The Founding Era

Week Three: The Founding Era

The Founding Era is the basis of our government today. If anything goes not according to plan, the automatic response is to look to the founding fathers as a precedent. When Americans decided to leave in 1619 to set up Jamestown, they left for freedom. It's funny to me that they left for freedom while enslaving millions of Africans. But that's neither here nor there. Jamestown and the slave trade become intertwined throughout history because the genesis of both was in 1619. One of the most important documents to ever be written was the Constitution. The Bill of Rights spells out the values of the newfound American people. While the rest of the Constitution is a road map of how to run the country. The founding fathers wanted to get it right, so there was lots of trial and error drafting the Constitution. First came the Articles of Confederation in 1782. That didn't work out. So, they tried again in 1787 when the continental congress met to draft the Constitution. The document was ratified twice more in 1789 and 1791 giving us the Constitution and Bill of Rights we know today. After that, Americans thought they were golden... Until they realized that not everybody was really digging what they were doing. So much so, that they made it illegal to criticize the government in a law known as the Alien and Sedition Acts. Years go by, other problems arise and John Marshall is sitting on the Supreme Court. During his time he comes across Marbury v. Madison. This case established judicial review. The judicial review starts a precedent or stare decisis. These things and so many more are the reason our country is the way that it is. Whether you think we need work, or everything is "great" the founding documents and processes are definitely an influential part of our government to this day.