Three Pillars Of Citizenship Analysis
Founding Freedoms in the Three Pillar Documents The “Pillars of Citizenship” all work together in accomplishing the same goals and are based off the belief that all people in society must have a government created to protect their fundamental rights. These rights are considered as common law rights, or natural rights, which the Founders considered came from God. The three documents have apparent parallels, such as the preambles, but also in the messages that each document expresses. The men that drafted these documents also shared very similar backgrounds of education and owning their own properties. Congress drafted the Declaration and Constitution at a convention that met in the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia in 1776 and 1787.
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The Declaration of Independence created a representative, democratic, and fair government to break away from the ruling of British government, and the Constitution outlined how this government would function. In these Pillar documents, the mention of citizenship or the definition is lacking. The United States Constitution did not explain citizenship, although it did mention “[t:]he citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states” (U.S. Const. art. IV, § 2.) In Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4, the mention of citizenship can be seen, “To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization” (U.S. Const. art. I, § 8.) Meaning that Congress had the power to set up a process for immigrants to become American citizens, even after the he idea that had already been presenting because it was embedded in the Constitution. The first official written explanation of American citizenship was included in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (1868). Section 1 of this amendment declares, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside" (U.S. Const. amend. XIV). Meaning that prior to adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment in The Constitution, the general view was that citizens of the states were automatically considered citizens of the …show more content…
Asserting, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (The Declaration of Independence, U.S. 1776, para. 5) but this did not mean that civil government had to treat each individual on the same on the basis. This idea was contradictory because this was a society in which slavery was accepted, in the South, and many ideas were originally based off slavery. Many of the Founding Fathers themselves owned slaves and fought in favor of slavery, patriarchy, and to rule by wealth. To make such a bold statement that “all men are created equal” while keeping them enslaved to the very men that wrote this document is antithetical. It wasn’t until Congress ratified the 13th Amendment on December 6th 1865 in the Constitution which abolished the institution of slavery, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” (U.S. Const. amend. XIII). The Declaration of Independence was unable to accommodate a passage insinuating the freeing of African-American slaves because of the economic confidence on free labor at the time. While this issue of emancipation would ultimately introduce the United States to a civil war, the social atmosphere of the current country during the
The Declaration of Independence created a representative, democratic, and fair government to break away from the ruling of British government, and the Constitution outlined how this government would function. In these Pillar documents, the mention of citizenship or the definition is lacking. The United States Constitution did not explain citizenship, although it did mention “[t:]he citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states” (U.S. Const. art. IV, § 2.) In Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4, the mention of citizenship can be seen, “To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization” (U.S. Const. art. I, § 8.) Meaning that Congress had the power to set up a process for immigrants to become American citizens, even after the he idea that had already been presenting because it was embedded in the Constitution. The first official written explanation of American citizenship was included in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution (1868). Section 1 of this amendment declares, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside" (U.S. Const. amend. XIV). Meaning that prior to adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment in The Constitution, the general view was that citizens of the states were automatically considered citizens of the …show more content…
Asserting, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal” (The Declaration of Independence, U.S. 1776, para. 5) but this did not mean that civil government had to treat each individual on the same on the basis. This idea was contradictory because this was a society in which slavery was accepted, in the South, and many ideas were originally based off slavery. Many of the Founding Fathers themselves owned slaves and fought in favor of slavery, patriarchy, and to rule by wealth. To make such a bold statement that “all men are created equal” while keeping them enslaved to the very men that wrote this document is antithetical. It wasn’t until Congress ratified the 13th Amendment on December 6th 1865 in the Constitution which abolished the institution of slavery, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction” (U.S. Const. amend. XIII). The Declaration of Independence was unable to accommodate a passage insinuating the freeing of African-American slaves because of the economic confidence on free labor at the time. While this issue of emancipation would ultimately introduce the United States to a civil war, the social atmosphere of the current country during the