The Pros And Cons Of The US Constitution

1387 Words6 Pages

The Constitution, signed on September 17th, 1787, is a document that formulated the government, and gave basic rights to all U.S citizens. The U.S. Constitution is the solid foundation upon which this nation was built. It is a document that can be altered and among the first changes is a list of the rights of the people. This important document gives many rights to both citizens and noncitizens living in the United States. However, some rights are only for citizens. It would be against the law if the government were to violate those rights. In total there are 27 ratified amendment. Many of the amendments involve rights but some don't. Responsibilities and duties are the opposite of those rights. Alongside with rights, comes obligations. All …show more content…

This includes running for local, state or national office. As long as a citizen meets the qualifications, they may run for any political position in office that they choose. The reason for this right was because the Founding Fathers wanted to let any common man or women get the opportunity to play a part in the the government. This is one way that a U.S citizen can contribute to the nation.
Another important part of participating in government is voting. According to the 26th Amendment, any citizen who is of the age of eighteen years or older has the right to vote. Voting is both a right and a responsibility. While many people around the world today don’t get the opportunity to vote for their government officials, some people today are choosing not to vote. The United States is a democracy and it is structured around fair elections, in which every citizen is entitled the right to vote. We are very lucky that we live …show more content…

These governments have responsibilities, and this includes making and enforcing laws, protecting us and many others. The money to do this comes from citizens paying taxes. When you work at a job, depending on the amount of money made, a certain percentage of the money you make is taken out of your paycheck and given to the government. Some stores require a sales tax when you buy things. Owning property also requires you to pay property taxes for the value of it. According to the 16th Amendment, the U.S. government has the right to collect taxes on income. Paying your taxes is required by the law. If you do not pay your taxes you may face greater fines or even jail time that is enforced by the Internal Revenue Service. Tax money goes to many different things such as making sure the roads are safe for use, funding government programs that help the poor and less fortunate, paying the government workers, funding schools and supporting fire departments. Paying taxes is a duty of every American