American Gov.

Scramblin' thru... American Government

"We the People & All that Jazz..."

What comes to mind when you hear the word "government"? Perhaps a lethargic, antiquated system hindered by red tape and lazy politicians that act like middle schoolers? If so, you're close. Government is a political organization that makes the laws and decisions in a country. Whether you live under a democracy, a republic, a dictatorship, a theocracy, or a monarchy – you know something about how government works based upon your everyday experiences. (Well, unless you live under a dictatorship, in which case you are reading a very censored version of this website... if you have Internet access at all. All hail Emperor Zerg!)

Welcome to reality, Chuck. [Click picture for a larger version.]

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Democracy vs. Republic:
Which are we?

How many of you can recite the Pledge of Allegiance? You may have been given the honor of saying it during morning announcements in elementary school... which explains your utter fear of public speaking. Nevertheless, here's what the Pledge says:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands: one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Notice the underlined word: republic. Most of you have been taught that the U.S. is a democracy... while some have been told we are a republic.

What doesn't help is the fact that the term "republic" is used by both democracies and dictatorships, which leads to more confusion. For example, the People's Republic of China... is Communist. Now throw in the fact that the word "democracy" does NOT appear anywhere in the two biggest documents of our nation: the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Furthermore, the Constitution's Article IV, Section 4 guarantees "to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government".

Thus, while used interchangeably at times, there is a drastic difference between a republic and a democracy.

So... which is it? Is the U.S. a democracy or a republic?

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Will the "real" democracy stand up?

The distinguishing feature of a democracy is "Rule by Majority". In a democracy, the minority has no protection against the unlimited power of the majority. It is a simple case of "Majority-over-Man".

This is true whether it be a direct democracy or a representative democracy. A direct democracy, like what was seen throughout the city-states of Ancient Greece, wouldn't be feasible in a country that has over 300 million people like we do today. In a direct democracy, all 300 million people would be required to vote on everything. And if you thought D.C. got nothing done before, can you imagine trying to have all U.S. citizens vote on every issue, bill, and decision this country faces? In a direct democracy, decisions are reached by a majority vote (half-plus-one).

Under a representative democracy, the people elect representatives to the national legislature where they then make all legislative decisions. This is similar to Britain's parliamentary form of government. The people elect their representatives who serve in Parliament. Whichever political party has the majority of members gets to pick the Prime Minister to lead the country. (If the U.S. operated this way, we would elect representatives to Congress. If there were more Republicans than Democrats in Congress, then the Republicans would pick the President.)

In both direct and representative democracies, the majority's power is absolute; its decisions cannot be appealed through the legal system. This paves the way to "Tyranny-by-Majority". This was what the Founding Fathers debated during the drafting of the Constitution when they condemned the "excesses of democracy" and abuses under any democracy of the unalienable (God-given) rights of the individual by the majority.

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"And to the republic..."

In a republic, the sovereignty (ability to govern yourself) resides with the people. To solve problems in a republic, an individual may act on their own or use their elected representatives. The people have no obligation to the government; instead, the government is a servant of the people. The purpose of a republic is to control the majority in order to protect the individual's God-given rights, the rights of those in the minority, and the liberties of people in general. When a Constitution or some other written document is created to help govern a republic, it becomes a constitutional republic. A constitutional republic has some similarities to democracy since both use democratic processes to elect representatives and pass laws, etc. However, the critical difference lies in the fact that a constitutional republic has a Constitution that limits the powers of the government – a democracy does NOT.

The definition of a constitutional republic states that it is: a constitutionally limited government of the representative type, created by a written Constitution adopted by the people and changeable by them only through amendments with its powers divided between three separate branches - Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.

Sound familiar?

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And the verdict is...

Most Americans live under the false impression that their country's form of government is a democracy or representative democracy. This is completely untrue.

The United States of America is a constitutional republic.

The Founding Fathers feared a democracy as much as they did a monarchy. They understood that the only entity that can take away the people's freedom is their own government, either by being too weak to protect them from external threats or by becoming too powerful and taking over every aspect of life. Because of this, the Founding Fathers deliberately did everything in their power to prevent American from having a democracy.

So, unless you want a bunch of peeved zombie Founding Fathers coming back from the dead to prove you wrong, stop calling America a "democracy"! (Now, go "wow" your parents with this new knowledge...)

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Why We Are What We Are

The institutions of all governments come from essential principles and ideals (fancier words for "beliefs"). In the U.S., our government hinges on representation, where the people elect their leaders. The U.S. Government functions to protect this principle and the interests of all Americans. Our government is a combination of federal, state, and local laws.

