Chapter 2

The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

The shift from the Articles of Confederation to a Constitution was extremely important because it established a United States rather than the united States. That lower case 'u' was a huge detriment to our progress as a nation. Until the Constitution was ratified, the US was more like several small countries that had allied themselves together. Under the Articles of Confederation, an individual state operated mostly independently which could have been a tremendous problem for a brand new country. States would have been too busy with issues amongst themselves to even worry about foreign problems, which would have left us very vulnerable to outside pressure. The Constitution brought stability to the US as a new country, and the nation looked stronger when it presented a united front. Bonding together as one country was also beneficial to each state as the Revolution had left lingering problems, such as a large debt that wasn't getting paid. Coming together and forming blanket rules and procedures for each State brought solutions to these problems that wouldn't have gotten solved with each squabbling over their own individual rules. A United States was a much better choice for out brand new nation than a united States.

The Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is critical to the American people because it is what protects the individual, rather than just the nation as a whole. While most rules are established for the good of everyone, these ten rules are what allow us to be actual individuals, separate from one another. Without the Bill of Rights the American people would be like a colony of insects, always doing what is best for the hive rather than thinking of ourselves. That's not inherently bad, but I think that what allows the country to thrive and flourish rather than just maintaining a stable existence is the individuality of our nation's people.

The Death Penalty

I don't think that capital punishment is unconstitutional at all. The 8th Amendment prohibits "cruel and unusual" punishments, but putting people to death for certain crimes has been the norm for thousands of years. That being said, taking a person's life is not something that should be treated lightly. There should be absolute proof and no doubt whatsoever of a person's guilt if they are going to be sentenced to death. I feel that the 5th and 14th Amendments are there protect citizens from being unjustly put to death, and that the 8th Amendment ensures that it will be handled in as civilized a manner as possible. To me, the Constitution does not prohibit the death penalty, it just keeps us from becoming barbarians. Maybe its writers intended for it to be ambiguous just so we wouldn't end a person's life on an emotional whim.