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Jennifer Gehman
GOVT 421
January 25, 2021
Introduction
The U.S. Constitution is one of the most well-known documents in American history as it
outlines the supreme law of the land as well as establishes a governmental body to protect the
rights of the people. In the book Liberty, Order, and Justice by James McClellan, McClellan
emphasizes that the constitution is evolutionary rather than revolutionary. While the monumental
document may be been penned during a revolutionary time, the document was intended to be
built upon hence its evolutionary nature. The constitution embraces ideas and principles
developed through trial and error that grew out of our colonial experience (McClellan, 2000).
The inspiration for the constitution came from a variety of heritages as well as crucial documents
from history, such as the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, and
the Fundamental Order of Connecticut (Mayflower Compact, 2009). It is this diversity that
helped create the American government that we have come to know today.
