American Practice Of Constitutional Democracy And The Evolution Of Civil Rights

Although only two hundred years of American constitutional history of the development, but it is a model in the constitutional development of the Western capitalist countries. Democratic process in the United States, there is a very interesting phenomenon, namely, democracy and rule of law in the United States under the premise of the sound gradually, the U.S. government's role in the gradual expansion of the rights of citizens are gradually expanding. This phenomenon is very rare in the political history, along with the expansion of government functions smaller civil rights, but American politics is the opposite situation occurs. The practice of American democracy and constitutional evolution of civil rights can be divided into four periods: the colonial period, the founding period, the Civil War and the New Deal period. Colonial period of American constitutional bud, "Mayflower Compact" and the 1619 Virginia Council is the United States the two cornerstones of a democratic system; out of fear of government power to expand and focus on the needs of individual rights, the colonies in North America the early establishment of a number of methods are developed and with the principles of modern constitutional law, they became the written constitution after independence, the main source of law; and Colonial Rule was subsequently affirmed by the Federal Constitution, separation of powers down the system of central and local lay the foundation. The traditional concept of freedom by the British influence, the rights of people in the consciousness of the colonial period has been reflected in the preliminary, the early colonial legislation has been involved in some on the protection of individual rights and freedoms of the terms, but this time the religious rights of citizens, economic, gender, race and other restrictions. During the founding of the United States Constitution has undergone the evolution from the Confederation to the federal 1787 Federal Constitution established the principle of separation of powers and federalism, through the horizontal division of governmental power to achieve the right independently of each other and mutual checks and balances of power by the government longitudinal split to prevent the separation of the states to strengthen the central position; 1789, "Bill of Rights" promulgated makes people gained some limited powers of democracy and freedom, and immigration period of citizens from the United States has a budding awareness of human rights ultimately The form of the Basic Law of the State protection and recognition; 1803 Marshall, "Marbury v. Madison," the ruling from the Supreme Court of the United States has made a review of federal or state laws enacted and promulgated by the various executive orders and presidential the power of whether the statute unconstitutional, the United States to the eventual establishment of judicial review system. The founding of the United States during the civil rights and citizenship, the foundation era, after the Constitution came into force in 1787, the Federal Supreme Court and the laws enacted by Congress, began to clear on the "citizens" of the qualifications of skin color and racial restrictions. Civil War, was an unprecedented federal severe test, with the end of the Civil War and the post-war reconstruction, not only the abolition of slavery, but also shattered the state the right to send "discrete" movement, and further strengthen the federal the authority of the federal power higher than the state established a constitutional structure. During this period the federal government began to strengthen the economic life of the intervention, and thus began to expand within the federal government in 1887 of the "Interstate Commerce Act" and 1890's "Sherman Antitrust Act" is within the Federal Government to expand the power sign. Before and after the Civil War, the rights of citizens are also very important change took place, including the war, Bai Rencheng men achieved universal suffrage in black slaves was beginning to have citizenship, albeit short-lived, women's suffrage after the Civil War is also achieved, and the Constitution forms are recognized. During the New Deal, with government intervention in social and economic life of the overall federal government's functions and features, profound changes have taken place, expanding the powers of the federal center, federal centralized management mode to start building up civil rights during this period the scope has been expanded and deepened, racial discrimination and segregation policies have been legally abolished completely.