Constitution, The - Guardian Of Liberty (1965)

[Music] freedom Liberty these are magic words for they expressed desires which have caused men to cross oceans to face an uncertain future in a strange land in search of a more satisfying life since the early colonial days the United States of America has attracted people as a land of freedom from cruel and unjust rulers and as a land where a man can earn a good living the Statue of Liberty enlightening the world standing in New York Harbor greets the millions of immigrants who have come to make their homes in this country within the statues Foundation is a poem of welcome give me your tired your poor your huddled masses yearning to breathe free so from time to time oppressed people have come in search of greater personal freedom from the early settlers seeking the right to worship as they please to the recent refugees seeking freedom from unjust and cruel treatment under a communist government the United States has been made up of people from all comments all races all religions and political beliefs each of these people has the same right to freedom yet this freedom in the United States was not just granted American students learn that it was earned and has been maintained by the continual efforts of its citizens beginning with the founding fathers nearly two hundred years ago when the country was first established the first colonists worked hard to build homes in the wild new country they banded together for protection against the Indians whose lands were being occupied then against the British king who had begun to tighten his control over the colonies and to increase taxes the people of the colonies who had become used to governing themselves pulled down the king statue in protest against being taxed without being represented in the British Parliament and against being tried without juries by courts under the control of the Admiral of the British Navy they formed groups called Sons of Liberty raised the Liberty pole as a gesture of their defiance and refused to buy British goods in retaliation British troops suppressed town meetings and local elections and fired on a mob in Boston in the year 1775 the colonists heard that a unit of British troops was marching to the villages of Lexington and Concord Massachusetts to capture stores of arms held by the Patriots the colonists calling themselves Minutemen skirmished with the British troops this was the first of a series of battles in the War of Independence in 1776 meeting at the building now known as Independence Hall in Philadelphia the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in this document the colonies declared their right to overthrow tyranny and to become free and independent states the Declaration drafted by Thomas Jefferson was a landmark in what was to be a continuing struggle to gain and maintain freedom for the people this paper proclaimed that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life liberty and the pursuit of happiness that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed for seven more years the war for independence continued under the leadership of General George Washington until 1783 when it ended in victory for freedom the thirteen original colonies now states wanted to establish a government that would preserve this newly won freedom one that would guarantee them their independence and secure their rights so the great leaders met again in Philadelphia Washington the farmer soldier Franklin the scientist Madison the student of religion these in some 50 other delegates joined together to write the basic laws of the land the Constitution of the United States of America this constitution was designed to carry forward in this country the freedom of the individual beyond that granted in the Great Charter or Magna Carta of England for the Constitution established a form of government which the delegates thought would be more certain to ensure justice promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty to all the people a republic with an elected president in Congress and a separate branch for the courts of justice but did the Constitution secure liberty the people were not sure that it clearly defined their rights and privileges there was criticism from Patrick Henry of Virginia who cried out against the original draft the right of conscience trial by jury liberty of the press all pretensions to human rights and privileges are rendered insecure if not lost the people of other states echoed with let us beware the iron glove of tyranny so meeting in New York City the new Congress suggested and the states approved the first 10 amendments to the Constitution known as the Bill of Rights these amendments represented the basic freedoms the safeguards of political economic and social rights under this constitution with its bill of rights the country grew rapidly the people strong encouraged enthusiasm and a spirit of adventure built new homes and new businesses but one race was still free as has happened in other countries there was slavery which continued until a great civil war was fought between the states as a result slavery was abolished in the United States President Abraham Lincoln in signing the emancipation proclamation declaring the slaves forever free became known throughout the world as the defender of freedom for all the people what does this freedom mean today it does not mean that every person can do exactly as he pleases every citizen has certain responsibilities but the Constitution with its bill of rights provides each person with protection by law of his civil rights as long as he does not interfere with the rights of other people the First Amendment says Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances under this amendment religious freedom is enjoyed by more than 250 different religious groups with more than 100 million members these faiths include all of the great religions of the world freedom of speech allows every citizen to say what he thinks without being afraid of the government freedom of the press permits every person to write for or read any book magazine or newspaper he wishes even those which are against the political party in power the people have the right to meet peaceably with other people and to ask their government to correct something which they believe to be wrong either by writing letters to their elected representatives or by going to see their representatives and discussing with them their problems other amendments provide other social freedoms the people and the state militia are given the right to own and use weapons for lawful purposes these weapons give the citizens a means of defending their freedom from any group of people who would try to seize their government and take their freedom away under the Bill of Rights if it