An Outline of American Government [antikvár]

THE BASIS OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLICThe Constitution of the United States is the basic instru-ment of American government and the supreme law of theland. For two centuries, it has guided the evolution of gov-ernmental institutions and has provided the basis for politi-cal stability, economic growth and social progress.The American Constitution is the oldest written constitu-tion in force in any nation of the world. Its precepts are themodel for a number of other constitutions in the New Worldand the Old. The Constitution owes its remarkable longevityand its lasting influence to its simplicity and flexibility. Orig-inally designed to provide a framework for governing 13weak and disparate former colonies, its basic elements wereso soundly conceived that it serves well the needs of morethan 210 million people in 50 states.The 13 British colonies, strung out along the eastern sea-board of what is now the United States, declared their inde-pendence from the mother country in 1776. A year before,war had broken out between the colonies and Great Britain,a war for independence that lasted for six bitter years. Whilestill at war, the coloniesnow calling themselves the UnitedStates of Americadrafted a compact which bound themtogether as a nation. The compact, designated the "Articlesof Confederation and Perpetual Union," was adopted by aCongress of the States in 1777, and formally signed in July