The Constitution of the United States Assignment

The Constitution of the United States - Assignment Example It has long been the tradition of rulers to have a constitution that is used to form the basis of governance. Since the earliest recorded history, constitutions were used to define who held the authority to tax or hold property. Constitutions had the additional responsibility of defining what the public's rights were and designing a structure of law enforcement. The wording and intent of a constitution define the nature that the government will have and the limits of its authority over individual freedom, free thought, free thought, and the ability of the people to make any necessary change. These traditions carried over to the US Constitution, which is a written document that defines the structure of government and its relationship to the people. As with the constitutions that preceded it, the document sets limits on power and provides a means to enact and enforce legislation. The US Constitution presents an agreed upon set of principles that are acknowledged to be universal and a system to implement these beliefs. The US Constitution spells out the rights that the people have and the legal recourse available when these rights are violated. The US constitution is based on the principle of separation of powers, which divides authority among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. These basic principles were adopted from earlier European thinkers and constitutions, and form the foundation of the more eloquent expression that the legislative process is based on. In addition, the US constitution embodies the philosophical beliefs in equality and fairness that Americans have come to take for granted. While these principles were written into the original text, additional elaboration on individual rights and the need to accommodate a changing society have necessitated the addition of amendments.