Is the Constitution Living or Dead

Hey everyone. I know it's been a long time since I've posted anything, but I've been busy lately and haven't really had anything worth posting. Here's a paper I wrote a couple weeks ago (that I'm just now getting around to posting) that should be an interesting read. Hope you all enjoy!

Is the Constitution Living or Dead

An ongoing debate has existed for many years over whether or not the Constitution is a living or dead document. Some people think that the Constitution is a living document, one that changes along with society. Others think that the Constitution is a dead document, that will never be changed no matter how much society does. Both sides have some valid points.

Some sections of the Constitution are living and intended to change as necessary, such as the ratio of Congressmen to population. If we had stayed at the same ratio as the Constitution originally stated, we would have so many Congressmen that nothing would ever get done! It was necessary to change that section in order to keep the government running effectively the way it was supposed to. 

 

Another section of the Constitution that is living is how to fill offices that have been emptied by death or resignation. The Constitution gave rules for how to deal with a Presidential vacancy, Presidential and Vice-Presidential vacancy, or a Congressional vacancy. A law was passed by Congress describing how to deal with a Vice-Presidential vacancy when the Vice-President takes over the duties of the President for whatever reason. The law was necessary to ensure that the country was not without a Vice-President if the President was unable to fulfill his duties.

A third section of the Constitution that is living dictates the time and place of Congressional sessions. The timing was originally set for the first Monday in December; however, Congress was given the power to change it by law. Congress was given the choice of where to hold their sessions.

However, most sections of the Constitution are dead and cannot be changed, unless the Constitution is either heavily amended or thrown out completely. One of those sections is the first ten amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights. Every single one of those amendments was written in order to prevent the government from obtaining too much power. They were designed and intended to preserve the rights of the people and to prevent tyranny. 

 

Another section of the Constitution that is dead is how officials are elected. If that were able to be changed, then the government would be able to tyrannize and control elections for their own benefit. We the people would no longer be the ones controlling the government; the government would be controlling we the people. 

 

A third section of the Constitution that is dead is the powers of government. The Constitution stated the powers that the government was allowed to have and exercise and gave the remaining powers to the states and the people. If the government were able to change what powers they had, then they would have the choice of either giving the states more power or taking more power themselves, and, of course, the government officials would choose to take more power for themselves. 

 

Overall, the Constitution is a dead document, with a few small portions that are living. The Founding Fathers wrote it with the intent that, for the good of the people, it would not be changed. However, they did include a way for it to be changed if absolutely necessary, and also wrote a few portions with permission for Congress to change those specific sections.

Strengths of the Constitution and American Government

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, I've been rather busy. However, here is last week's paper. Hope you enjoy!

 

Strengths of the Constitution and the American Government

The Constitution of the United States of America was written in 1787, and it is still the basis of our government today. While this document has a number of weak spots, it also has many strengths, and these strong points have helped to keep our country together for over 200 years.

The first area of strength is in leadership. The Constitution allows the citizens to choose their national leaders (such as the President and Vice-President) through the process of elections, in which the people, by voting for the candidate they want, are actually voting for the elector in their state who will vote for that candidate. The electors are chosen by the citizens of each state, and they vote as representatives of the state. The candidate who receives a majority of electoral votes wins the election. The Constitution also allows citizens to vote for the Representatives and Senators who make up the Congressional body.

The Constitution establishes term limits for each office, which prevents one person from holding a position of authority for a long time. There are also limits on the number of terms a person can serve in any particular capacity. The document also restricts the amount of time a person can serve in the government, preventing a person from spending their entire life in office and taking over the country. 

 

The second area of strength in the Constitution is accountability. Congress is required to periodically publish their journal of proceedings (excluding parts that Congressmen think should, for the time being, be kept secret). Bills that are introduced in Congress have to pass both Houses before the bill is passed to the President to be signed. If the President vetos, or refuses to sign, the bill, Congress can override that veto with a 2/3 majority of each House. 

 

If a high-ranking official commits a high crime such as treason, Congress has the authority to bring impeachment charges against said official, and a trial is held. In order for someone to be declared guilty of treason, there have to be at least 2 witnesses who can both prove that the person on trial did indeed commit the crime. If the President is removed from office, the Vice-President will become President, and someone will be elected to fill the vacant office for the remainder of the term. 

 

The government is set up in three separate branches, yet designed so that no one branch can take full control over the country. Anything one branch does has to be agreed to by either one or both other branches before it can take effect. This is called the system of checks and balances.

A final area of strength is freedom. Several Amendments to the Constitution provide for specific freedoms for the people. The First Amendment provides for the freedom of religion and speech, thus preventing the government from dictating what people have to say and believe. It also allows citizens to gather to peacefully protest something that the government is doing. 

