Founding Fathers of The New Constitution USA

Do you ever wonder why we do the things we do today? Why we follow the rules and rights that we follow? Or even, who and how was the rules and rights made that we have to follow? The Articles of Confederation was the first written United States Constitution which was drafted and ratified in the late 1770s and early 1780s by Congress. The Articles of Confederation was created to help find a balance. The New Constitution included several founding fathers out of 55 men such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry, James Madison and John Adams who either gathered at the Constitutional Convention or was crucial to the craft of the U.S. Constitution. 

George Washington was the first president of the United States and was a slave owner. John Adams was the first vice president and second president of the United States and a salient being in the Constitutional Convention.Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States, drafted the Declaration of Independence, and gave insight to the ideas of freedom of speech and press, which later turned in to be the first amendment in the Bill of Rights. James Madison was the fourth president of the United States and he influenced the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Lastly, Patrick Henry was Virginia's first governor, the leading opponent of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution at Virginia's Convention. He was an influence on Thomas Jefferson in his drafting of the Declaration of Independence and was involved with the adoption of the Bill of Rights to the Constitution.There were numerous amendments in contrast with the U.S. Constitution. 

The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Its reasoning is to better Americans' rights toward the government and guarantee certain rights dealing with freedom of speech, things regarding court, or even the right to protection. The first ten amendments presented in the Bill of Rights written by James Madison is prominent because it help give exposure to our freedom and rights in the United States. Although James Madison with the help of other Founding Fathers including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, George Washington, and more who were involved with the U.S. Constitution, it exposes dissimulation of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution and who wrote it. The first and second amendment reveals the deviance of the founding fathers and the Bill of Right to the U.S. Constitution. The first amendment states “ freedom of religion, speech, and the press.” This is important because the federal government cannot have laws that violate religion or freedom of speech and press. According to Give me Liberty, “ the first amendment prohibited Congress from legislating with regard to religion or infringing on freedom of speech, freedom of the press, or the right of assembly.” Although this may be true slaves weren't allowed to read and write so they could not have had any press released, so in a way this amendment does not pertain to them. Also, the slave had a certain religion implemented on them and could only know things their slavemaster wanted them to know such as Thomas Jefferson or even George Washington. 

Give me Liberty communicates “ the document prohibited Congress from abolishing the importation of slaves from abroad for twenty years”. This implies that although there were laws being passed none of them were initiated for slaves. The slave had whatever done to them and have absolutely no freedom which is ironic because when someone is asked about the Bill of Rights they would think of freedom which is also voiced in Give me Liberty as “ today when Americans are asked to define freedom, they instinctively turn to the Bill of Rights and especially the First Amendment, with its guarantees of freedom of speech, the press, and religion.” In addition, the second amendment verbalize “ the right to bear arms, a well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The dissimulation by the founding fathers with this amendment is mainly how Americans have the right bear arms but African Americans aren't seen as Americans so they have not rights in this situation. In Give Me Liberty, “… warned that, in time of war, the new government might take steps to arm and liberate the slaves. “ May Congress not say,” he asked, “that every black man must fight? Did we not see a little of this in the last war?” What Henry could not anticipate was that the war that eventually destroyed slavery would be launched by the South itself to protect the institution.” This is critical because everyone has the right to bear arms but the slaves because founding fathers like Patrick Henry fear that if they were armed then they must fight back which shows that he is threatened by blacks so they should have no rights. 

Amendments three and four protect the people from having soldiers or searches and seizures on their private property which is more contradictions by the founding fathers and the U.S.Constitution. The third amendment claims “the housing of soldiers no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war but in a manner to be prescribed by law.” This is paramount because this prevents the government from allowing soldiers to invade homeowners and use their homes. In Give me Liberty, “ many prominent figures, however, rejected the idea that Indians were innately inferior to white Americans. Thomas Jefferson believed that Indians merely lived at a less advanced stage of civilization.” This is essential because when the Indians had the government forces, most likely armed, their way on their land to confiscate it there was no law being followed then and the Indians had to face the injustice and cruelty.The fourth amendment pronounces “ protection from unreasonable searches and seizures the right of the people to be secure in their purpose, houses, papers, and effect against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not violate…” 

This amendment is hypocritical because if a free African American home was invaded they would be instantly branded and sent to a slave owner and be told that they were a runaway slave and have no choice but to do what their told. In Give me Liberty, “ the early republic’s policies toward Indians and African-Americans illustrate the conflicting principles that shaped American nationality. American leaders agreed that the West should not be left in Indian hands, but they disagreed about the Indians’ ultimate fate. The government hoped to encourage the westward expansion of white settlement, which implied one of three things: the removal of the Indian population to lands even farther west, their total disappearance, or their incorporation into white “civilization” with the expectation that they might one day become part of American society.” With that being said this in a way violates the fourth amendment because the American leaders are invading the Indian's land with the attitude of taking it from them. Not only do they want their land but they want the complete removal of the Indian population which abuses other amendments but the founding fathers don’t have anyone who they have to face trial for their crimes because of the position they hold and the way they abuse their power by doing as they please. 

