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    The USA: Becoming A Nation: 1/the Declaration of Independence

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    Chaima Benchourak03
    The documents shaped the USA as a nation in the following ways: 1. The Declaration of Independence declared independence from Britain and established the USA as a new nation in 1776. 2. The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution from 1777-1787, created a weak central government and revealed weaknesses that led to a new Constitution. 3. The U.S. Constitution of 1787 established a stronger federal government with three branches having checks and balances on power. It defined the government and protected citizens' rights. The documents established democracy as a model for other nations and safeguarded individual liberties that the nation expanded over time.

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    The USA: Becoming A Nation: 1/the Declaration of Independence

    Uploaded by

    Chaima Benchourak03
    47 views2 pages
    The documents shaped the USA as a nation in the following ways: 1. The Declaration of Independence declared independence from Britain and established the USA as a new nation in 1776. 2. The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution from 1777-1787, created a weak central government and revealed weaknesses that led to a new Constitution. 3. The U.S. Constitution of 1787 established a stronger federal government with three branches having checks and balances on power. It defined the government and protected citizens' rights. The documents established democracy as a model for other nations and safeguarded individual liberties that the nation expanded over time.

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    The documents shaped the USA as a nation in the following ways: 1. The Declaration of Independence declared independence from Britain and established the USA as a new nation in 1776. 2. The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution from 1777-1787, created a weak central government and revealed weaknesses that led to a new Constitution. 3. The U.S. Constitution of 1787 established a stronger federal government with three branches having checks and balances on power. It defined the government and protected citizens' rights. The documents established democracy as a model for other nations and safeguarded individual liberties that the nation expanded over time.

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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    47 views2 pages

    The USA: Becoming A Nation: 1/the Declaration of Independence

    Uploaded by

    Chaima Benchourak03
    The documents shaped the USA as a nation in the following ways: 1. The Declaration of Independence declared independence from Britain and established the USA as a new nation in 1776. 2. The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution from 1777-1787, created a weak central government and revealed weaknesses that led to a new Constitution. 3. The U.S. Constitution of 1787 established a stronger federal government with three branches having checks and balances on power. It defined the government and protected citizens' rights. The documents established democracy as a model for other nations and safeguarded individual liberties that the nation expanded over time.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 2

    The USA 

    : Becoming a Nation
    1/The Declaration of Independence

    The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States, was approved by the Continental
    Congress on July 4, 1776, and announced the separation of 13 North American British colonies from Great Britain. It
    explained why the Congress on July 2 “unanimously” (by the votes of 12 colonies, with New York abstaining) had
    resolved that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be Free and Independent States.”

    2/Articles of Confederation (lasted only 10 years)

    This document can be considered as the first U.S. constitution, which served as a bridge between the initial
    government of the Revolutionary period and the new government provided under the U.S. Constitution of 1787

    The Articles were written in 1776–77

    The document gave the Congress power to regulate foreign affairs, war, and the postal service and to appoint
    military officers, control Indian affairs, borrow money etc.

    The document set up a government of a one-house body (Congress), where each state (13) had a vote. To
    collectively make a decision, 9 out of 13 representatives had to agree (2/3 majority) which was oftentimes very
    challenging

    The Articles were very limited ; they gave the Congress no power to enforce its requests to the states for money or
    troops, and by the end of 1786 governmental effectiveness had broken down

    The articles created a weak central government, which was understandable given the American’s fear of tyrannical
    givernments (Britain)

    The Confederation provided the new nation with instructive experience in self-government under a written
    document. In revealing their own weaknesses, the Articles paved the way for the Constitutional Convention of 1787
    and the present form of U.S. government.

    With concerns over the weakness of the Articles of Confederation, the Constitutional Convention assembled in
    Philadelphia in May of 1787 to draft a new constitution

    The Federalists believed that a strong central government was necessary to face the nation’s challenges

    The Anti-Federalists fought hard against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that
    reminded them of the one they had just overthrown

    3/The American Constitution

    Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the United States Constitution is the world's longest
    surviving written charter of government

    The oldest written national constitution in use, the Constitution defines the principal organs of government and their
    jurisdictions and the basic rights of citizens

    Its first three words – “We The People” – affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens.

    The Founding Fathers knew that they did not want to create a government based on strong central power
    (monarchy), but that it needed to be a strong and fair government that did not abuse its power

    1
    The government had 3 branches, each with its own powers and a system of checks-and-balances (no branch can
    become too powerful, because they other two branches would ‘keep them in check’)

    Article 1 : Legisltaive branch (Congress) which is made up of representatives of states

    Its main task is making laws (declaring war)

    Article 2 : Executive branch (presdient and vice-president and cabinet)

    Responsible for enforcing the law+ appoints gov officials+ commands the army

    Article 3 : Judcial branch (courts)

    It includes all the courts in the land, up to the US suprême courts

    They interpret laws and punish those that break them

    4/The Bill of Rights

    The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, adopted as a single unit in 1791. It spells out
    the rights of the people of the United States in relation to their government

    The Bill of Rights limits the ability of the government to intrude upon certain individual liberties, guaranteeing
    freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion to the people of the United States

    Since the adoption of the Bill of Rights, 17 additional amendments have been added to the Constitution, expanding
    individual rights and freedoms.

    How did these documents shape the Nation  ?

    Established a model of democracy that was emulated around the world

    Established a government with checks and balances

    Safeguarded indivdual rights : upheld in the constitution and expanded later through amendments

    Put the ideals of the enlightenment to action and set the nation for what’s to come (westward expansion, industrial
    revolution, slavery and emancipation, imperialism)

    Slavery and freedom

    The fight for liberty led some Americans to emancipate their slaves, and most of the new northern states soon
    passed gradual emancipation laws. This also occurred in the Upper South, but in the Lower South, some masters
    revoked their offers of freedom for service, and other freedmen were forced back into bondage.

    The Revolution’s rhetoric of equality created a “revolutionary generation” of slaves and free blacks that would
    eventually encourage the antislavery movement.

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