 

The Second Amendment gives citizens the freedom to arm themselves as they see fit for the purpose of defending themselves. The Sixth Amendment gives all people, whether or not they are United States citizens, the right to a fair trial whenever they are accused of any crime. 

 

There are many, many strong points in the Constitution. Some are stronger than others, but all have had a part in making our country what it is today.

Characteristics of a Good Government Leader

Hey guys! A new school year has started, which means that now I will hopefully be making a weekly post again. Here is this week's report. Hope you enjoy!

Characteristics of a Good Government Leader

There are many different characteristics that people can have. Some are good and desirable, and some are not. The people who need good characteristics the most are government leaders. Here are some characteristics that all people should have, especially if they are leaders.

The first one is honesty. Leaders need to be honest with the citizens of their country. However, many leaders tell the citizens one thing while campaigning and then do something totally different once they are in office. Judges also need to have a good sense of honesty in order to make just and proper court rulings. If the leaders of a country have honesty, then they will lead their country well. 

The second characteristic is willingness to work hard. People who are leading a country or other large group of people need to be willing to lead by example. Leaders also have to deal with large amounts of work to keep things running smoothly. Willingness to work is very necessary when the nation depends upon the people who are leading it.  

The next characteristic is justice. In order for a nation to prosper, justice must be kept. Without justice, crime will run rampant, and the morale of the people will rapidly collapse. Justice must be used to find and punish criminals who are roaming the streets. When justice is not used, God is not pleased, and will remove His blessing.

Another characteristic is love of peace. Leaders must try to avoid war if they can, and must fight only to protect the people and prevent evil from taking over. Leaders who have tried to start wars end up defeated by the people they warred against. An example of this is Hitler, who tried to take over the world by force in 1939. He caused a long and destructive war, but was thoroughly defeated by the Allied forces in 1944.

A final - and very important - characteristic is Godliness. A leader must be Godly and take the country in a direction that pleases God if he wishes the country to prosper. If the nation turns away from God, God will stop blessing that country and begin punishing them for rebelling against Him.

There are several examples of good leaders throughout our country's history. Our first president, George Washington, was a very Godly and honest man. He wanted justice served and was willing to work hard to see that the country was running well according to Godly principles.

A more recent example is President Ronald Reagan. Like George Washington, he was also an honest, Godly man who wanted justice served and was willing to work hard to get things done. The country prospered with God's blessings under both of these presidents.

A Biblical example of a good leader is Joshua. Throughout the book of Joshua, there are many times of simply following God's direction, no matter what other people may have thought would have been better. In Joshua 2:3-14 and 6:21-22, there is a story where Joshua shows honesty and justice, when his men, while out spying, promised a certain woman and her family their lives in exchange for her helping them escape. Joshua and his men kept their word, saving the woman and her family from the destruction of the city.

There are many people in this world, all with different characteristics. However, there are few people who have these characteristics, and only they should be leaders.

Immigration to America: The Story of an Irish Immigrant Family

My most recent history project was to write a fictional story about an immigrant family. I hope you guys enjoy it!

Immigration to America:

The Story of an Irish Immigrant Family

During the early to mid 1800s, hundreds of Irish families immigrated to America to escape British rule and the potato famine. They struggled both in Ireland and America, but considered America to be vastly the better of the two. The McRyan family was one of the many immigrant families during this time.

The McRyan family included Patrick and Mary, along with their three girls, 14-year-old Briana, 12-year-old Alice, and 6-year-old Alaina. They were an extremely poor family living in Cork, Ireland. When the potato famine struck, the family was disappointed, but thought that the next year would bring another harvest. When next year did not bring the expected harvest, the family had to start selling belongings in order to buy food. They began to think of immigrating before they became unable to support themselves.

Patrick began searching the docks for a ship heading to America. He found several, but they were all as full as they could hold. After weeks of searching, just when their possessions were about to run out, he found that the ship Vestlinden was leaving for America in a week and was looking for passengers. He returned home and told Mary about the ship. After a long discussion, they went to the houses of their friends to ask for help to pay their passage. The next morning, Patrick went back to the Vestlinden and booked passage. 

 

The morning of departure was a flurry of last minute packing and goodbyes. A large group of friends accompanied the McRyans to the dock and saw them on board ship. As the ship began to move slowly away from the dock, a final round of goodbyes was shouted, and the McRyans watched the shore until it was out of sight. Then Mary took the girls down to the cabins to unpack.

Once in the open sea, the ship began to roll some, and the girls all got seasick. However, they recovered within a day or two, and were in good health the rest of the voyage. They had fun exploring the ship and talking to the sailors about the new land called America. In the evenings, they shared with their parents the new things they had learned about the country. In this way they passed the time pleasantly, even though they had to spend almost two months on board. 

