Foundation of America

Author – Mollee D. Harper

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Statue of Liberty by thephotoholic

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Synopsis

America was built on a foundation, rich in principles, strong on rights, to provide past
and present citizens with the perfect recipe for life.

Article

The foundation built for America, was one of value, integrity, courage and justice. This
article explores our starting point, the contributors, and the long-lasting values
established for our great country.

Our History

Early America was governed by Great Britain. They heavily controlled our budding
commerce, our wealth, our religious beliefs, and society as a whole. As the thirteen
colonies developed townships and confederations, Great Britain’s authority and
restrictive laws, became more and more obsolete. The new citizens of this country were
left with no choice, but fight for their rights, our rights.

The American colonies had been at war here with Great Britain for one year, prior to the
signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, our first milestone in winning unity
and independence from British rule. The United States Constitution was created as the
independent governing law, as a result of this declaration, but took until 1788, 12 years
later to fully implement. The American Revolution started in 1775, lasting until 1783.
James Madison wrote and championed, The United States Bill of Rights, profound and
equal rights for all peoples throughout America, successfully amending the U.S.
Constitution in 1791.

Our Founding Fathers

For many of us, “Founding Fathers” signifies the actual writers of the Declaration of
Independence. We often think of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson
and James Madison our first, second, third and fourth presidents, Alexander Hamilton,
our first Secretary of Treasury, John Jay, our first Chief Justice, Benjamin Franklin, our
first American ambassador to France, and John Hancock, the first signer with the most
significant signature in size. What so many fail to realize, is this significant grouping not
only includes the writers, fifty-six signers and framers, including delegates from each
state, but also includes political leaders, community activists, soldiers of the revolution,
statesmen, lawyers, business men, land-owners and many regular citizens in the newly
formed America. The actual foundation of America was constructed and built over
sixteen years, by many Americans. These Americans, fought and died, believing they had
a right to real life, we have a right to really live.

Our Values, Our Rights

Our Declaration of Independence in 1776 was our formal contract, declaring

independence for the thirteen American colonies, from British rule. One of the most
famous and significant excerpts from this initial declaration and to this day, states, “We
hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed
by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and
the pursuit of Happiness”.

The United States Constitution is the oldest constitution governing the people of a
country, still honored and upheld today. Americans have held strong to these
fundamentals, the principles and foundation for our country, for 234 years. The
constitution established the three branches of government: executive, legislative and
judiciary. The most infamous and widely recognized excerpt, declaring our mission as a
people, is found in the preamble stating, “We the People of the United States, in Order to
form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States
of America”.

The Bill of Rights established equal and just rights for all people, in order to limit the
control, of the newly formed American federal government over the state confederations.
These are natural rights, God given rights, protecting our liberty, property, our freedom
of religious beliefs and worship, our speech, our right to bear arms, and the prevention of
any cruel and unjust punishment. Most importantly and often overlooked, the ninth
amendment was created to protect all of our rights, especially our rights not specified
with detail within the ten. The ninth amendment was written, much like a modern
contract, to prevent the exclusion of unspecified rights, providing protection for all of our
rights, as we developed as a nation.

Perhaps Thomas Paine, one of many who fought for our right for freedom, put it best
when he said, “We fight not to enslave, but to set a country free, and to make room upon
the earth for honest men to live in.” Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, No. 4, September 11, 1777

References:

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm

http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers

http://www.ushistory.org/documents/constitution.htm

http://www.ushistory.org/documents/amendments.htm

http://www.thefoundingfathers.net/