That being said, America's constitutional republic is based on six essential ideals:

1. Majority rule is how we decide what to do.
2. The political rights of minorities must be protected.
3. Citizens must agree to a system of rule by law.
4. Opinions and ideas (no matter how stupid) must not be restricted.
5. All citizens are equal before the law.
6. Government exists to serve the people, because it gets its power from the people.

These ideals form the basis of the constitutional republic in the U.S. To implement these, the U.S. built its government around four key elements:

1. Popular sovereignty. The people are the ultimate source of the government's authority.
2. Representative government.
3. Checks and balances.
4. Federalism. Powers are shared by different levels of government.

Good stuff, right? So, the next time you run into America, give it a big high five.

No joke. Ninjas make everything easier to understand. A democracy is on the left while a republic is on the right. [Click picture for a larger version.]

The Declaration: Suck it, Britain

Despite hostilities between American farmers and the British Army that flared up in Massachusetts in April 1775, most people saw the confrontation as a misstep by both sides and figured things would be patched up. However, the Battle of Bunker Hill two months later – which saw the British suffer 47% casualties at the hands of an entrenched militia – was harder to dismiss as being an "accident". As such, in July, the Continental Congress sent the Olive Branch Petition to King George III to ask him to repeal the "Intolerable" Acts that had been in place to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. King George responded by cutting off all trade and setting up a naval blockade. (Soooooo... that's a "no"?)

Ironically, a newly arrived immigrant from Britain named Thomas Paine fired the next shot of American independence when he published a pamphlet called Common Sense in January 1776. In it, Paine attacked King George and the idea of a monarchy, helping convince many Americans they needed to break away. The pamphlet instantly galvanized the 13 colonies. On June 7, 1776, a representative from Virginia named Richard Henry Lee proposed "that these united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent states". Congress quickly appointed Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston to write a formal statement of independence. Like any group project you've ever done in school when you hope to be paired with the smart kid, Franklin, Adams, Sherman, and Livingston were pumped to be with Jefferson. After all, he was the teacher's pet, a good writer, and smelled nice.

I got this guys... [Click picture for a larger version.]

As expected, Jefferson did most of the heavy lifting for the group and wrote the bulk of the Declaration of Independence. He did so by ripping off the ideas of English Enlightenment philosopher John Locke, which was easy since Locke died in 1704, and, well, would never say anything. Jefferson claimed that he used "neither book nor pamphlet" when writing the Declaration, but his work sounded awfully similar to that of Locke's and others. Think about it... Locke believed in "natural rights" that included "life, liberty, and property". Jefferson believed in "inalienable rights" that included "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". Coincidence? At least he changed the last part from "property" to "pursuit of happiness" since, in 1776, women and slaves were considered "property" – and, well, the Declaration of Independence might have come off as a bit more racist than it already was if Jefferson promised "life, liberty, and the right to own a black guy" to all property owners that lacked pigment in their skin and had no ovaries. (You know, "white guys".) This way, if owning other humans makes a person happy, it fell under Jefferson's "pursuit of happiness" clause.

The Declaration is often viewed as a "marvel or originality", when, in fact, it is a paraphrase of the ideas of John Locke. James Madison apologized for its plagiarism, saying: "The object was to assert, not to discover truths."

BUSTED!!! [Click picture for a larger version.]

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Nevertheless, Jefferson broke the document into five parts, which, honestly, comes across as five GIANT run-on sentences since no one back then knew how to use a period. (Apparently printing presses back then charged extra for periods and gave commas and semi-colons away for free.) The first part showed why independence was necessary. He followed this up with the Preamble that contained his epic "We hold these truths" part. The indictment was a long catalog of grievances 100% directed at King George III (even though, by that time, Parliament was calling the shots). It was, for lack of a better term, America's S#&% List. Jefferson wrapped up America's argument for independence with his denunciation (and because he ran out of things to complain about). He originally ended it with "Suck it, Britain", but Franklin and Adams toned it down to read "We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor." The draft was returned to Congress on June 28th, who, on July 2nd, voted for independence.

After the vote on July 2nd, representatives debated the actual text of the Declaration. (It's comforting to know that Congress would pass a resolution without actually reading it first – and good to see that our current Congress does the same thing today.) The biggest change was removing Jefferson's accusation that the British had promoted the slave trade in America since, well, that was a complete lie... and sounded ridiculous since Jefferson owned (and was diddling) slaves. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to accept the final version of the Declaration of Independence.