 

When the ship came in sight of Boston, everyone crowded to the rails to look at their new home. Patrick and Mary were quite elated to have reached a place where they could start life over again and live better than they had in Ireland. The girls were not very impressed with their first look at the city, and said that they liked Cork better. 

 

Upon landing at the docks, they moved to a quiet corner of the docks to wait for the busy rush attending the ship's arrival to be over. A few minutes later, a priest walked over to them and asked if they were Catholics. When he heard that they were, he took them to the nearby Catholic church, where a group of Catholic families had gathered. A young couple offered to let the McRyans live with them until they could find a home of their own, which the McRyans accepted gratefully. 

 

Patrick spent about a month searching for a place that would accept Irish workers. Finally, he found a textile factory that allowed Irish to work making ribbon. He immediately applied, and was accepted the following day. Now that he was working, Mary took up the search for an apartment, and soon found a small one close to the factory. They had a small celebration when they moved in, two months after arriving in America. Even the girls, after having seen more of the city, now admitted that they liked it better than Cork. They settled in and praised God that they had been able to come to America and start a new life. 

 

Many stories similar to this have happened all through the 1800s. Hundreds, possibly thousands of Irish families immigrated during that time. Not all met with the same success. In fact, many of them were not much better off than they had been in Ireland. However, all of them were glad that they had come to America and started a new life.

The Civil War: Inevitable

Hey everyone! I'm studying the Civil War right now, so here's a paper on why I think the Civil War was inevitable. Hope you enjoy it. (Please, no arguments in the comments)

The Civil War: Inevitable

Was the Civil War truly inevitable? Some people say it was, some say it was not, but no one knows for sure. There are great amounts of evidence on both sides. Here are three pieces of evidence that the Civil War was inevitable.

The first piece of evidence to look at is that the Northerners and Southerners both refused to change. The Southerners were thoroughly dependent on slavery to preserve their economy by working their large and numerous plantations. These plantations produced all of the crops which formed their exports and livelihood. The Northerners, on the other hand, believed quite strongly that slavery should be abolished. They believed it so strongly, in fact, that they refused to follow the Fugitive Slave Law, which required the return of all runaway slaves. 

 

The next piece of evidence to examine is that both sides refused to compromise. The Northerners and the Southerners both wanted the western territories of California, New Mexico, and Utah. However, neither side was willing to let the other get a good hold on the territory for fear the slave/free state balance would be upset. When Henry Clay, the master of compromise, wrote a compromise in an attempt to smooth things out and prevent war, Congress was unable to get a majority to pass it. Clay then broke the compromise into smaller pieces, which were passed one at a time. This meant that the compromise had no Congressional majority supporting the whole thing. Clay's compromise included the Fugitive Slave Law, which made the Northerners extremely angry about being forced to help support the very thing they were trying to abolish.

When Northerner Abraham Lincoln gained the presidency in 1860, the state of South Carolina left the Union, believing that they could not trust a president who held opposite views. They were rapidly followed by six other slave states. President Lincoln refused to accept their secession announcement, and tried to compromise with the seceded states. However, the Southerners refused all attempts at reconciliation.

The final piece of evidence to consider is that both sides were clearly willing to fight. Northerner John Brown led a raid on the Harper's Ferry military arsenal in Virginia, with the probable intent of arming slaves and leading them to revolt. In Kansas, when the time came to decide whether it would be free or slave, fighting broke out between the two sides. Several other slave states also had internal fights raging over whether or not to secede. 

 

Fort Sumter in North Carolina was held by the Union, and the Confederates (as the seceded Southerners called themselves) summoned the fort to surrender. After Lincoln tried to send fresh supplies to the garrison, the Confederates opened fire and shelled the fort for twenty-six hours, resulting in two Union men killed and the fort's surrender. In response to the fort's capture, President Lincoln called for seventy-five thousand volunteers from state militias to create an army with. He also ordered a blockade of all Confederate ports. 

 

In conclusion, this evidence shows a strong likelihood of the war having been inevitable. When people are quarreling over something and refuse to change, a compromise is the next step. When that fails, and both sides are quite willing to fight, a war is pretty much inevitable. This was almost completely the case in the years leading up to 1860, which leads to the conclusion that the arguing and quarreling would have turned into outright war sooner or later.

Paul Anderson

Hey everyone!! Here's a paper about one of the Piano Guys, from one of my most favorite music groups!! Please follow the link in the paper, as they have some amazing videos on their site. Hope you enjoy!! (Note: this was written as an appreciation piece that could be used before the mentioned person makes a speech.)

