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Know Your Nation


The Constitution

The Constitution is the document that lays the framework for the American government. It dictates who gets what powers and what is legal and all of the essentials needed to create and run a nation. It is based on the idea of Separation of Powers, meaning a system in which the responsibilities of running a nation lie on multiple branches. In the case of the Constitution, three branches were created.

Branches of Government

At the time of its conception, the United States was to be the only democratic nation in the world. Democracy itself was a very unusual idea at the time, as many societies were under the influence of absolute monarchies. Tired of the oppression of the individual under such governments, the founders of the United States wanted to create a nation where the duty of government would lay in the hands of the citizens. The people. The founding fathers drew from ancient governing structures consisting of Greek direct democracy and Roman representative democracy. They went on to create a governing body of three branches, each with a system of checks and balances on the other so no branch would be able to attain absolute power.

Legislative Branch

The legislative branch is a culmination of the aforementioned ancient governing systems: Greek direct democracy and Roman representative democracy. Direct democracy embodies the House of Representatives which is a subdivision of the Legislative branch. The House of Representatives is an assembly of elected representatives from each constituency of each state and territory of the United States. Currently there are a maximum of 435 seats for representatives In The House. Representative democracy comes in play with the US Senate. The Senate is an assembly consisting of two senators from each state, bringing the total from 50 states to 100. Collectively, the Legislative Branch, also known as Congress. Has its own set of responsibilities and duties. First and foremost, Congress is responsible for making all the laws in the United States. The process of making a law is long and complicated and more information about it can be found can be found “here”. Along with lawmaking Congress is also responsible for the annual budget taxes on the citizens declaring war on other countries.

Executive Branch

The executive branch is responsible for enforcing all the laws created by Congress. It consists of the president, vice president and cabinet. The president is elected by an electoral college on election day and the cabinet members are hand selected by the president who need to be approved by Congress The cabinet consists of Secretary of Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of Justice, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of the Treasury Secretary of Veterans Affairs. While this is a very long list the main point is that everyone in the executive branch is responsible for upholding the laws of the nation and keeping its inhabitants safe and healthy.

Judicial Branch

The judicial branch is the nation’s justice system. It is a complex hierarchy of lower courts and judges. At the top of the chain is the Supreme Court, whose say is final in all decisions and cases. At the supreme court, there are 9 federal judges who serve life terms and are selected for the job by the president with Congressional approval, The judicial branch as a whole is responsible for upholding the law and holding all citizens who break them accountable. The supreme court is responsible for interpreting the law itself, a power which can be very influential in future cases. According to the US constitution, every person has the right to a fair trial, and so everybody is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty. There are also numerous stipulations regarding the judicial branch within the Constitution.

Checks and Balances

Checks and Balances are a system of keeping all three branches of the government in level with each other. Under this system, no branch can get too powerful as its powers are dependent on and interlinked with the other two branches. For example, the executive branch has the power to make necessary executive orders, yet the financing for them depends on the Congress, as it has control over the national purse. Another example of Check and balances would be how The executive branch appoints Supreme Court Judges, yet they rely on Congressional approval once more.

The Bill of Rights

The bill of rights is another document that dictates the fundamental rights of every citizen of the United States of America. At its conception, the founders of America named 10 key amendments. However, this list has been expanded to a total of 27 amendments to the Bill of Rights. Below is a list of all of the Amendments to the Constitution. However, since the Constitution was writen in semi-archaic English, the nformation below is a loose translation of the modern interpretaions of the twenty-seven amendments.