Really John? He's like that person that doesn't buy the group birthday card but still signs his name super big across it.

With independence declared, all America had to do now was beat the greatest army and navy assembled since the Roman Empire. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Six years later... America 1, Britain 0.

The Articles: "A" for Effort

From the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 until shots were fired in Lexington in 1775, relations between Britain and the colonies slowly eroded, eventually degenerating into a glorified peeing contest. Both sides were to blame, really. Britain would pass a ridiculous tax knowing full well it would fire up the colonists. Like a disobedient child holding his breath in the checkout line of a grocery store, the colonists would form committees, get drunk, and make awful decisions. (Seriously, America? What part of dressing up like Indians and throwing tea off ships docked in Boston Harbor did you think was a good idea? Nothing like destroying $2.2 million of your Mom's personal property to prove a point... and then acting shocked when she flips out.) As it were, Americans weren't so mad at the amount Britain was taxing (one-tenth of one penny was the cost of a stamp under the Stamp Act) as they were mad at the fact Britain thought they had the right to tax the colonies.

In the first show of unity, 12 of the 13 colonies (except Georgia, since, apparently, Georgia wasn't a "team player" meet in September 1774 to form the First Continental Congress. They decided to ignore Britain's taxes and boycott all British goods. Before it adjourned, the Congress agreed to meet again should fighting occur. They got their wish with the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775, and a Second Continental Congress was called together. While Congress lacked the legal authority to govern, it boldly assumed that responsibility. Congress selected George Washington to be Commander-in-Chief of the new Continental Army in a move that shocked those that served under him at the disastrously-designed Fort Necessity during the French and Indian War. Congress wanted a southern general in order to please the hesitant South and get them on board with what was perceived as a "Northern" war.

As such, the Continental Congress was a temporary government without any real defined powers. In November 1777, to help give some bite to its bark, Congress enacted the Articles of Confederation, drafted by John Dickinson. The Articles created a loose confederation in which each state kept its independence and kept control over all of its internal affairs. (Controlling internal affairs was, essentially, the crux of the problem with Britain taxing the colonies in the first place.)

The simplicity of the Federal Government created by the Articles would prove to be problematic. Understandably, America was a bit gun-shy of strong central governments since they had lived under the rule of a monarch their entire existence. As a result, they limited the authority of the new Confederate government. There was no President and no system of courts. The legislature was a one-house Congress in which each state had one vote, regardless of population. The Congress had military and diplomatic powers, but it lacked the authority to control trade or to pass taxes. It could ask the states for needed funds, but it could not force them to do so. Moreover, the powers of the Confederation could be changed only by the unanimous consent of the states – and getting all 13 states to agree on something was virtually impossible since the states functioned as their own mini-countries.

For all its faults, the Articles of Confederation did successfully govern the country during the Revolution and into its embryonic stage during post-independence. Ironically, the very people that helped create the United States... angry farmers in Massachusetts... would be responsible for trying to tear it down. Excessive taxation and economic depression following the Revolution were the catalysts once again. On January 25, 1787, Daniel Shays, a former captain in the Continental Army, and other farmers marched into Springfield to seize the federal arsenal where the state's weapons were stored. They were defeated by a militia force assembled under Benjamin Lincoln (the same guy who accepted the surrender of General Cornwallis' subordinate following the Siege of Yorktown in 1781). Most of the men were later pardoned... except Shays, who was condemned to death. (He escaped to Vermont and was pardoned a year later.)

Farmers mad about taxes... so 1775. [Click picture for a larger version.]

Shays' Rebellion forced the leaders of the young nation to take note. While serving as a diplomat in France, Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison and shared his thoughts on Shays' Rebellion. He said, "Even this evil is productive of good. It prevents the degeneracy of government, and nourishes a general attention to the public affairs. I hold it, that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical." Still, the existing Articles were not an effective way of governing. As a result, it was agreed to meet in Philadelphia a few months later to alter or abolish the Articles of Confederation.

The Founding Fathers wanted to avoid trading one King George for another. [Click picture to view the Assassin's Creed 3 trailer.]

Constitution: Refrigerator Worthy

In May 1787, 55 delegates (representing every state but Rhode Island, whose legislature had voted not to send a delegation) convened in Philadelphia and drew up a new Constitution. The delegates who gathered were mostly merchants, slave-owning planters, and landlords. There were no artisans and only a few farmers. The delegates included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. Other leading Patriots were absent: Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were in Europe on diplomatic missions; and Patrick Henry (Mr. "Give me liberty or give me death!") refused to attend because he liked the limited government under the Articles.