Paul Anderson

Tonight we have Paul Anderson of the Piano Guys speaking about how music inspires him and why he works to inspire other people to create music.

Born in Blythe, California, Paul Anderson moved with his family to St. George, Utah, when he was 12 years old. Later, he found a job working at a piano store, where he met his future wife. They married and had four children. In 2001, he bought the piano store he worked at and renamed it the Piano Gallery of Southern Utah. He also created a website, ThePianoGuys.com, to attract more customers. 

 

One of their customers, Jon Schmidt, came to the store and used the pianos to practice for recitals. Paul eventually suggested that he and Jon make videos together. In 2011, the Piano Guys officially started. The group now consists of Paul Anderson, videographer and producer; Jon Schmidt, pianist; Steven “Sharp” Nelson, cellist; and Al van der Beek, music arranger and percussionist. They have become an extremely popular group, with over a million subscribers. They have around 30 videos on their site, http://thepianoguys.com/our-videos/, and they have many more planned.

Paul is a very cheerful, lighthearted, and outgoing person who enjoys meeting fans after shows. He also enjoys taking risks and is quite ambitious. His risk-taking and ambitious side is part of what helped create the Piano Guys and has also been helping them grow. He enjoys working with the group, making super amazing videos and sharing them with people around the world.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce to you Paul Anderson!

Traveling West

Hey everyone! Sorry about blog posts becoming really random, things are getting mixed up timewise here. Here's my latest paper.

Traveling West

One fine morning in February, 1835, in the city of Independence, Missouri, a family was walking down the street. The parents, Henry and Gloria Harrison, looked rather worried. Their two girls, Anna and Maria Harrison, were happily playing with each other. “I really do not like how crowded it is here, Gloria. I want to move out West. I hear that there is plenty of land, as well as plenty of animals to hunt.” “But Henry, I do not want to move out there with the wild animals.” The family walked home, the parents still discussing the possibility of moving west.

About a week later, the family again went to town, this time to stock up on the things necessary for the move west. They bought a new wagon to replace the old one that they had. They also bought many oxen to pull it. After transferring the belongings that they would take with them to the new wagon, they began buying more supplies. Flour, salt, dried fruit and vegetables, salted meat, ammunition, gunpowder, and tools all were purchased and placed in the wagon. The girls no longer looked happy, but were now sad and scared. They had to leave all of their favorite toys behind, as well as their furniture and their pet cats. 

 

Early the next morning, they left town to join a wagon train at the next town. Their wagon was filled to the brim, leaving no room for the family to ride. The road was hard dirt, which did not easily send dirt flying. However, the sun was hot, and they all became thirsty. It was late in the afternoon by the time they pulled into the area where the wagon train had camped for the night. Finding a spot in the circle, they set up the tents and went to sleep. The girls and their mother were dreaming of the home they had left behind, and their father was dreaming happily about the home they were traveling to.

After about two weeks of traveling, the roads became dirt trails. The wagons kicked up huge clouds of loose dirt, which made the people start coughing. The wagons only carried a small amount of water, which was carefully saved and given to the people who needed it the most. The train only traveled about twenty miles a day, sometimes twenty-five. 

 

Great was the joy of everyone when the fort came in sight! The leaders of the wagon train planned a week-long stay, giving everyone enough time to rest and restock on supplies. The Harrisons wandered around the fort, purchasing some supplies for the remainder of the journey. They also finally got to eat some fresh food again, which was a welcome change from the dried and salted foods they had been eating. There was also plenty of fresh water, which people used to refill the water barrels on the wagons. 

 

Once the week was over, the wagon train set out again, refreshed by the stop. Everything settled back into the dreary pattern of walking and sleeping, occasionally broken by a hunting party or stopping to gather vegetables along the road. Everyone was becoming tired of traveling, and a few people began debating turning back. 

 

In October, the wagon train reached the mountains. As they were crossing the trail between the mountains, Anna and Maria were able to look up and see all the snow on the peaks. It was beautiful, and the girls wanted to stop and try to climb to it, but the wagon train needed to continue as fast as possible in order to finish the journey before the snow came down. 

 

Finally, the wagon train reached the Oregon Territory! Everyone was extremely excited about having made it. After walking around the small town, which was where the wagon train had stopped, the Harrisons went to the small government office and purchased three hundred acres of land. They drove out to it and set up the tents, then wandered around the property near the wagon. They were quite happy to have their own land at last, and not be crowded by neighbors.

Within a week, they had built a little cabin and some furniture and were beginning to settle in. They would have to work hard to earn a living out there, and there were no stores where they could buy what they needed, but they were all content with where they were.