Importance of USA Constitution and Bill of Rights

This annotated bibliography provides an overview of the importance of the American Constitution and its relevance along with the “Bill of Rights” which forms a core feature of the American Constitution. It covers the history, interpretation, and significance of the Constitution and its amendments. The bibliography also discusses the role of the Constitution in safeguarding the rights of the citizens and providing equal opportunities to all.

Running head: USA CONSTITUTION AND ITS IMPORTANCE
USA Constitution and its importance
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1USA CONSTITUTION AND ITS IMPORTANCE
The Constitution of America forms the core component of the democratic system
followed by the nation of the United States of America and covers the majority of the
precepts of the “Declaration of Independence” Bill (Redish, 2017). One of the most important
features of the Constitution of the nation which distinguishes it from the other nations of the
world is the “Bill of Rights” (Sheldon, 2018). The American Constitution, although designed
on the basis of the “Declaration of Independence” Bill has undergone significant amount of
changes in the recent times keeping in view the changing times and also the requirements of
the citizens of the nation (Sheldon, 2018). It is a reflection of this particular fact that the
government of the nation incorporated within its Constitution the “Bill of Rights” in order to
provide the people of the nation with the kind of rights and opportunities which would be
helpful for growth and development (Rabkin, 2018). The American Constitution although
formulated in the 18th century keeping in view the requirements of the citizens of the nation is
still relevant in the present day context as well (Rabkin, 2018). This annotated bibliography
will give an overview of the importance of the American Constitution and its relevance along
with the “Bill of Rights” which forms a core feature of the American Constitution.
Roberts, J & Odd A. (2013). The History of the World. Oxford University Press, pp. 731-
32.
The authors are of the opinion that the adoption of the democratic system of
Government by the American nation was a landmark since it opened the gates for the other
nations of the world wherein they can adopt the democratic system of government. The best
part of this particular governmental system in the opinion of the authors was the fact that it
provided the people of the nation with the opportunity to have a voice in the major political
processes that would not only decide the fate of the nation but at the same time also the
manner in which the various legislations and other political processes of the nation would be
determined.

2USA CONSTITUTION AND ITS IMPORTANCE
The authors Roberts and Westad are of the viewpoint that the ten Fundamental Rights
which the Constitution of the nation contained also helped in a significant manner not only to
safeguard the interests of the citizens of the nation but at the same time also helped in the
stabilization of the nascent Constitution of the nation. In short, the Constitution of the nation
provided the nation with the hope of the much freedom and liberty which was much
appreciated by the people of the nation and would later on become the founding pillars of the
majority of the Constitutions of the world.
Howard, Z. (1995). A people’s history of the United States 1492–Present. Harper
Perennial pp. 89, 96-97, and 98-99.
The author is of the opinion that the American Constitution drawn up in the year 1787
was a work of genius which took not into consideration the various requirements of the
people of the nation but at the same time ensured that the ideas like “liberty, equality and
fraternity” for which the nation stood were well represented by the Constitution. However,
Charles Beard in his famous “An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution” launched a
virulent attack on the Constitution and argued that the Constitution was specifically designed
taking into consideration the requirements of the ruling class as well as the government and
did not take into consideration the requirements of the common people of the nation. Thus,
even in the present times it is seen that when viewed through the economic cannon the work
becomes totally in the interest of a selected few rich people of the nation and totally ignores
the requirements of the people of the nation.
The entire Constitution seems to be designed in such a manner that the rich people are
being able to maintain the privileges which they have at the cost of the rights of the poor
section as well as the common people of the nation. However, it is significant to note that one
of the most prominent critics of Beard, Robert E. Brown in his famous work “Charles Beard
and the Constitution” said that it is true that one of the major focuses of the American

