U.S Constitution: Origins, Roles & Duties - Essay Sample

Introduction

The United States constitution is the prevailing law of the United States of America, and it became operational on March 4 1789 (Wayne). The constitution as born at the Philadelphia convention that was held in 1787(Wayne). It was initially made up of seven articles which stipulated the several roles of the people in power. The first Article entails the legislative organ of the federal government and its purpose and objectives. It is followed by the second Articles which lays out the duties, powers and qualifications for a president and his deputy. Article three stipulates the role of the judiciary and which cases are handled at specific courts. It is then followed by Article four which specifies the rapport the federal government is supposed to have with the State authority(Wayne).

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Article five shows the procedure to adhere to when the legislative body wants to change the constitution. Article six states that religious status is not a requirement to be employed in the public office. It also sets up the constitution and the federal as the guiding principles to be followed. The last Article seven lined out the procedure to be followed in setting out the new government. It was then endorsed by the 39 member's team of the constitutional convention.

Since its inception, the constitution has been ratified twenty-seven times, and the changes are now part of the constitution. They include the bill of rights which was incorporated into the constitution. The constitution gives the government the mandate to serve and protect its citizens. The constitution provides the government with enough powers to run the country but offers limitations to ensure the fundamental rights of the citizens are not in danger.

The United States has two vital political parties, namely the Democrats and Republicans. As of September of 2019, there were three minor parties, namely Constitution party, Green party and the Libertarian Party. The Democratic Party was founded in 1828 by Andrew Jackson, and its core values are the promotion of social and economic welfare of the American people (Mullen 587). The party was against the policies of the Federalist Party led by George Washington. It championed the government to have limited authority, and they did not want the slave trade to be abolished. The Democrats were in favour of slavery and discerned itself as a "Whiteman party" (Mullen 588). Fifteen Democrats have managed to lead this country over the years. Currently, the major supporters of the party are millennials, minorities, African Americans, Latinos and individual from urban areas

The Republican Party was founded in 1854 by a breakaway group which wanted slave trade to be allowed in the Northern territory (Azari). The party frameworks were against the scaling up of the slave trade and championed more economic reforms. Through the effort of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president slave trade was stopped (Azari). Currently, the party follows a conservative approach such as pro-life, free market, a strong military defence forces and gun rights. Over the years there have been 19 presidents from the Republican Party with the current one being President Donald Trump.

The minor parties do not play a significant role in the country elections. They are allowed in specific States while not approved in other States. There are particular criteria which should be followed for one's party to appear on the ballot paper. The different States have their distinct prerequisite for candidates. For instance, a State a political party is obligated to register a specific number of voters while in others one has to petition. Furthermore, some States authorize candidates from minor parties to vie only in general elections and not the primary.

Parliamentary government encompasses a form of democratic governance were by the political party with the majority number of seats in parliament forms the government (Carey). The president is elected by the people but is answerable to the legislative. The executive arm of the government is in charge of running all the activities of a country. The rule of separation of powers ensures the executive actions are keenly followed by the legislative (Carey). The parliament can decide to pass a vote of no confidence on the president and replace him. A country that follows the parliamentary system is the United Kingdom. A majority of no faith was passed, and Theresa May was removed as the prime minister, and Boris Johnson is the new prime minister.

In a presidential government, the president is elected by the citizens of the electorate body mandated with that authority (Carey). The president is given the power to preside over a country for a fixed period. A good example is the US which is four years. The president is answerable to the citizens who voted for him. He is not liable to the legislature and all the members of the cabinet carry out policies that the president supports (Carey). He furthermore ensures the executive branch is functioning efficiently. The responsibility of securing the country from any threats locally and also internationally lays on the president. The judicial and the legislative play a pivotal role in ensuring the president does not abuse his powers. The president can be removed from power by impeachment by the legislative body. Former president Bill Clinton was impeached by Congress but was never removed from the presidential seat. Consequently, it is hard for a president in a presidential system to be held accountable for his actions immediately.

Works Cited

Azari, Julia. "To Make Men Free: A History Of The Republican Party". The Forum, vol 14, no. 2, 2016. Walter De Gruyter Gmbh, Doi: 10.1515/for-2016-0012.

Carey, John M. "Presidential Versus Parliamentary Government". Research Gate, 2008, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/321615203_Handbook_of_New_Institutional_Economics. Accessed December 10 2019.

Mullen, B. V. "Hip Figures: A Literary History Of The Democratic Party". Journal Of American History, vol 100, no. 2, 2013, pp. 587-588. Oxford University Press (OUP), Doi:10.1093/jahist/jat237.

Wayne, James J. "Fundamental Design Flaws of United States Constitution". SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014. Elsevier BV, DOI:10.2139/ssrn.2518684.