Pard
Member
My school has a graduation requirement. It is to write an essay for the National History Day. This year's theme was "Innovations in History". For my innovation I decided to talk about America as an innovation. This is what I came up with (WARNING, boring alert!). It's long, but I think it's a good read. I didn't really enjoy writing it, but I am glad I did it. I honestly considered writing about how the protestant reformation was an innovation to Christianity, but than I remembered the guy grading me is a Catholic...
Here it goes:
“The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity- unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity.†Henry Clay gave these words in a speech to the Senate in January of 1850. Still, 160 years later, these words echo a great truth. A truth that started in 1776, when 56 people pledged everything they had to an idea; a government that steered away from the status quo and attempted to create a better life for all the citizens. It was their intent to decrease the size of government drastically. Then, these men established a government run by its own people, and not an elite group of citizens. By creating a limited government, where the American citizens governed, the American founders radically innovated and inspired governments all over the world.
America owes its existence to England and their histories are entwined. The English were the last to colonize the New World (Schweikart 13). The Spanish had taken South America and parts of North America as their own territory (Schweikart 4). The French had taken the majority of North America as their territory (Schweikart 12). Only a sliver of land on the east coast of North America remained for the English to claim. The first English settlers came for two reasons: monetary gain (Schweikart 15) and freedom from the crown (Schweikart 27). Over time these two groups assimilated into a unique population of Englishmen unlike their fellow Englishmen back home (Schweikart 38). The American life in colonial times was very different from life elsewhere. The colonists relished their new opportunities and choices, such as religious freedom, that could not be found elsewhere. In England, France, and Spain the kings and queens controlled what religions were allowed and which were to be banned. Another serious issue was that you could be detained, and ultimately killed, for saying anything the government disapproved of. So, for many, America was a refuge.
For the first 150 years, England left the colonists to be autonomous until the colonies really began to prosper (Schweikart 14). This sparked jealousy and greed and they wanted to limit and prosper from American expansion (Schweikart 58). Parliament took radical steps to distance the colonists from England. The Proclamation Line of 1763 made it illegal for colonists to expand westward (Schweikart 59). It forced those already west of the line to give up their property and move east. Another act that was not taken well by the colonists was the Quartering Act, which forced colonists to shelter British soldiers. Various taxes formed, including the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act. One of the famous lines coined during the pre-revolutionary period in colonial America was “taxation without representation.†This was a valid concern. The colonists began to see a rapid increase in taxes paid to England, yet they were never granted a single seat in parliament. They had no power to govern themselves. One of the largest tax acts the colonists faced was the Stamp Act, which essentially taxed every paper good the colonists bought (Schweikart 63).
The Stamp Act was eventually repealed, due to riots, but Parliament then imposed the Townsend Act. This act taxed virtually all imports into the colonies. After much boycotting, the British sent troops to Boston. These soldiers took homes and jobs away from the citizens of Boston. This led to the Boston Massacre (Schweikart 65). After the skirmish, Parliament created the Tea Act, which gave a British company a monopoly on tea imports to America. Another miniature revolt took place when the colonists got aboard three ships carrying tea (Schweikart 67). They proceeded to dump all the tea into Boston Harbor, rather than allowing the British company to take hold of it and sell it. After this rebellious act, Parliament closed Boston Harbor and took control of the colonial government of Boston. Three years later, on July 4th, 1776, the colonists declared independence from England.
The English had, by this time, become a parliamentary monarchy, where parliament and the king hold equal authority, and even though the king did not hold absolute authority, this arrangement was far from the republican governments of today. Though, they had colonial governments established, these were weak governments only erected to keep order for England. The English had absolute authority over the colonial governments and left the colonists with virtually no say in their own affairs (Schweikart 70).
Many of the complaints in the Declaration of Independence spoke specifically against the large, obstructive government of England. The signers of the Declaration felt that “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States†(U.S. Declaration Ind.). A few of these complaints include erecting “a multitude of New Offices,†that, “sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance†(U.S. Declaration Ind.). These offices only expanded the government's power over the colonists. The King stopped all trade from the colonies to the outside world. England also took control of the colonial governments by destroying “our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments,†and by “suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever†(U.S. Declaration Ind.).