seems probable that a person has broken the law a judge of a court must sign a warrant giving permission to arrest the person or search his home in this way people are protected against unreasonable search and seizure of themselves their houses their papers and other properties the Constitution recognizes the right of each person in the United States to be assured of equal justice under law only the Supreme Court has the final right to judge if a law does not agree with the Constitution constitutional rights established by law are administered by the courts they can be pursued from the lower courts right up to this highest court in the land any person who accuses another of violating his rights may bring his petition to what is known as a lower court any person accused of a crime or of seriously violating the rights of others must be told what the charge is against him he must be given a speedy and public trial by jury otherwise anyone could be jailed without cause as in a dictatorship and kept in jail indefinitely he must be faced with the witnesses against him be able to obtain his own witness in his favor and have a lawyer to defend him if he cannot afford to pay a lawyer one is assigned to him by the court at no cost if the person is found guilty of a crime he cannot be given any cruel or unusual punishment as a result of the Civil War the 13th 14th and 15th amendments were added to the Constitution securing the right to vote of all citizens of any race or color and with the 19th amendment women were given the right to vote the officials who make the laws of the federal state and local governments are chosen by the free vote of the people laws protect the voter against anyone attempting to influence his vote citizens can if they wish qualify for work at local boards of election vote is by secret ballot so that no one will know for whom another person is voting the Constitution in setting up a republican form of government provides that the people will elect a president of the United States he represents them and seeing that the government departments are run properly and that the laws of the land are carried out the people elected Congress consisting of two groups a Senate and a House of Representatives the members of Congress represent the states and the people in making new laws and in deciding how the money received from taxes is to be spent for the best interests of the people other amendments to the Constitution provide for economic freedom under what is known as the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment and the provisions of the 14th amendment the people of the United States are guaranteed their right to own land and property and to earn a living by choosing their own occupation millions of people own their own businesses completely and enjoy the profits from their own labors another form of business organization is the partnership a common form of business organization is called a corporation it may be small or large by selling stocks and bonds to the public a corporation can obtain money to increase its size and its activities the cooperation however must offer in agreement with the established laws those who participate in businesses by buying stocks are known as stockholders such as these people attending a stockholders meeting a corporation may have as few as 3 or up to millions of stockholders these people who own stock or shares in the corporation come from all walks of life they may be workers farmers widows professional people or employees of the corporation itself accompanying the continual growth of freedom in the United States has come increased efforts to promote the general welfare as stated in the preamble to the Constitution today's employees in the United States enjoy many advantages which they would not have had a hundred years ago when there was very little security for the workers today workers in the United States have the right to join labor unions of their own choosing and to bargain with their employers for better wages and working conditions in the United States the house in which a family lives can be built with money borrowed from a bank and guaranteed by the government for repayment if a man loses his job he is paid unemployment insurance to support his family until he can find a new job Social Security is a form of government insurance which provides money for older people when they are retired this Social Security is paid for by both the worker and the company for whom he or she worked during the working years these monthly checks after retirement ensure the elderly person money for food clothing and necessities additional payments are made to disabled workers to widows and two dependent children a smaller but important group of people are the farmers millions of farmers in the United States own their own farms just as the government promotes the general fare in industry business and labor so too does it assist the farmer a farmer can obtain a government loan or credit to help him pay for his home for seed fertilizer and farm equipment and under farm laws the government buys and sells farm products to support prices the farmer therefore is paid a fair price for his crops the federal government recognizes that some people may lose their jobs because of new labour saving inventions or of changes in the way people work and live the government has therefore started programs and cities and rural areas to train people for new jobs so that they may continue to earn a living wage one of the greatest of benefits is the right of all people to a free education on equal terms from the first grade through high school now universal free education is a firmly established part of life in the United States this then is a country where the goals as stated in President Franklin D Roosevelt for freedom speech are equality of opportunity for our youth and for others jobs for those who can work security for those who need it ending of special privilege for the few enjoyment of the fruits of scientific progress in a wider and constantly rising standard of living for the United States of America founded in Liberty guarantees to each of its citizens social political and economic freedom freedom to do and say what he pleases as long as he does not harm other people's freedom to demand a trial by jury and be free from cruel and unusual punishment and from unreasonable search and seizure freedom to vote for the candidate he believes will best manage his government freedom to own land and property to choose his own means of earning a living to compete in production and to bargain for goods and services in a free market under a system of free enterprise these are the kinds of freedom which are every person's right under a government of the people by the people [Music] for the people [Music] you