Analysis of the US Constitution - Essay Example

Analysis of the US constitution

US constitution as described by Thurgood Marshall

Thurgood Marshall was the first African American to serve on the supreme court of US (1908-1993). He assisted in changing law of racial discrimination in America. Marshall was born a free man in Baltimore but his great grandfather was a slave from Congo. At this time there was a law on racial discrimination that separated black people from white people. One day in school, he was told to read the whole of US constitution as a punishment by his teacher which he did many times and this experience gave him a life-long experience with the constitution. He began to question the constitution guarantee of freedom and he realized that the guarantee of freedom should be for everyone from all races not the white only (Dudziak 56).

He wanted to do law at Maryland University but was denied chance because of his color and he later joined Howard University which was for African Americans where he graduated first in the class. After he started working as a lawyer, won many cases including a case of black man who wanted to join Maryland university where he was denied chance but he won the case and the young man was allowed to pursue his law in that university. Most of the people he represented were black and he was a good lawyer. He did not earn money and helped most poor blacks whom did not have money to pay for legal help and made him famous.

He argued cases at Supreme Court more than thirty times and only lost a few of the cases. With time the law of racial discrimination began change. One of the most important cases he argued on the Supreme Court and even received death threatening messages was a case called "Brown Vs Board of Education" where the law required white and black children to attend different schools but the schools for whites were the best. He argued that it was a violation of constitution to encourage racial discrimination and finally won the case which gave the foundation for other court cases. This decision assisted in destroying racial discrimination in American schools and also delivered a message that blacks and whites have equal rights and this decision changed life for a better future

When he was named by President John Kennedy as the judge of federal court of appeal, he wrote many opinions on various legal cases and most of these opinions became law after they were approved by majority of the Supreme Court. He later became the first black to serve as a Supreme Court justice and wrote many opinions on legal representation criminal justice system. He suggested that no matter how guilty the case may be, every person has the right to be represented by a good lawyer. He also said that nobody should be given death sentence for any reason and always voted against such cases where majority considered death sentence to be legal.

Later in the nineteen ninety one he gave notice of his retirement from the Supreme Court. There were reports that argued that he no longer wanted to serve at the Supreme Court because he was always fighting against conservative majority of the court but he dint want to continue with it. After retirement he said that he wanted to be remembered for the best work he did with the little he had.

US constitution as described by William Reynolds

William Reynolds worked at the US coast guard as the fifth commander. He had an interest in the education of the officers as superintendent of the revenue cutter service school of instruction and raised the rate of modernization of the curriculum. After World War 1, there was a question as to whether navy department or treasury department should take control of the coast guard. William managed to control the service and raised the number of workers serving under him and as well increased the number of vessels. While serving as the commodore commander he made an effort of controlling the coast guard by congressional action and Guy Campbell introduced a bill to finish the transfer to the navy. Many officers supported this legislation and brought support through shipping trade organizations because they were going to get better pay and good opportunities in case they were to be transferred to the navy.

Many problems developed like shortage of officers after post war but the law required the coast guard to use the navy rank system. He tried to make transfers from Naval academy but was declined since Naval academy needed all of the graduates for their manning problems. Also many of the cutters that were acquired in 1890 became outdated and could no longer be used and three cutters got lost to enemies during the war. Reynolds managed to fund construction of four new cutters. This new cutters were more efficient as compared to the old ones. With the eighteenth amendment of the US constitution called Volstead Act, enforcement of national prohibition was given to the treasury department's bureau of internal revenue. The secretary to the bureau then created a prohibition unit inside the bureau and did not include the coast guard in making the unit. The congress therefore dint appropriate funds to the coast guard for prohibition enforcement since it was not part of the unit, this made Reynolds to do less in stopping liquor importation in 1922 and requested in budget proposal of 1923 for an increase in personnel manpower and twenty new cutters among other things. Congress considered the request as expensive but did react by funding two minesweepers and twenty destroyers and also raise the number of officers among others. Some officers also got temporary promotions without raise in their allowances and pay (Reynolds, 96)

Through act of congress in 1923, he became the first coast guard officer to hold the position of Rear Admiral and later retired as coast guard commandant one year later. He had problems getting paid in the same manner that the recent commander was paid when he retired. He felt that as a retired commander, he should be paid at an equal rate as the vice admiral because he was the current authorized position of the coast guard commander but unfortunately he lost his bid for more pay since the comptroller general argued that he was paid retirement fee as a rear admiral and not as a retired commander.

The most convincing author

Author of Marshall is the most convincing because he talked about a major problem that affected the whole nation of America and how the problem was solved while the author of William only talked about a problem that affected one of the US departments and that was the navy department and how modernization started as well as how US purchased modern equipment’s to strengthen their coastal navy base. Marshall ended racial discrimination that is the separate-but-equal doctrine which was enforced to separate blacks from whites. He fought for human right and dignity and even filed a petition to the Supreme Court and won the case. He made the white to believe in equity. The state of Maryland which was a university meant for whites only has played a big role in the history of the United States of America. Maryland is located close to the nation's capital and produced the best lawyers to serve the country. It was also one of the first thirteen states and because it had better resources for learning law as compared to other universities (Killian, George $ Kenneth, 74) it was only meant for the white people but Marshal played a big role by fighting racial discrimination and this has med US to dominate other countries even today.

The author of William Reynolds gives more information about the modernization that Reynolds brought while he was acting as the coast guard where he managed to purchase many cutters and also increased the number of officers that were employed at the navy department. After World War 1, America lost a lot of people as well as vessels to their enemies which therefore needed to be replaced and also for new ones to be purchased. This is what Reynolds fought for and got his wish at the end. He created employment opportunities for American citizens and also increased the rate of modernization and making the US navy base stronger.

Work Cited

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Dudziak, Mary L. Exporting American Dreams: Thurgood Marshall's African Journey. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011. Internet resource.

Killian, Johnny H, George Costello, and Kenneth R. Thomas. The Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation : Analysis of Cases Decided by the Supreme Court of the United States to June 28, 2002. Washington: U.S. G.P.O, 2004. Print.

Reynolds, David. America, Empire of Liberty: A New History of the United States. New York: Basic Books, 2009. Print.