Such accusations were targeted at the English, however an obstructive, bloated government was not limited to the English alone. The Spanish were also abusive rulers over their own colonies, and later Mexico would declare their own independence from Spain (Tuck). The French were so fed up with their monarchs that only a few years after the United States was formed, they declared their own revolution against the king (Doyle 66-111).
The American founders took the time to explain their every thought process that went into the Constitution. Hamilton explained in “The Federalist†how the courts were set up in such a way as to maintain our “limited Constitution†(465). “The Federalist†is a 500 page book, written by four men, that touches on many aspects of the American Constitution, almost like they wanted to explain to the people their thoughts, so that others could understand and imitate the Constitution. James Madison, writer of the U.S. Constitution, is known to have made lengthy responses to questions asked in Congress. In one discussion about granting bounties to a fishery, Madison goes out of his way to describe exactly why it would be bad for the American people. He ends his 1200 word answer by saying, “it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America; and what inferences might be drawn, or what consequences ensue, from such a step, it is incumbent on us all to consider†(Madison).
The founders of America ignited a fire in the hearts of humans all over the world. Until then, nearly every country in Europe in the 1700s was some form of totalitarianism, that is a government that holds total power over its people. Typically they were monarchies. Throughout recent history, countries have declared independence from their overbearing host nations, or governments. People came to know what freedom was or at least that it was attainable. The American revolution has been rehashed in various countries around the world for the last 234 years. In 1789, the American Revolution inspired a “similar republican movement across the Atlantic†(Schweikart 141). The French declaration was called “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizenâ€. There a numerous similarities between the French's declaration (France) and America's declaration (U.S. Declaration Ind.). A possible link between the two documents is that Thomas Jefferson, author of the American Declaration was a neighbor and friend of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, the author of the French Declaration (Murphy).
“As the Founders wrote their laws, they determined to protect the freedom of the individual and provide a vigorous climate of healthy, local self-governmentâ€(Skousen 238). The notion of self-governing has been an American tradition since before the creation of the United States of America. The United Colonies of New England, established in 1643, despite bring four colonies together, still favored a self-government system where the colonies had control of their respected governments, despite what the confederation may rule (Colonial). Still, self-government was a radical shift from the status quo of the day. Some countries had a representative body, but they held little power. Even England's parliament was only granted equal power to the crown, and yet the crown could complete trump any ruling by parliament.
The American founders despised the aristocratic parliament in England and the very notion of a sole, permanent ruler. Their contempt for such governments is seen in the American Constitution. Rather than set up a government run by tyrants or a few elite citizens, the American founders created a land where every American adult had a vote. They advocated self government at the local level, the state level, and the Federal level. Citizens voted for the law-makers and had influence on the leaders of their country. They could also petition current laws, or the need for laws, which is another way the citizens of America became directly involved in the running of their government. The founders also created a country where the leaders and law-makers were citizens and not royalty.
This theme of self-government has been exported from America and has gone on to influenced the rest of the world. In many countries, in the world today the citizens have control of the government. England has limited the power of the crown to the point of being a figure head, and nothing more. After a rough time, France began to elect their own leaders too. The French went through a long and bloody revolution, full of tyrants and dictators. After their revolution and the overthrowing of their king and queen the French accepted a dictator at their new leader, however this only led to worse problems. They soon became an empire that took over much of Europe. After another shift in their regime, the French finally became a republican government (Doyle 174-96). This republican government has withstood the last 139 years; truly a testament to the revolutionary republican government established in America.
The American founders innovated the way the world viewed governments by creating a limited government that was ruled by the citizens. The Americans struggled through monarchy and came to the realization that the best government was one that not only governed least, but also gave everyone a chance to influence the direction of their country. These radical changes from the status quo improved the lives of the American citizens and inspired so many elsewhere. Their ideas have been adopted the world over, from England to China and from Russia to Australia.
