US Constitution Then and Now Essay - 1081 Words

The United States government was founded on a written set of principles known as the Constitution. There have only been 17 amendments, or changes, since ratification. While the United States has evolved with time the role and function of the government, and the way the government guarantees civil rights and liberties, has also evolved. These changes have resulted from changing or broadening of the interpretation of the constitution. Although the core of the constitution has not changed, it has expanded and its interpretation has changed to keep up with societal demands. Whereas the six functions of government, as articulated in the Preamble remain the same, the functions have extended to govern issues not a factor during the†¦show more content†¦Since the Constitution was written the government has had a hand in the economy, however the proverbial hand has grown bigger and stronger. For instance, the Federal Trade Commission, FTC, came to be around 1913 and its rulings have had varying levels of impact to the economy. FTC rulings include: do not call legislation, funeral industry regulation, and antitrust rulings in the petroleum industry. While the structure of the federal government was and still is the executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch, those branches have each taken on many more responsibilities as needed to keep up with the progression of America. Put in place by the founding fathers, Federalism was intended to balance the power of the national and state governments so that the national government could not acquire too much power. The executive branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch still exist today as when first created, on a much larger scale. Extensive modification in the executive branch since the late eighteenth century has been the growth of the number of departments, agencies, and other offices. In 1789, President George Washingtons administration had three main departments: State , Treasury, and War. He had other offices that included the office of the Attorney General, the lead lawyer of the federal government. Washingtons administration had a few hundred people at theShow MoreRelatedThe United States Constitution Essay1515 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States constitution was written in 1787 by the founding fathers of this country. Now it might be appropriate to question why a document that is the basis of the government for one of the most culturally and racially diverse countries in the world, was written by a group of heterosexual, cisgender, rich, white men. Some might think that a constitution written well over 200 years ago would be outdated and irrelevant to the American society of today but with some research, it is quite theRead MoreWhy The Founding Fathers Created The Electoral College933 Words   |  4 PagesCollege, ratified in the Constitution of the United States of America by the colonies. This would also start the longest continuous de bate our nation has ever experienced over a single political issue that continues even today. This debate came center stage during the election of 1800 when Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr (Jefferson’s Vice President running mate)received the same number of electoral votes for President even though they were running mates (http://www.ushistory.org/us/20a.asp). 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Thus far, this evolution hasRead More18th Century Constitution Essay867 Words   |  4 Pages18th Century Constitution According to Ashford and Ashbee (1999), the system of: checks and balances have created gridlock. Decisions cannot be made because there is insufficient agreement between institutions. In contrast with the countries of western Europe, the US has, [critics] argue, been unable to impose effective gun control or establish comprehensive health-care provision because decision making requires such a widely shared consensus. This gridlockRead MoreShould We Ratify The Constitution?811 Words   |  4 PagesRight now a debate is occurring about whether or not we should ratify the Constitution. This is an important moment in our countries history.It is important to our countries history because if we ratify the Constitution the Executive branch would have all of the power. If we didn t ratify the Constitution the states would have power. The proposed Constitution would give the Executive branch the right to tax the American citizens and the states wouldn t be able to say no to it. My position is an