1 Brieanna Sturgis Instructor Firat Sarsar IT 2010 27 September 2013 American & its Constitution An American citizen is typically

defined as someone who was born in the United States of America. Once upon a time, not one American citizen existed on American soil. These people during this time were still considered British colonists. Although the colonists were not satisfied with the way the British governed them, this does not mean the British did not some kind of influence on them. America took what them British taught them and altered to make it the flourishing country that it is today. Things have drastically changed since America declared its independence from Great Britain but we still manage to maintain the constitutional culture feature similar to that of the British Constitution. Sheldon describes constitutional changes as slow and gradual so that there is not any friction created between law and private conduct. This slow progress is keeps our country and government stable. Ultimately, America as a democracy is open and accepting to various cultures and ideas but the actions to incorporate these factors into society does not occur immediately. Our nation can be best defined as a constitutional democracy. These two words together can cause confusion and make sense at the same time. The sense that the term makes seems to outweigh the confusion if you look at the successes our country has achieved thus far. One could look at as "constitutions can be presented as codifying the rules of the democratic game (Bellamy and Castiglione 595). Democracy is what sets America apart and allows us to continue

2 to grow. Williams article Distributions of the Power of Government in the American Constitutions explains how the separations of powers (the three branches) came straight from the Americans. The people sequentially hold most of the power since we elect most of the representatives of these branches. This is not the case in other countries where "legislative has always been considered the supreme power of the State" (Williams 348). When describing American, a person usually describes it as a melting pot or a salad bowl but this not always the case. Significant works usually require some kind of inspiration regardless of its unusualness. The British inspired the colonists to build a better country. This motivation drove the colonists to piece together existing (constitutional culture feature) and homemade (separation of powers) traditions. This molding of traditions allows for Americans to have the best of both worlds when it comes to freedom and order. Its efficiency is quite apparent as time progresses and America strives.

3 References Bellamy, Richard and Dario Castiglione. Constitutionalism and Democracy - Political Theory and the American Constitution. British Journal of Political Science , Vol. 27, No. 4 (1997): 595-618. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. Sheldon, Garrett W. "Constituting The Constitution: Understanding The American Constitution Through The British Cultural Constitution." Harvard Journal Of Law & Public Policy 31.(2008): 1129. LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews. Web. 27 Sept. 2013. Williams, Archibald. "Distributions of the Power of Government in the American Constitutions." The Western Law Journal (1843-1853) 5.8 (1848): 348-52. ProQuest. Web. 27 Sep. 2013.