Here it goes:
“The Constitution of the United States was made not merely for the generation that then existed, but for posterity- unlimited, undefined, endless, perpetual posterity.†Henry Clay gave these words in a speech to the Senate in January of 1850. Still, 160 years later, these words echo a great truth. A truth that started in 1776, when 56 people pledged everything they had to an idea; a government that steered away from the status quo and attempted to create a better life for all the citizens. It was their intent to decrease the size of government drastically. Then, these men established a government run by its own people, and not an elite group of citizens. By creating a limited government, where the American citizens governed, the American founders radically innovated and inspired governments all over the world.
America owes its existence to England and their histories are entwined. The English were the last to colonize the New World (Schweikart 13). The Spanish had taken South America and parts of North America as their own territory (Schweikart 4). The French had taken the majority of North America as their territory (Schweikart 12). Only a sliver of land on the east coast of North America remained for the English to claim. The first English settlers came for two reasons: monetary gain (Schweikart 15) and freedom from the crown (Schweikart 27). Over time these two groups assimilated into a unique population of Englishmen unlike their fellow Englishmen back home (Schweikart 38). The American life in colonial times was very different from life elsewhere. The colonists relished their new opportunities and choices, such as religious freedom, that could not be found elsewhere. In England, France, and Spain the kings and queens controlled what religions were allowed and which were to be banned. Another serious issue was that you could be detained, and ultimately killed, for saying anything the government disapproved of. So, for many, America was a refuge.
For the first 150 years, England left the colonists to be autonomous until the colonies really began to prosper (Schweikart 14). This sparked jealousy and greed and they wanted to limit and prosper from American expansion (Schweikart 58). Parliament took radical steps to distance the colonists from England. The Proclamation Line of 1763 made it illegal for colonists to expand westward (Schweikart 59). It forced those already west of the line to give up their property and move east. Another act that was not taken well by the colonists was the Quartering Act, which forced colonists to shelter British soldiers. Various taxes formed, including the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act. One of the famous lines coined during the pre-revolutionary period in colonial America was “taxation without representation.†This was a valid concern. The colonists began to see a rapid increase in taxes paid to England, yet they were never granted a single seat in parliament. They had no power to govern themselves. One of the largest tax acts the colonists faced was the Stamp Act, which essentially taxed every paper good the colonists bought (Schweikart 63).
The Stamp Act was eventually repealed, due to riots, but Parliament then imposed the Townsend Act. This act taxed virtually all imports into the colonies. After much boycotting, the British sent troops to Boston. These soldiers took homes and jobs away from the citizens of Boston. This led to the Boston Massacre (Schweikart 65). After the skirmish, Parliament created the Tea Act, which gave a British company a monopoly on tea imports to America. Another miniature revolt took place when the colonists got aboard three ships carrying tea (Schweikart 67). They proceeded to dump all the tea into Boston Harbor, rather than allowing the British company to take hold of it and sell it. After this rebellious act, Parliament closed Boston Harbor and took control of the colonial government of Boston. Three years later, on July 4th, 1776, the colonists declared independence from England.
The English had, by this time, become a parliamentary monarchy, where parliament and the king hold equal authority, and even though the king did not hold absolute authority, this arrangement was far from the republican governments of today. Though, they had colonial governments established, these were weak governments only erected to keep order for England. The English had absolute authority over the colonial governments and left the colonists with virtually no say in their own affairs (Schweikart 70).
Many of the complaints in the Declaration of Independence spoke specifically against the large, obstructive government of England. The signers of the Declaration felt that “The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States†(U.S. Declaration Ind.). A few of these complaints include erecting “a multitude of New Offices,†that, “sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance†(U.S. Declaration Ind.). These offices only expanded the government's power over the colonists. The King stopped all trade from the colonies to the outside world. England also took control of the colonial governments by destroying “our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments,†and by “suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever†(U.S. Declaration Ind.).