This amendment as well as the others displays the denial of the founding fathers to the U.S. Constitution. The fifth amendment states “protection of rights to life, liberty, and property. ” In Give me Liberty “ of the first sixteen presidential elections, between 1788 and 1848, all but four placed a southern slaveholder in the White House.” This is imperative because George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison were the first four presidents of the United States and were all slaveholders but still made laws and rights that either went against what was written in the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution or didn’t pertain to a certain type of people such as the slave. Moreover, also in Give Me Liberty, “ but some slaveholders detected a potential threat buried in the Constitution. Patrick Henry, who condemned slavery but feared abolition, warned that, in time of war, the new government might take steps to arm and liberate the slaves…” This ties in with the four presidents as slaveholders because it may be believed that they also fear abolition. So Patrick Henry as well as the others believed that arming the slaves is a mistake because of a chance they might retaliate. The Black Scholar; Contradiction III: The Presidency says, “ from George Washington to Gerald Fòrd, U.S. Presidents have reflected the racism of the American social order in shaping American domestic and foreign policies. 

Two days before the Fourth of July, 1776 Washington wrote the following letter: 'Sir: With this letter comes a Negro which I beg the favor of you to sell in any of the islands you may go to for whatever he will fetch and bring me in return from him: one hogshead of best molasses, one ditto of best rum. . .” This is meaningful because George Washington is taking the right from this man for his benefit only and denying him his true rights. Amendments six through eight put forth refutations from the founding fathers to the U.S. Constitution. The sixth amendment announces the “rights of accused persons in criminal cases”. This amendment provides protection to the person accused of a crime by giving them a speedy trial and being able to have witnesses and be represented by a lawyer. Voices of Freedom: Fourth of July Oration, “ where we have heaped crime upon crime! Where we have excited murders, robberies, and burnings, that we might punish them in our own land with endless, hopeless slavery”. This is vital because even the founding fathers continue to commit murder among other cruel crimes and they still won't face the criminal justice they deserve because of the power and position they hold they hold. 

The seventh amendment rehearses “rights in civil cases”.This is necessary because people have the right to a jury trial and is able to get the right justification for the crimes that was committed. The eighth amendment states “excessive bail, fines, and punishments forbidden”. This is paramount because no matter the crime the punishment cannot be cruel and excessive. The ninth amendment breaks the silence of negation by the founding fathers and the Bill of Right to the U.S. Constitution. The ninth amendment recites “other rights kept by the people”. This is urgent because people have can have other rights to abide by besides the ones stated in the Constitution. Voices of Freedom: Thomas Jefferson on Race and Slavery states “ Jefferson made clear that he understood that slavery violated the principles of the Declaration of Independence he had written. He looked forward to the day when slaves would be emancipated. But, he insisted, that once freed, they must be removed from the United States. Blacks, in Jefferson’s view, could never become equal members of the American nation.” 

This is significant because Jefferson knew he was violating the Declaration of Independence so in other ways he would know that he would be violating the Bill of Rights along with the U.S. Constitution. He says he wants the slaves free but not in the United States because of inequality the faced to whites which goes against this amendment because it says people can have other rights but Thomas Jefferson says blacks aren't allowed to. In Give Me Liberty, “ the Ninth Amendment declared that rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution were “retained by the people.” Its suggestion that the Constitution was not meant to be complete opened the door to future legal recognition of rights not grounded in the actual text (such as the right to privacy)” It is said that the people can have other rights outside the Constitution such as privacy but Thomas Jefferson had hundreds of slave up until he died doing as he please and not giving them the proper freedom deserved. He claimed he wanted better things for slave but insisted to retain more and more slaves. 

Lastly, amendment ten declares the retraction of the founding fathers and the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. The tenth amendment comes out with, “undelegated powers kept by the states and the people”. This means that the government is only in charge for what’s stated in the Constitution and if it’s not stated then it’s in the hands of the states and the people. According to Give me Liberty, “The Tenth Amendment, meant to answer fears that the federal government would ride roughshod over the states, affirmed that powers not delegated to the national government or prohibited to the states continued to reside with the states” 

In Give Me Liberty “ the three-fifths clause provided that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted in determining each state’s representation in the House of Representatives and its electoral votes for president. The Constitution slavery clauses were compromises, efforts to find a middle ground between the institution’s critics and defenders.” This is salient because Thomas Jefferson says that blacks should reside out of the United States once emancipated but allows this clause to happen where the slaves vote for the founding fathers to be positioned in a higher power. This ties in with The Black Scholar; Contradiction II: The Constitution says “in the case of the U.S. Constitution, the very people who were denied participation in the framing of it have consistently emerged as its moral guardians. Initially, blacks and white women were viewed as unequal to white males. In 1787 when the document was adopted a black person was considered only three-fifths…” The reason why is because this article also suggests that blacks are the ones who have to vote for the founding fathers but are seen as less than what they are even though they are valuable. All in all, several founding fathers including those that were presidents of the United States are hypocritical in the was they formed a Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution.

These same founding fathers that were placed in the powerful position their in by black, used them only for their advantage and denied them their rights. Some of these rights included freedom, protection, property, etc. Blacks weren't allowed freedom of speech, press, or religion that was stated as the first amendment because of slave owners like Thomas Jefferson who either wouldn't allow them to learn to read or write and were forced to know a religion that was forced on them. Another way they were contradicting was the fourth amendment because they invaded the Indian's land and tried to exterminate them which goes against what was written. These claims are important because it shows that everyone was not given the same rights to live in the United States. The founding father began with dishonesty and cruely for this nation and will have trouble later on because of the inequality or race and social inequality.