3USA CONSTITUTION AND ITS IMPORTANCE
Constitution was one the protection of property owned by the citizens of the nation and this
can be seen as the end result of the desire of the majority of the American citizens to own
properties. Moreover, the author Zinn (1995) propounds that it is true that the major area of
focus of the American Constitution was to safeguard the rights of the rich section of the
population however at the same time it must be noted that the Constitution at the same time
had ample scope for the other people who formed the major part of the nation like the small
as well as the medium sized property holders. Thus, the author is of the opinion even though
the primary focus of the Constitution was on the safeguarding of the interests of the rich
people of the nation yet at the same time the Constitution also sought to safeguard the
interests of the other people of the nation.
Schweikart, L., & Allen, M. P. (2004). A patriot's history of the United States: From
Columbus's great discovery to the war on terror. Penguin.
The authors are of the opinion that one of the major concerns of the people of the
nation as well as the makers of the Constitution was the fact that the powers which were
provided to the government of the nation would end up getting misused by them. It is a
reflection of this particular fact that the Whig party of the nation sought to create what
became latter on commonly known by the name of “Due Process” which provided to the
people of the nation the power to protest against the malpractices of the government and also
the people belonging to the higher ranks of the government in a peaceful manner.
The American Constitution currently contains various kinds of systems by means of
which the citizens of the nation are being able to protest against the practices of the
government that they feel to be unjustified and unlawful. Furthermore, the authors are of the
opinion that it is a reflection of this particular that the Constitution of the nation currently
provides provisions for various rights wherein the makers of the Constitution have tried to

4USA CONSTITUTION AND ITS IMPORTANCE
provide equal rights as well as opportunities to all the citizens of the nation irrespective of the
class or the background to which they belong. It is precisely here that the “Bill of Right”
gains special prominence.
Reynolds, D. (2009). America, empire of liberty: A new history of the United States. Basic
Books (AZ). pp. 65-66.
The author is of the opinion that it is true that one of the primary reasons for the
success of the Constitution was the effective leadership of George Washington but at the
same time the importance of the “Bill of Rights” which formed an important part of the
Constitution should not be undermined. Another significant part of the Constitution was the
Tenth Amendment which argued for the rights of the people to bear arms in addition to the
regular militia which the nation maintain in order to protect itself from the various foreign
invasion. Thus, the Tenth Amendment became the battleground for much political debate
wherein one section of the people argued for the rights and the other section of the people
argued against it. Equally important was the First Amendment which stated that the Federal
Government would not force the people of the nation to follow any particular kind of religion
and it is a reflection of this particular fact that even to this date that the nation of America is a
secular one.
John P. Kaminski, “Constitution”, in Paul S. Boyer (ed.) (2001). The Oxford Companion
to United States History. Oxford University Press, p. 158.
The manner in which the American Constitution should be interpreted has formed a
topic of much critical debate for a very long time. For example, people like George
Washington, Alexander Hamilton and others called for a broader interpretation of the
Constitution whereas there were others who called for a narrower as well as stricter
interpretation of the same. This particular debate is a part of the American political system
even in the present times. Furthermore, the Civil War and the various amendments which

5USA CONSTITUTION AND ITS IMPORTANCE
have been made in the recent times have much broadened the scope as well as the nature of
the American Constitution and have further expanded the scope of the “Bill of Rights”
initially provided to the people of the nation. However, it was not until the World Wars that
the various people of the nation as well as the governmental authorities of the nation started
interpreting the Constitution in the broader sense.
To conclude, the American Constitution is a work of genius and it was created taking
into consideration the various needs as well as the requirements of the people of the nation.
The creators of the Constitution vested the major power of the nation in the hands of the
people of the nation and it is a reflection of this particular fact that the makers of the
Constitution chose democracy as the form of government which the nation would be
following. One of the most significant aspects of the American Constitution was the “Bill of
Rights” which was initially provided to the people of the nation not only to provide equal
kind of opportunities to all the people of the nation but at the same time to follow the precepts
of “liberty, equality and fraternity”. It is a reflection of this particular that the American
Constitution and the “Bill of Rights” still hold importance in the present day political
framework of the world.

6USA CONSTITUTION AND ITS IMPORTANCE
References
Howard, Z. (1995). A people’s history of the United States 1492–Present. Harper Perennial
pp. 89, 96-97, and 98-99.
John P. Kaminski, “Constitution”, in Paul S. Boyer (ed.) (2001). The Oxford Companion to
United States History. Oxford University Press, p. 158.
Rabkin, J. (2018). International Law versus the American Constitution. In The National
Interest on International Law and Order (pp. 16-30). Routledge.
Redish, M. H. (2017). Judicial Independence and the American Constitution: A Democratic
Paradox. Stanford University Press.
Reynolds, D. (2009). America, empire of liberty: A new history of the United States. Basic
Books (AZ). pp. 65-66.
Roberts, J & Odd A. (2013). The History of the World. Oxford University Press, pp. 731-32.
Schweikart, L., & Allen, M. P. (2004). A patriot's history of the United States: From
Columbus's great discovery to the war on terror. Penguin.
Sheldon, C. H. (2018). Essentials of the American constitution. Routledge.