Constitution Contributors
Thomas Jefferson - Declaration - Aristotle - Natural law
The Contributors
Thomas Jefferson- Although founding father Thomas Jefferson did not sign the constitution, his ideas and political views greatly influenced it. He illustrated the vast idea or vision of a free society and the Leviathan government which we have implemented to this day. Jefferson was a man that could be described as an "ultimate defender of Liberty." He had a strong belief that power corrupts, therefore contributing to the idea of a democracy after the deceleration. He wrote the Declaration of Independence, giving the 13 original colonies liberties, which eventually lead to the birth of the Constitution.
The Deceleration- This historic document goes hand in hand with the constitution. The Deceleration of independence could be described as the "thought and spirit" of the Constitution. In the Declaration of independence, the founding fathers established the core values on which the Constitution was to operate. For example, in the Declaration it describes how the King "refused his Assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good" and "constrained fellow citizens to bear arms". These two claims against the King created the 1st and 2nd Amendments of the constitution later on.
Aristotle & Plato- These two Greek philosophers implemented the actual word "Constitution" before it was even written. They both believed that the word constitution could be defined as "The way of life." The philosophers supported the idea of natural law and said that constitution is not a written document, but an imminent organizing principle that had a correlation with natural law. They said that "citizens are that minority of the resident population who possess full political rights."
Natural Law- One could say that the Constitution is a direct reflection of natural law. In the constitution it states, "each person endowed to the rights to life, liberty, and property." These are the morals and values implemented into the Constitution. It is the basis or rules of life that we are born with. The Constitution expresses these laws we are born with by that quote. It explains how all people should have the right to live, be free, and have the right to ownership. Natural law could be compared to the foundation of a building. Without it, every thing would collapse and there would be no order. The constitution is the foundation of America which is backed up and supported by natural law.