Reasons for Declaration of Independence Uniqueness and Vitality
The Declaration of Independence holds a rare and massive place in history. It shaped the nation’s identity, gave a philosophical backbone for self-governance, and laid down principles we still use today. Drafted by Thomas Jefferson on July 4, 1776, it boldly claimed that the colonies should be independent of British rule (McNeese, 2020). At its core, it states that governments exist to protect people’s natural rights and derive their power from our consent to be governed. This is the reason we were able to try democracy out as a nation. What makes it so important is how inspiring it is for future generations. We took its core values and used them to define what America would become.
The Declaration of Independence laid all the groundwork for the past two attempts at stable government. The principles emphasized in this document were so influential in forming these documents that they are repeated with slight variations (Baker & Critchlow(2020),). The first attempt at large-scale governance needed to be more cautious due to fear that centralized power might bring after. The war was on Britain for freedom from tyranny after all this time. Nobody wanted to get that again under a new rule set, but going too light also failed, so the second time was the charm, right? We would like it to be more. Good things happen when there is a balance between federal power being strong and preserving individual liberties and state autonomy.
Differences That Caused the Articles of Confederation to Fail
The weaknesses that caused this failure are familiar and extraordinary when viewed separately, but when they failed together, they made effective governance impossible (Natelson, 2023). Additionally, the Articles of Confederation needed a strong central government with the power to tax and regulate commerce, resulting in financial instability and an inability to address national issues. While we’re on that note, they also did not give us a unified military under central control, leaving us vulnerable to external threats. Last but certainly not least was that it could not resolve any disputes between states or amend itself, making it inflexible to changing circumstances.
The Constitution is better than the Articles of Confederation. Simply put, it addresses all their shortcomings (Natelson, 2023). Shortcomings are everything I mentioned above. The current Constitution establishes a strong federal government with powers we saw were needed, creates a unified military, and introduces two separate groups for representation. That way, only make it into law with being thought through by at least two groups.
Section(s) of the Constitution that is most interesting or important
Primus (2020) said one section that stands out is Article I, Section 8, as it enumerates the powers of Congress. It delineates the authority to levy taxes, regulate commerce, and declare war, among other vital functions, and those are pretty important things, too. Another significant section is the Bill of Rights, which safeguards individual liberties like freedom of speech and religion and the right to a fair trial. Also, The Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2) makes the Constitution the highest law in the land. This helps make a clear hierarchy of legal authority. These sections play a significant role in shaping the principles and structures of the United States government.
References
Baker, P., & Critchlow, D. T. (2020). The Oxford Handbook of American Political History. In Google Books. Oxford University Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Rd7QDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA27&dq=The+Declaration+of+Independence+laid+the+ideological+groundwork+for+the+subsequent+attempts+at+forming+a+stable+government
McNeese, T. (2020). The Declaration of Independence: The Colonies Stand on Their Own. In Google Books. Infobase Holdings, Inc. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=jNyPEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Drafted+primarily+by+Thomas+Jefferson+and+adopted+on+July+4
Natelson, R. G. (2023, October 6). The Constitution and the False Doctrine of Inherent Sovereign Authority. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.45945
Primus, R. (2020). Reframing Article I, Section 8. Fordham L. Rev., 89, 2003.
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