Première Pierre / Foundation: A Comparison Of Constitutions,

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If you were to open a dictionary and find the definitions for the words constitution and foundation, you would find that their definitions are very similar. In fact, if you read these definitions carefully, you will find out that a constitution is actually a foundation. A foundation being the basis for which a structure is build or established. For example, both the government of the United States of America (U.S. or U.S.A.) and the government of the Republic of France are built from their own respective documents called constitutions. These constitutions lay the foundation of laws and principles that the whole government of the country is built upon. Therefore, you could conclude that a constitution is, in all actuality, a foundation for governmental structure. Although the purpose of a foundation is the same throughout the world, the composition of each foundation is unique to the structure that is built upon it. This is the same for all the constitutions throughout the world, they all serve the same purpose yet are all unique to the nation and the government that is established from it. In my comparison of the constitutions of the U.S.A. and of the Republic of France, I will study and elaborate on the wording and structure of each. Through this study, I hope to show that although these documents serve the same purpose in establishing the government for two separate nations in the world, they have similarities and differences in wording and structure and they both establish a unique governmental structure that works in its own way for the people of these two wonderful countries.

Now, to begin my comparison, I will first study the U.S. Constitution because it is the oldest and the one I am most familiar with. I know some of you are asking, “How can the U.S. constitution be older when France has been an established nation for so much longer than the U.S.A.?” Well that is easily explained, due to recent changes in the governmenta...