StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Basic Principles of the Constitution - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper establishes the extent at which the principle that best guarantees the effectiveness of the American democratic structure has been used effectively to defend the core American values. The US operates a constitution that has its root grounded in the principles of federalism. …
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.8% of users find it useful
Basic Principles of the Constitution
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Basic Principles of the Constitution"

Federalism is a system of government in which governmental powers are shared among the different tiers of government in which each tier is coordinate, independent, and exclusive in its own sphere of authority (O’Connor, & Sabato, 2001). Separation of powers is a doctrine propounded by Baron de Montesquieu which stipulates that in order to avoid arbitrary use of state power, power should be separated and shared among the organs of government such that no organ becomes stronger than the other(O’Connor, & Sabato, 2001).

But over the years it has been discovered that these principles have not lived up to its expectation because America had presidents who were overwhelming and dominates the legislature. A vivid example is President George Bush, after the September 11 Al-Qaeda masterminded terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre, the president presented a bill to the congress to invade Iraq. Before the house could pass the bill he had sent troops to wage war in Iraq. This was contrary to the constitutional provisions which state that before the United States would engage in a war, it must be ratified by the congress in a joint session.

The overwhelming influence of the president has this principle ineffective. In the light of this, is the principle of checks and balances which states that an organ of government should act as a watchdog on the other organs of government so as to curb their excesses. In America, checks and balances have shown the relationship and interaction between the executive and other arms of government (O’Connor, & Sabato, 2001). As the executive relies on the legislature to pass a bill he wants to become law, the legislature can either veto the bill if considered wrong or pass and send back to the executive for assent.

The executive too acts as a check by refusing to give assent to bills considered as unlawful by the legislature. The judiciary can also checkmate the activities of both the executive and legislature through a process of judicial review and regard all laws or action null and void if perceived as unlawful. The American federal structure allows for state power to be shared between the central, state, and municipal governments in such a way that each state has its own constitution where it derives its powers.

Although when such laws clash with the national constitution the latter prevails. This has made the sustainability of the American values possible. For example, state police is an integral part of the American federal structure which has made security in the United States effective. Another example is the existence of the state supreme court that has made judicial and legal proceedings exemplary. Thus, Federalism has been the major factor sustaining the American values as it has its functionality in both the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances. 

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Basic Principles of the Constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words, n.d.)
Basic Principles of the Constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/politics/1589811-basic-principals-of-the-constitution
(Basic Principles of the Constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 Words)
Basic Principles of the Constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 Words. https://studentshare.org/politics/1589811-basic-principals-of-the-constitution.
“Basic Principles of the Constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/politics/1589811-basic-principals-of-the-constitution.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Basic Principles of the Constitution

Formal and Substantive Aspects of the Rule of Law

According to Dicey (Ibid), the rule of law is one of the cardinal principles of the eight legal systems.... hellip; In the battle against the king, he succeeded in maintaining that the King must be under God and the law and thus vindicated the supremacy of law against this concept, that Dicey developed the doctrine of coke in this classic book "The law and the constitution" Published in 1855.... the constitution is not the source but consequence of the rights of the individuals....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Law,politics,and constitutional government as the distinguishing characteristics of western civilization

The concept refers to a system of well-established and clear principles and precepts which each nation follows.... The concept refers to a system of well-established and clear principles and precepts which each nation follows.... By “law” we mean the rule of law, a basic principle of Western Civilization.... By “law” we mean the rule of law, a basic principle of Western Civilization....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Constitutional Principles of Political Power

hat is why Thomas Paine maintained that any government which violates the constitution exercises “power without a right.... A true, written constitution, he held, was always antecedent to the actual government, for, in his words, “the constitution is not the act of its government, but the people constituting a government” (Elster & Slagstad 1988).... Early examples of written constitutions include the Solons constitution of Athens (594 BC) and the Cleisthenes constitution, which reformed the constitution of ancient Athens and set it on a democratic footing in 508 BC....
7 Pages (1750 words) Coursework

What Is a Constitutional Convention and Its Purpose

rdquo;… A constitutional convention is one designated by the people in their sovereign to capacity to make, alter, change of modifying the constitution of a state (Hoar, R.... The idea of a constitutional convention is given importance in the light of its purpose, which is making or changing the constitution.... Characterizing that the idea of a constitution is “to signify something superior to legislative enactments” or “a body of fundamental principles of government which are beyond the control of the Legislature....
8 Pages (2000 words) Coursework

The Major Principles of The U.S. Constitution

government limited in nature as it is bound to the prescribed laws of the constitution.... Topic:  The Major principles of the U.... What are the principles of the US Constitution?... Simmons (2010) explains that “We the people…” the first three words of the preamble to the constitution describes the essence of popular sovereignty”.... constitution is the supreme law of the country and is composed of seven major principles ....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Major Issues in Profiling

Other issue that has brought controversy relates to racial profiling, which is a practice that has involved a significant risk to the Basic Principles of the Constitution.... There are theoretical and practical issues concerning profiling that have been poorly understood, due to induction that involves statistical reasoning, in a situation where an offender is assessed based on difference or similarity with past offenders....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

Do the European Treaties Constitute a European Constitution

In a nation-state, the constitution is the fundamental document which governs these rights and liabilities of federating units, its basic structure of governance, its legal system, a form of government, a system of local governance, rights of its citizens and another basic treatise which are required for the smooth functioning of any form of government.... It may also be an unwritten constitution as in the case of the UK, a brief and short document like the constitution of the USA or a lengthy document as in the case of France....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework

Analysis of Al Qahtani versus Osama Habeas Corpus Petition

The author focuses on a habeas corpus petition which has been filed on behalf of one Mr.... ohammed al Qahtani, who is a Saudi citizen detained in Guantánamo since the 2000s.... He was a victim of the First Pentagon's Special Interrogation Plan era, where inhuman techniques of interrogating were employed....
12 Pages (3000 words) Case Study
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us