What It Is and Is Not

This nation was founded on the basic principles of inalienable rights to life or individual sovereignty, free choice or liberty, the pursuit of individual interest or that which makes one happy, and the right to own property, both personal and real.

The Declaration of Independence is the first of two source documents upon which our nation was founded. This document puts forward the concepts of individual sovereignty and freedom from ruler-ship of all kinds. The Declaration of Independence was a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies, then at war with Great Britain, regarded themselves as independent states, and no longer a part of the British Empire. John Adams put forth a resolution earlier in the year which made a formal declaration inevitable. A committee was assembled to draft the formal declaration, to be ready when congress voted on independence. Adams persuaded the committee to select Thomas Jefferson to compose the original draft of the document, which congress would edit to produce the final version. The Declaration was ultimately a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The Independence Day of the United States of America is celebrated on July 4, the day Congress approved the wording of the Declaration.

The U.S. Constitution is the current second source document (based on the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union) upon which our Nation was founded. The Union is much older than the Constitution. It was formed, in fact, by the Articles of Association in 1774. It was matured and continued by the Declaration of Independence in 1776. It was further matured ... by the Articles of Confederation in 1778. And finally, in 1787, one of the declared objects for ordaining and establishing the Constitution was "to form a more perfect Union." It describes the means by which self governance functions. It can be modified based on rules within its own framework. For this reason, it is described, in an overall sense, as a living document. It is the relationship between each citizen and the source document which determines and defines each American. This singular relationship is paramount. The Constitution for the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. The first three Articles of the Constitution establish the rules and separate powers of the three branches which when taken together form the method of governance of the the federal Republic:  a legislature, the bicameral Congress; an executive branch led by the President; and a federal judiciary headed by the Supreme Court. The last four Articles frame the principle of federalism. The Tenth Amendment confirms its federal characteristics.

The Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787, by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and ratified by conventions in eleven states. It went into effect on March 4, 1789.

The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution has been amended eighteen times (for a total of 28 amendments).  The current 28 Amendments are meant to modify the Constitution with concepts which allow the Constitution to be relevant to the current society within America.

Each State has its own Constutution to further define self governance in regard to any powers or rights not mandated to the federal government by the Constitution and returned to the states should they care to take either or both before the Legislature for consideration. The many states constitutions and the U.S. Constitution are the documents which comprise the states relationship within the Republic and the Republic as a whole.

The United States of America is a representative form of Democracy that is a Constitutionally bound Federal Rpeublic. Each Comonwealth, Dominion, District, and State are Constitutionally bound representative democracies. Each Natural born Citizen is a Sovereign individual by right of birth from parents who are U.S. Citizens. U.S. Citizenship is comprised of three catagories which are determined by the method under which thier citzenship was established.

Problems always arise when any citizen dose not adhere to the concepts within the framework of the U.S. Constitution.

The U.S. Constitution is not a document of social interaction or structure.

Social interactions are the folkways, mores, morals (which have or are based on higher principles), which describe behavior between two (i.e. a dyad), three (i.e. a triad) or more individuals (e.g. a social group). Social relations, derived from individual agency, form the basis of the social structure. These are best put forward or described in a community of people which is called the social structure of the society and is governed by social codes and ethics.

Social interaction is further developed with the practice of custom, manners, etiquette, courtesy, protocol, decorum etc. Among the most prominent writers on North American etiquette are Letitia Baldrige, Judith Martin, Emily Post, Elizabeth Post, Peggy Post, Gertrude Pringle, and Amy Vanderbilt.

Judith Martin states that if one wishes to become an accepted member of any society or group, one "had better learn to practice its etiquette." Early North American etiquette books claimed that the manners and customs of the "Best Society" could be imitated by all, although some authors lamented that the lower classes, meaning those "whose experience in life has been a hardening process," in fact treated the rules of etiquette with "contempt and ... a sneer." Current etiquette books do not employ the concept of "best society," but rather define etiquette as a set of guidelines that "help steer our behavior as we move through our daily routines" and that can help deal with "the pressures of modern life [which] make it all the more difficult to stay civil." This change is reflected in the content of etiquette books; etiquette books published in the early 20th century contained detailed advice on the treatment of servants, the conducting of formal dinner parties, and the behavior of a debutante;  more modern books are likely to emphasize the importance of respecting people of all classes, races, and ethnic backgrounds. Some books make a further distinction between etiquette and manners:  Etiquette is protocol, rules of behavior that you memorize and that rarely bend to encompass individual concerns and needs. Manners embrace socially acceptable behavior, of course, but also much more than that. They are an expression of how you treat others when you care about them, their self-esteem, and their feelings. Etiquette writers assert that etiquette rules, rather than being stuffy or classist, serve to make life more pleasant. Though etiquette rules may seem arbitrary at times and in various situations, these are the very situations in which a common set of accepted customs can help to eliminate awkwardness. While etiquette is often a means to make others feel comfortable, it is also the case that etiquette can serve to eliminate inappropriate behaviors in others by increasing discomfort.

The beliefs and faiths within a society are religiously or philosophically based. These religiously based concepts are between oneself and the Great Creator of all. The philosophically based concepts, like Confucianism (which is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system) are more practically based on various traditional principles and customs.