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Essay / Classical Republicanism and Natural Law Philosophy
The U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights were greatly influenced by classical republicanism and natural law philosophy. The Founding Fathers referenced classical republicanism extensively when crafting the U.S. Constitution. The country we are today is due in large part to two ideas: classical republicanism and the philosophy of natural rights. The Bill of Rights and the philosophy of natural rights respectively contain unalienable rights granted to all humans. The Bill of Rights has natural rights called amendments. These rights are inalienable by anyone, whether a police officer or any other government official. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayTwo documents that shape the U.S. Constitution The philosophy of natural rights is composed of legal rights and natural rights. The Bill of Rights simply combines these two ideas into one and calls them amendments granted to every citizen as their birthright. Classical republicanism influenced the Founding Fathers, as did natural rights philosophy. When crafting the Constitution, the Founding Fathers looked to classical republicanism for ideas such as higher law. The Higher Law is the idea that regardless of your status, you are bound to certain laws without deviation. The founding fathers also knew that separation of church and state was a necessity. The Founding Fathers proposed an amendment that prohibited the national and state governments from declaring a national religion because it would contradict the First Amendment's "Freedom to Practice Religion." The great influence of natural rights philosophy and the ideas of classical republicanism helped the founding fathers decide that a national religion would only be against the idea of natural rights. Classical republicanism also placed importance on the health of the community over the health of the individual. The founding fathers likened this to the philosophy of natural rights and declared that the freedom to exercise free speech, as well as the freedom to practice the religion of one's choice, was a natural right that could not be denied to the people . This does not mean that any government establishment is allowed to sponsor any religion. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay All of these examples had a great influence on our founding fathers, as they made the American Constitution. Every natural citizen of the United States has the same rights as the President of the United States. Our founding fathers were able not only to draw inspiration from the ideas of classical republicanism, but also to refine them. This has given us the freedom to practice any religion we choose and much more, such as creating a system of checks and balances that does a great job of not allowing one branch of government to have too much of power. The country we know today is due in part to referencing two important ideas and refining those ideas to make a better country..