The Amendments

  1. Guarantees the rights of freedom of speech, the press, and religion. It also protects the people's right to petition the government for change
  2. Guarantees the right to own arms in the name of self-defense
  3. Citizens will not be forced to provide housing for soldiers in times of war nor peace
  4. Citizens will not be undergo search and seizure without a court warrant and probable cause
  5. Guarantees due process of the law and protects citizens from double jeopardy and self-incrimination
  6. Guarantees the right to a speedy trial, and the right for one to know their accusers and accusations
  7. Guarantees the right to a jury trial
  8. Forbids unusual or cruel punishments and fines
  9. Reserves people's rights not specified in the Constituion
  10. All rights not specified in the Constituion as belonging to the federal government belong to the states and their people
  11. States cannot be subject to lawsuits from those that do not live in that state's borders
  12. Modifies the procedure for electing a President and vice President
  13. Forbids slavery and involutary servitude, except as a form of punishment
  14. Elaborates on Due Process clause, Citizenship clause, and clauses dealing with Confederate leaders
  15. Reserves suffrage rights to citizens regardless of race, color, or previous enslavement
  16. Grants the US Govt. to collect income taxes
  17. Established that senators are elected through popular votes
  18. Prohibits the sale and drinking of alcohol (repealed, see XXI.)
  19. Grants women the right to vote
  20. Changed the start term for Congressional and Presidential terms
  21. Repeals the eighteenth amendment
  22. Sets two terms as the maximum for anyone to serve as President
  23. Grants residents of the Distric of Columbia the right to vote for their own Electors regarding presidential elections
  24. Citizens cannot be denied the right to vote on account of not being able to pay for poll taxes
  25. Establishes the protocol for the successors to the President
  26. Grants citizens eighteen or older the right to vote
  27. Laws varying the salaries of Congresspeople will take effect during the next term

Duties of the Citizen

While the framework of the US, being unusual at the time of its creation, explicitly grants many rights to its citizens, it also expects citizens to oblige with a fair share of their individual duties. This system of giving powers to a vested governing body in return for citizens to live their normal lives is a Social Contract. Social Contract theory was a radical and revolutionary new way of thinking in the late 18th and 19th centuries. Yet the framers of the American Constitution believed it would be the best way of preserving the people's right to self rule, while not constantly engaging in active governing themselves. Instead they would relinquish their powers to elected individuals to be able to carry happily. However, this does not mean that citizens are completely separated from the government and its happenings. Citizens are encouraged to actively voice their opinions if they see a need for change. This right to voice one's opinions is protected by the first amendment. Along with watching the governing process, citizens are also responsible for a few legal duties as well. These include:

  • Defending the Constitution- Defending its ideals and the values that it stands for
  • Staying informed of community issues- Being aware of what is happening in one's suroundings
  • Participate in local community- actively contributing to the betterment of ones community
  • Participate in American Democracy and its process- Exercise the democratic right to vote and select representatives
  • Obeying federal and state laws
  • Respecting the, rights, opinions, and boundaries of other- Not intentionally offending others through one's thoughts, behaviors, or actions
  • Paying taxes punctually and with integrity
  • Serving on a Jury- Using this Constitutional right to ensure everyone is given a fair trial by jury
  • Serving to defend the nation if needed- Signing up for military service if able to do so

Citizenship

Permanent Residency

The path to becoming a US citizen begins with a Permanent Residency. Once an immigrant has been approved as a Permanent Resident of the US (also known as a Green Card holder), they must reside in the US for a time of five years. Foreign visits during this timeframe are to be kept under six months per year at a time, in order to help the citizenship process go smoothly. One this five year time period has ended, immigrants will now be eligible for Naturalization.

Naturalization

Naturalization is not a process, separate to citizenship, but merely a part of it. Prior to this, all citizenship requirements must be met, including passing a general knowledge test about US History. After all requirements have been met, the final step is attending a naturalization ceremony. A naturalization ceremony can take place, typically in federal courthouses. Many people are are scheduled for a ceremony at a time. During the ceremony, prospective citizens must swear an Oath of Allegiance, to the US and the Constitution, and will henceforth become official United States citizens.

Community Service

Among a citizens rights and duties are their obligation to engage in community events. This may be in the form of partaking in community gatherings, or volunteering to local non-profits, or even joining local grassroots organizations to make changes in ones community. Many, if not all, of these non-profits have a website for themselves, as a way to spread the word about their mission and to recruit volunteers. This way, the efforts of volunteers will be fruited in their own local communities.

Contact Your Local Congresspeople

Congresspeople are people elected by the people, for the people. As such, they are responsible for listening to their constituents and to take action on their behalf. After all, elected Congresspeople are the voices of the regular American citizen. The American people elect these Congresspeople into office so that they can fix their problems. Because of this, civic engagement is strongly characterized by citizens reaching out to their local representatives in order to discuss or take action on issues plaguing society. There a total of 535 Senators and Representatives in the nation. Contacting them or getting ahold of their time is really not as intimidating as it sounds. Any form of contact works, including email, mail, or telephone. As with everything, patience and persistence is key.