as to how both shaped American government and the society that we live in.

Examine the actions of King George III that Thomas Jefferson identified as justification for American independence from English rule.

The actions that Thomas Jefferson was referring to were: unfair taxation and a lack of representation in Parliament. The taxes that were being imposed on America were considered to be unusually high. Part of the reason for this, is because England was trying to recoup the costs that they endured fighting the French Indian War. The colonists felt that they were unfair. This is because, the British did not want to hear their opinions and they were unwilling to negotiate with them. Instead, they told everyone that these taxes would be levied against them regardless of what they think. This angered many people, who believed that there should be some kind of justified tax structure in place. At which point, they began to rise up and demand that changes occur. In the Declaration of Independence these views were made clear when Jefferson was referring to the King and the taxes that he imposed on the American colonies. (" The Declaration of Independence," 1776)

The lack of representation in Parliament fueled even more anger among Americans. The reason why, is because no one from the colonies were allowed to go directly to England to voice their concerns. At which point, the underlying amounts of anger began to boil over. In the Declaration of Independence, these sentiments can be seen in the passage stating, "Taxation without representation." These different elements are important, because they are illustrating the fundamental principles behind the absolute authority of: the King and Parliament. (" The Declaration of Independence," 1776)

Analyze how the U.S. Constitution was crafted to prevent similar abuses from occurring in the new republic.

The U.S. Constitution was created to prevent these kinds of abuses from taking place in the future. The way that this was accomplished was through the various checks and balances that were imposed. This is when no single branch of the government would have the power to overwhelm the others. As, this was divided between: the Executive (the President), Legislative (Congress) and Judicial (the courts). The way it worked is the Executive branch had the ability to enforce various laws and control of the military. However, in order to receive any kind of funding for its activities it had to work with the Legislative branch. This is when Congress had the power to review these actions and determine if they wanted to continue providing the President with funding for a host of different activities. If there was a conflict one had the power to check the other through different actions they could take (i.e. Congress refusing to fund a particular program that is favored by the President). At the same time, Congress had the authority to pass various laws that would determine how the country was governed. While, the President has the power to check that of Congress by vetoing it and sending it back to them for further review. The courts have the authority to review various laws and actions that are taken by the government. They can check these two branches by declaring a law or enforcement of different regulations as unconstitutional. This is important, because it is showing how the Constitution was created to prevent similar kinds of abuses from occurring in the new republic. (Williams, 2004, pp. 21 -- 48)

Assess the possible role ethics played in the development of these founding documents.