Sacred Duties And Obligations To Their Government example essay topic

The fathers of the Constitution explicitly pointed out that the people do "ordain and establish this Constitution" not for themselves, but for "the United States of America". John F. Kennedy remarks, "Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country". These statements come to the same conclusion: the people of America have a greater duty and obligation to serve their country than they do to their own self-gain. Lets us refer to the Bill of Rights as an example.

This is a set of ten amendments that went into effect in 1791, only two years after the new government had been created. The citizens of the of the United States of America wanted the Constitution to include a list of protected freedoms even though the writers of the Constitution assumed that the federal government did not threaten a person's liberties because it had such limited powers. Nonetheless, several sates would not ratify the Constitution until the rights of their citizens were guaranteed. The Bill of Rights may seem as an illustration of the government serving the people, but, in fact, it is quite the opposite. This great privilege comes attached with great duties and responsibilities that must be fulfilled by the citizens in order to ensure democracy. As citizens, our obligations to the first amendment are to be tolerable to others when they express their freedom of religion, press, speech, assembly, and petition.

This makes our government more democratic. With everyone's input, we can really be a government by the people, for the people. According to the second amendment, we have the right to bear arms. Just because we have the right to bear arms, this doesn't mean we have to bear arms.

This is the obligation to our government. We must control how and when we use our weapons to make the United States a safer place. The third amendment and the fourth amendment come with the same duties and obligations for citizens to our government. The third states that only in wartime may civilians be forced to quarter soldiers and only in the way Congress describes in a law. The fourth refers to search and seizure. For both these amendments to work efficiently, the people must first come to accept the decisions of the government.

If Congress chooses to make a law during wartime to allow soldiers to be placed in civilian homes, then the civilians must accept this and not put up resistance. Just the same with the fourth, if officials obtain a warrant of any kind, then the civilian must step out of the way of the investigation and let the law do as it will. Both of these amendments require the citizens to acquiesce to the law. Amendment five, six, seven, and eight all refer to trials, juries, and the legal process. A major duty of the citizens of the United States of America comes when they serve on juries.

They must remain impartial and not be biased in any direction for any reason. They must base their conclusions on solid facts and not let their emotions take over them. Also, if a citizen is called upon as a witness, he or she must be prepared to tell the truth and stick to the oath taken on the witness stand. Finally, the last two amendments in the Bill of Rights also call for citizens to perform sacred duties and obligations to their government. Amendment nine was put in to show that the federal government still can only do what is authorized by the Constitution. The tenth amendment proclaims that the states or the people have all the powers that have not been delegated to the central government or prohibited to the states.

Citizens must make wise decisions such as voting for the candidate that most closely resembles their own political ideas. They should do research and discover more about how they can become more involved in the government. In conclusion, the citizens of the United States of America have many duties and obligations that they must carry out in order for their government to run efficiently and truly be as democratic as it possibly can. The basic fundamentals of America would fall apart if people were to only care about prosperity for themselves. We must learn to always put the needs of our government before our own.