Constitution Influence

Constitution Influence Essay

In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed and ratified setting America on the fasttrack to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Some documents that encouraged and also followed up on the Declaration was the pamphlet, “Common Sense,” written by Thomas Paine, and also Federalist Paper No. 51 which was written by James Madison. The - now - historical document by Thomas Paine was all about the many reasons why America should unite against Great Britain to gain their independence. It also pushed a lot for a representative government. At the time that Thomas Paine was writing the pamphlet, America had not yet declared Independence and was, in fact, still on the edge about it. “Common Sense” was a big

These documents were also so close to the actual time that the Constitution was written that they were vying for the Constitution to be ratified. The papers were written by three men who then anonymously published them in a series. The brilliant papers swept the country and talked a lot about different modern day American principles. One such principal, is checks and balances. This is the idea that there should be more than one branch of government so that one branch doesn’t get to strong. This also allows decisions to be made easier and a way to enforce the law. In fact the Federalist Papers say, “It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices [checks and balances] should be necessary to control the abuses of government. But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?” (Madison Federalist Papers) Then aligning right next to that statement is the Constitution which says, “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States...The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America...The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish” (Madison Constitution). This is showing how the opinion of one man influenced a whole government. This governmental idea changed our Constitution and even our society. The concept of checks and balances reformed the whole American Constitution, in a way that supported the people, was run by the people, and was loved by the people. In the end, the Constitution was drastically changed for the better because one man shared his