American Political System: Difference between revisions
→The Constitution: Added image from Wikimedia Commons
(→Republic vs. Democracy: added quote template) |
(→The Constitution: Added image from Wikimedia Commons) |
||
Line 19:
== The Constitution ==
[[File:Constitution of the United States, page 1.jpg|thumb|Page one of the American Constitution. The preamble beginning with the words "We The People" is iconic and may often appear in media with a political theme.]]
Unlike many other nations, the US has had precisely one written constitution since independence in 1776,<ref>The [[The American Revolution|Articles]] [[Old Shame|of Confederation]] were a wash and don't count</ref> which is referred to simply as "the Constitution". This makes it the second-oldest written national constitution still in effect,<ref>The oldest is the constitution of [[San Marino]], which went into effect in 1600</ref> and the third-oldest still in effect overall.<ref>The Constitution of Massachusetts, drafted by [[John Adams]], [[Samuel Adams]], and James Bowdoin, went into effect in 1780 and had significant influence on the federal one.</ref> The Constitution defines itself as "the supreme law of the land", and all other statutes and acts of government must defer to it or be rendered null and void. The thesis of the thing is that all people are guaranteed certain inalienable rights by virtue of their being, that government exists for the purpose of safeguarding those rights, and that Americans have the right and responsibility, if their representatives fail to do so, to kick them directly in the seat of their pants and replace them with people who will. A beautiful thing.
| |||