Such accusations were targeted at the English, however an obstructive, bloated government was not limited to the English alone. The Spanish were also abusive rulers over their own colonies, and later Mexico would declare their own independence from Spain (Tuck). The French were so fed up with their monarchs that only a few years after the United States was formed, they declared their own revolution against the king (Doyle 66-111).
The American founders took the time to explain their every thought process that went into the Constitution. Hamilton explained in “The Federalist†how the courts were set up in such a way as to maintain our “limited Constitution†(465). “The Federalist†is a 500 page book, written by four men, that touches on many aspects of the American Constitution, almost like they wanted to explain to the people their thoughts, so that others could understand and imitate the Constitution. James Madison, writer of the U.S. Constitution, is known to have made lengthy responses to questions asked in Congress. In one discussion about granting bounties to a fishery, Madison goes out of his way to describe exactly why it would be bad for the American people. He ends his 1200 word answer by saying, “it would subvert the very foundations, and transmute the very nature of the limited government established by the people of America; and what inferences might be drawn, or what consequences ensue, from such a step, it is incumbent on us all to consider†(Madison).
The founders of America ignited a fire in the hearts of humans all over the world. Until then, nearly every country in Europe in the 1700s was some form of totalitarianism, that is a government that holds total power over its people. Typically they were monarchies. Throughout recent history, countries have declared independence from their overbearing host nations, or governments. People came to know what freedom was or at least that it was attainable. The American revolution has been rehashed in various countries around the world for the last 234 years. In 1789, the American Revolution inspired a “similar republican movement across the Atlantic†(Schweikart 141). The French declaration was called “The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizenâ€. There a numerous similarities between the French's declaration (France) and America's declaration (U.S. Declaration Ind.). A possible link between the two documents is that Thomas Jefferson, author of the American Declaration was a neighbor and friend of Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette, the author of the French Declaration (Murphy).
“As the Founders wrote their laws, they determined to protect the freedom of the individual and provide a vigorous climate of healthy, local self-governmentâ€(Skousen 238). The notion of self-governing has been an American tradition since before the creation of the United States of America. The United Colonies of New England, established in 1643, despite bring four colonies together, still favored a self-government system where the colonies had control of their respected governments, despite what the confederation may rule (Colonial). Still, self-government was a radical shift from the status quo of the day. Some countries had a representative body, but they held little power. Even England's parliament was only granted equal power to the crown, and yet the crown could complete trump any ruling by parliament.
The American founders despised the aristocratic parliament in England and the very notion of a sole, permanent ruler. Their contempt for such governments is seen in the American Constitution. Rather than set up a government run by tyrants or a few elite citizens, the American founders created a land where every American adult had a vote. They advocated self government at the local level, the state level, and the Federal level. Citizens voted for the law-makers and had influence on the leaders of their country. They could also petition current laws, or the need for laws, which is another way the citizens of America became directly involved in the running of their government. The founders also created a country where the leaders and law-makers were citizens and not royalty.
This theme of self-government has been exported from America and has gone on to influenced the rest of the world. In many countries, in the world today the citizens have control of the government. England has limited the power of the crown to the point of being a figure head, and nothing more. After a rough time, France began to elect their own leaders too. The French went through a long and bloody revolution, full of tyrants and dictators. After their revolution and the overthrowing of their king and queen the French accepted a dictator at their new leader, however this only led to worse problems. They soon became an empire that took over much of Europe. After another shift in their regime, the French finally became a republican government (Doyle 174-96). This republican government has withstood the last 139 years; truly a testament to the revolutionary republican government established in America.
The American founders innovated the way the world viewed governments by creating a limited government that was ruled by the citizens. The Americans struggled through monarchy and came to the realization that the best government was one that not only governed least, but also gave everyone a chance to influence the direction of their country. These radical changes from the status quo improved the lives of the American citizens and inspired so many elsewhere. Their ideas have been adopted the world over, from England to China and from Russia to Australia.