Citizens of the country have always been influenced by the laws, which are adopted by the government, on both, positive and negative sides. Being a Virginia planter and slaveholder, the laws, which were adopters for the favor of the United States of America, affected me greatly. Considering the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence and The Articles of Confederation the major arguments for and against the ratification of these laws will be discussed from the perspective of my occupation.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted in July 1776 and the laws, which were stated there, continue to function till now. The law affected the life of my family and the occupation, which was led by me, as being a planter and slaveholder in the country and do not depend on Great Britain, was better. The United States, having separated from Great Britain by the Declaration of Independence (Lillian Goldman Law Library, 1776), was able to guarantee security for its citizens, create new principles in the state government and organize and structure the power of the country in such a way that people did not have the opportunity to leave behind its measures without document. Such a position of affairs was convenient for me as a lot of people were working on my plantation and to have them in the measures of one country without the opportunity to leave abroad is convenient for me, as slaves are the free labor on my plantations.
Turning to the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States of America, the differences in these laws may be easily identified. First, the Articles of Confederation leave the states free in their decision, while the Constitution limits this freedom and the governance of the States should come from the central power. From the philosophical point of view, such action is understood, as the Constitution tried to unite the whole nation under the same laws, and just give some freedoms for the States. Second, the Articles of Confederation did not restrict the work of the President and other legislative and judicial powers, while the Constitution provides the laws, according to which the work of the President may be diminished, or even canceled, which is introduced in the section of Impeachment. Such differences are numerous and they may be understood and explained in the following way, that the Articles of Confederation was just the law, according to which the country had to function, that was like the pre-Constitutional phase. The Constitution is the law, which unites the country, which makes it the same in reference to all people, who live there. The laws and freedoms are the same, which makes people really equal in the country of the United States of America (Cornell University; US Constitution, 1777).
One of the most significant differences between these laws is introduced at the very beginning of these two laws. The Constitution starts with:
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America (Cornell University).
While the Articles of Confederation just stated that “Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia” (US Constitution, 1777). The difference is obvious, the scale of the influence is shown, and that of the Constitution is much bigger. It may be noted that all these laws affected the plantation with slaves, where my family lived and worked.
Analyzing the question, which facts and items in the Constitution could be either supported or restricted by the constitution from the point of view of the Virginia planter and slaveholder, the two main facts may be considered. First, the Constitution was ratified by me, because it allowed having arms at home. Being the person who keeps a big land under the control, there are a lot of people who want to punish me for my success, so the gun at home is a good opportunity for me to protect myself and my family. On the other side, the Amendment of the constitution, which abolishes slavery, was a shock for me. Having the free labor power, the work on the plantations was cheap, while now, as the family cannot operate with such huge land separately, the labor on the land will have to be paid for.
In conclusion, the United States Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and The Articles of Confederation affected me, a Virginia planter and slaveholder, greatly, especially the Constitution, which both provided the laws, which were convenient for my family, and harmful, especially in the question of the slavery abolition. The analysis of the differences in the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution was provided, and it was concluded that the changes, made in the Constitution law just improved and widen the policies, introduced in the Articles of Confederation.
References
Cornell University. United States Constitution. Web.
Lillian Goldman Law Library. (1776). Declaration of Independence. Web.
US Constitution. (1777). The Articles of Confederation. Web.