Right from the start, it was pretty obvious that the delegates wanted to strengthen the national government since it was as strong as a fart in the wind. However, the delegates realized that whatever new document they created would have to be ratified by the people of the U.S., and, as such, they had to take into account what ordinary Americans would accept. (How nice of Congress to remember the "little people".) James Madison took the lead and wrote a sexy new Constitution that was both conservative and revolutionary... retro and modern... defined yet vague. It was like that "A" you got on your Geometry test, a "once-in-a-lifetime" achievement worthy of being put on the refrigerator. We had pulled it off.

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Of course, one can imagine that some quality "Reality T.V." could have been made while filming these yahoos trying to agree on everything. (Think Duck Dynasty meets Real Housewives of New Jersey...)

The biggest compromise was between the large and small states since, even in 1787, size mattered. States with large populations favored the "Virginia Plan" that wanted to use a state's population to determine representation in Congress. The small states wanted to follow the "New Jersey Plan" where every state, regardless of population, would get one vote. In the resulting compromise, called the "Great Compromise", they made a bicameral legislature. Representation in the House of Representatives was based on population, while two senators would represent each state, regardless of population, in the Senate.

Another compromise settled an argument over whether slaves would be counted as part of a state's population (if they were, Southern representation would skyrocket). The convention agreed to count each slave as three–fifths of a person (because THAT'S a fraction people love to work with) in what was dubbed the "Three-Fifths Compromise".

That's spelled J-A-M-E-S... [Click picture for a larger version.]

The Constitution painstakingly separated the powers of the national government across three branches - Executive: President; Legislative: Congress; Judicial: Supreme Court. This "checks and balances" between the branches helped make a strong national government that could prevent itself from ever becoming tyrannical like a monarchy.

With all this done, they needed to send the Constitution to the states for ratification... where nine of the 13 had to to say "yes" in order for it to take effect.

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The Bill of Rights: Gab, God & Guns

You know those people that disagree with you on everything? If you say "up", they say "down". If you say, "Voltron was the greatest Saturday Morning Cartoon", they retort, "Power Rangers was better", to which you respond, "Are you serious? Power Rangers is a blatant rip off of Voltron, and, if you can't see that, I no longer wish to continue this conversation with you, you small-minded simpleton." It's like they intentionally pick the other side of the argument just to ruffle your feathers – or, perhaps, they are idiots. Well, when it came to ratifying the Constitution, there were two sides: the "Federalists" (ratify it!) and the "Anti-Federalists" (send it back!). Both sides began campaigning to get their states to either support or reject the nation's newly proposed government.

The Anti-Federalists were afraid that a strong national government would be run by the wealthy who wouldn't be able to relate to the plight of most citizens. In response, Federalist leaders Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison told everyone to unclench via the Federalist Papers, a series of 85 essays and articles that answered questions and helped ease fears about the Constitution.

Because the Constitution granted the Federal Government so much more power than it had with the Articles of Confederation, Anti-Federalists demanded a list of amendments to guarantee individual rights. The delegates that created the Constitution had not included a Bill of Rights because they did not think it was necessary to list out one's rights. Jefferson chimed in from overseas and said that human rights were something "no just government should refuse, or rest on inference", siding with those that wanted a Bill of Rights. (Classic Tom.)

This political cartoon shows the importance of Virginia and New York to the Constitution. [Click picture for a larger version.]

So, to sway the anti-Federalists, a Bill of Rights was promised if the states ratified the Constitution. It worked, and by 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, thus making the Constitution legally effective.

James Madison went to work again, creating a series of proposals that became the first 10 amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights. These amendments protected freedom of speech, the press, and religion; guaranteed fair and speedy trials; prohibited cruel and unusual punishments; and provided other protections against oppressive government. The states ratified the Bill of Rights in 1791.

Thus the Constitution, which began "We the People", created a government that was truly just that.

Get it? It's mocking those that think "Freedom of Religion" is "Freedom to Only Be Christian". You didn't get it, did you? In fact, unless you read this, you may have been offended. Dang... [Click picture for a larger version.]

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The word "democracy" comes from two Greek words: demos meaning "the people" and kratia meaning "to rule", therefore democracy means "the people rule". Majority rule may sound like a good idea, but, essentially, it translates to mean "mob rule". The flaw of democracy is that the majority is NOT "restrained" - meaning if more than half of the people can be persuaded to want something in a democracy,
that whim will rule.

