Download Christopher Young Mr. Silva US Government Pd. 4 September 13

Christopher Young
Mr. Silva
US Government Pd. 4
September 13, 2011
A nation is both a border on a map and an idea; however, it is considered more of an idea.
If a nation’s border falls, the nation itself does not because of its shared ideas. Ideas are mutual
understandings that normally cannot be broken. Sources of a nation being an idea include the
Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the US Amendments.
The beginning of a nation normally becomes an idea normally derives well before the
border is set on a map. The Declaration of Independence, signed by the Revolutionists on July 4,
1776, began a nation separate from England. The Declaration states three ideas that defines this
nation. “All men are created equal”, which was made to prevent monarchy, “All people have the
right to pursue Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”, which was a declaration that people
have individual rights, and “The Right of the People to alter or to abolish it”, which allows the
people to revolt when a government goes corrupt.
The US Constitution is another document that defines the United States an idea, rather
than a border. It is, in essence, the supreme law of the United States. The government uses the
Constitution as the basic support pillar. The Constitution originated from England’s Bill of
Rights, which provides restrictions on both the people and the government. It is the People’s job
to ensure the country’s ideas are stable and upkept. “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” (US Constitution Preamble).
The US Amendments, one of the better well-known parts of the Constitution, provides
the greatest source of a nation being an idea. America, being a world superpower, has guidelines
in its Amendments that help it become top of the world. The most well-known Amendment, the
First, states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of
grievances.” This, in short, “Freedom of speech, religion and press”, makes America unique,
and will always remain with its citizens. This Amendment is an idea that, along with the other
26 Amendments, holds this nation together.
A nation is defined by its ideas, rather than its border. Through reading and research
nationally recognized documents like the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and
the US Amendments, evidence leans towards a nation being an idea.