The word "republic" comes from two Latin words: res meaning "concern" and publicus meaning "public", therefore republic means "concern for the public". A true republic is one where the government is limited by law, leaving the people alone. For example, in the
"Wild West", if a lynch mob captured a suspected criminal, instead of hanging
him because the majority voted for it, the criminal would be given a trial due to "the rule of law" in a republic instead of the "mob rule" of a democracy.

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The Pledge of Allegiance was first used in schools on Columbus Day in 1892. It was originally worded as:

I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the republic for which it stands: one nation,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The words "the flag of the United States" were added on Flag Day in 1924 while
"under God" was added in 1954, bringing the Pledge up to its current version.

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The dictatorial and absolute empires of Egypt, Sumer, Assyria, Persia, and Macedonia were followed by the rise of city-states, the first self-governing communities where representatives were responsible to the citizens that chose them. The city-states of Greece (like Athens and Sparta) provided examples for the theories of deep-thinkers Plato and Aristotle. Aristotle used a simple system of classifying countries that was based on the following concept: good governments serve the general welfare; bad governments use the general good to benefit those in power. As a result, he grouped government into three categories:

1. Monarchy
(government by one)

2. Aristocracy
(government by a few)

3. Democracy
(government by many)

Future Greek philosophers added 5 more forms of government (many of which
are technically sub-groups of the larger classifications). These were:

4. Tyranny
(rule by an individual in her/his own interest)

5. Oligarchy
(rule by a few people in their own interest)

6. Ochlocracy
(mob rule)

7. Theocracy
(rule by religious leaders)

8. Bureaucracy
(the excessive domination of government by administrative officials)

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Habeas corpus is Latin for "you have the body" and is an order issued by a court that requires proof of the legality of jailing someone. (It's protection against random imprisonment.) Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution states that the privilege of habeas corpus may not be suspended except in cases of rebellion or invasion, when the public safety may require it. (The constitutions of most states also contain the protection of habeas corpus.) Only once has the U.S. Federal Government suspended the right of habeas corpus. This was in 1861 when Abraham Lincoln suspended it for any Confederate sympathizers during the Civil War.

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Every Fourth of July we celebrate our nation's
independence by blowing off fingers, experimenting with "how much is too much" lighter fluid, and pushing down children to get the Tootsie Rolls thrown by Shriners during the local parade. But when exactly is our Independence Day? The history books tell us it's July 4, 1776... but, if we've learned anything, it's that history loves to fudge the facts.

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee, a representative from Virginia, proposed that America ends its allegiance to King George III and sever all ties politically to the Mother Country. This kicked into gear the writing of the Declaration of Independence, which was cranked out with remarkable speed and submitted to the Continental Congress on June 28th.

On July 2nd, Congress voted for national independence, and 12 of the 13 approved the measure (New York's representatives abstained from voting since they hadn't been given the "OK" to do so from back home).

After the vote on July 2nd, representatives began to debate the actual text of the Declaration. On July 4th, Congress voted to accept the final version of the Declaration of Independence.

New York didn't ratify the resolution until July 9th, and most delegates didn't sign the official copy until August 2nd. Even still, some never signed it.

So when is our independence day?

John Adams wrote his wife Abigail: "The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells,
bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more!"

Ooops. Looks like this year you can get your trip to the ER in two days earlier. Happy Second of July!

Dammit! What part of the SECOND day of July did everyone miss?! [Click picture for a larger version.]

The land ceded by Britain in 1783 under the terms of the Second Treaty of Paris was known as the Northwest Territory. The following year, Thomas Jefferson, then a Continental Congressman, came up with a plan to divide the region into smaller territories that would be eligible for statehood. The plan, modified by Congress into the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, allowed for the region to be broken into three to five states. Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and part of Minnesota were eventually formed within the Northwest Territory.

This legislation organized the land into townships six miles square, provided land to support public schools (whoo hoo!), and organized the sale of land to settlers. The Northwest Ordinance guaranteed civil liberties in the territory and banned the importation of slaves north of the Ohio River. The creation of the territory is considered at the top of the list of accomplishments for the pre-Constitution government. (It's a short list, however...)

This was Jefferson's original plan for the Northwest Territory. [Click picture for a larger version.]

This is how it all shook out. [Click picture for a larger version.]

On December 7, 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the Constitution, meaning the state of Delaware can actually claim to be famous for something! It was followed by Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify, thus making the Constitution legally effective. But without ratification by New York and Virginia, two of the nation's largest states, it was doubtful the Constitution would succeed. The promise of a Bill of Rights won them over, and Virginia ratified four days later by 10 votes. New York finally ratified on July 26th, but by a vote of 30-27. North Carolina eventually ratified it in 1789, and Rhode Island in 1790, but by then no one cared anymore.

To "jazz" up quarters, the U.S. started printing special commemorative state coins from 1999-2008. The program was done as a way of creating a new generation of coin collectors. The Federal Government has made $3 billion in profits from collectors taking the coins out of circulation. Delaware got to be Quarter #1 since they were the first to ratify the Constitution. Hawaii was Quarter #50. (I'm hoping you can figure out the order they went in...) [Click picture for a larger version.]

Ohio was Quarter #17 in 2002. [Click picture for a larger version.]

Alaska was Quarter #49 in 2008. Their quarter is, easily, the coolest. Why? Bears = Cool. [Click picture for a larger version.]

The "Bill of Rights", which contains the first 10 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, almost never happened, and, when it did, almost had 17 Amendments.

We owe this to James Madison. His persistence in reminding members of Congress that they had promised the states they would create a list of guaranteed rights if they ratified the Constitution was met with some yawns and some "so whats?" He kept at it, however, and gave his plan to the House of Representatives in June 1789.

Madison thought the Bill of Rights should be written into the original Constitution rather than offered as a separate entity. The House appointed Madison, Roger Sherman, and John Jay to draft a "Bill of Rights". Sherman favored a separate document, and his suggestion was chosen over Madison's inclusion plan. After much debate, the House passed 17 proposed amendments.

The Senate combined some Amendments and cut others, dropping the total number to 12, which they approved on September 25, 1789.

Per the wording of the Constitution itself, three-fourths of the states must approve any amendments to the Constitution. With Vermont becoming the 14th
state in 1791, 11 states were required to approve adding the Bill of Rights to the Constitution. Virginia became the 11th to do so on December 15, 1791. (Does Hallmark have a "Happy Bill of Rights Day"card?)

Most states did not ratify the first two amendments of the original 12 in the Bill of Rights. The first dealt with how to go about assigning congressional seats to the states. (Boring! I almost fell asleep typing that. Cut it!) The second, specifying congressional pay raises, was not ratified until
1992... 74,003 days after it had been passed in 1789... and became the 27th
Amendment.

Because the first two were passed but not ratified in 1789, what we know today as the First Amendment was actually the Third.

For a more detailed look at all 27 Amendments
(and ridiculous ways of
ermembering them), click here to visit that page.

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Schoolhouse Rock! ran from 1973-1985 during the Saturday morning children's programming on ABC. The animated shorts covered topics like grammar, science, economics, history, math, and civics. Below are seven classic episodes about American history and
government. Enjoy!

[Click to watch "No More Kings" from Schoolhouse Rock!]

[Click to watch "Fireworks" from Schoolhouse Rock!]

[Click to watch "Shot Heard 'Round the World" from Schoolhouse Rock!]

[Click to watch "The Preamble" from Schoolhouse Rock!]

[Click to watch "3 Branches of Government" from Schoolhouse Rock!]

[Click to watch "I'm Just a Bill" from Schoolhouse Rock!]

[Click to watch "Tyrannosaurus Debt" from Schoolhouse Rock!]

There were drastic changes from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution. The chart below shows these differences.

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You Mean We Gotta Cite Our Sources?!

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Historians often refer to the Founding Fathers as "godlike" because of the documents that they produced (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights) and the influence these had on shaping the government of the U.S.

And before we bash them, let's point out the fact that these guys did create something that's been working (for the most part) for over 200 years.

I don't see anyone still reading your 8th grade book report on Lord of the Flies...

But how much credit is really due to the Founding Fathers? As we have discovered, the Founding Fathers honed in on 11 different sources for their ideas used in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. And, in some cases, they did the same thing that you did when writing your report on Lord of the Flies... ripped off someone else's work. Straight up copy and paste – no citations – no references – just, BAM... turned in with blue hyperlinks still in it. That takes guts, but, these guys are larger-than-life personalities that must remain unscathed by the backlash that is revisionist history! Or maybe we ought to expose them for the little plagiarizers they are!

The following 11 documents and books were all used by the Founding Fathers and contributed to the potpourri that is American Government.