American Article

Learning the best way to make a good impression on the judges is not as hard and complicated as it might sound.  While many people mistakenly believe that it is impossible to succeed at auditioning for American Idol it really is possible to win.  After all, with the 7th season of the show currently in the ending stages you will find that it is an increasingly popular show.  This means that not only have there already been six winners, but there will likely be several additional winners as well.

Ensuring that you make the best impression on the judges possible means you need to realize that they have seen just about everything and heard just about everything.  You need to figure out a way to make yourself unique and creative, without seeming over the top.  This can be the tricky part.  After all, many people make the mistake of showing up for auditions determined that they are the best and are crushed when they quickly discover that they did not plan their audition properly to actually show off their ability to win.

If your idea of auditioning simply means showing up and auditioning then you will find that you are unprepared to show the judges exactly what you can do.  You are going to need to prepare yourself for the audition and this means not only song choice, but also practice, clothing, makeup and nerves.  If you are completely calm and know your song well then you are going to create a powerful impression.  While being nervous is entirely normal, the judges like to see someone who is actually capable of rising above the nerves and still perform beautifully.

The best way to fully prepare yourself for American Idol typically involves deciding to audition a year in advance.  This will provide you with ample time to prepare yourself both vocally but also maturity level.  This would also provide you the perfect opportunity to see about locating a good vocal coach to work with.  However, you should never just rely on taking some time to provide you with the best results possible; after all, it will take some hard work and determination to actually make the impression on the judges that you really do know what you are doing.

If you are certain that you would like to audition and you are truly serious about it you should also see about getting as much experience in singing competitions or even on stage as possible.  The more you can get experience the calmer you will be.  This type of experience is invaluable for most singers since it will enable you to rise above the nerves that cause so many contestants to forget the lyrics and stumble badly in front of the judges.  While other competitions may not be as rewarding as American Idol, it can certainly be helpful to ensure that you are actually as talented as you believe you are.

While the idea of going into the audition with some confidence might seem absolutely absurd, it really is possible.  If you are unsure about exactly how to pull yourself together you should look into learning some breathing techniques for stress management that can help you to fully cope with the audition.  You will really come to appreciate the time that you spend learning the techniques on the day of the actual audition itself.  Rather than stressing out about not being able to calm down and remember the words, a few deep breaths will put you back into a calm state.

Putting your best foot forward will allow you to get the biggest impact from the audition.  Getting started preparing yourself for the audition will really not be as complicated as it might seem, but as long as you are willing to take some effort you will see that after a brief period of time you have your confidence back, and you are fully prepared to give the audition your best effort ever.

If you have ever watched the show you have no doubt at some point wondered exactly what could be so very difficult about competing on the show.  After all, don’t the contestants simply walk out onto a stage, sing a short song and then listen to what the judges have to say?  This is all that the audience sees, but in reality the show is about so much more, and learning exactly what the show is really about is critical to making absolutely certain that someone can go as far as possible, instead of just failing to make it on through.

The first surprise waiting for contestants is the lack of sleep that they are able to get during Hollywood week.  Of course, it is all over the episodes that contestants are up until the wee hours of the morning practicing and many even lose their voices during Hollywood week but this tends to hit most like a ton of bricks when they are actually arriving in Hollywood and learn how this feels for themselves.  Trying to sing your very best when you are exhausted and your voice has been going for hours is not easy and with many contestants underestimating just how difficult it is to do, it can seem a huge shock once they actually arrive.

Another surprise waiting is the reality that most contestants are not given free range of the songs they select during the show.  Typically, contestants are provided with a list of songs that they may use.  How extensive the list is tends to vary, but contestants are not permitted to choose a song that is outside of this list due to copyright issues.  By providing contestants with a list of songs that have been approved the show is able to work directly with artists to provide appropriate reimbursement for using their songs and also ensure that there are no complications with lyrics being changed at a later point.

For many contestants it is a surprise to discover that once they reach a certain point they are not permitted to accept any recording contracts immediately.  Typically, the show locks up all of the contestants in the Top 30 with contracts that bar them from signing with a recording company until at least three months after the season finale airs on television.  This is a huge disappointment for many contestants, but for others it is a welcome rest that they enjoy to gather their thoughts and start looking around for all of their options before jumping.

Regardless the biggest fact that is little known is that often the start of American Idol will usually not manage to predict the real winner. Everyone loves to sit around talking about who they think will actually win, but in reality who people usually anticipate to win and who actually wins varies substantially.  The only year in which there has been a very obvious winner was in Season four with Carrie Underwood.  Simon Cowell predicted her win early on in the show was completely accurate in his prediction for her.  Other contestants have risen above the crowd at different times and the contest has been a very tight draw, but every year someone rises above the rest and walks away with the title of American Idol to pursue their musical career with a great start in the business.

While you may have never stopped and thought about it, there are some rather stark differences between the careers of many of the previous winners for American Idol.  Most people start out trying to truly be the best singer that they can be, but somewhere along the line a few of the American Idols have somehow moved far off the straight path and ended up somewhere between oblivion and barely known.  Yet at the same time, there are a few American Idol winners who have gone on to create truly powerful careers that have launched them into the true success that the show was originally intended for.

Each year there are thousands of people all around the country who audition for the show.  Each year there is only a single winner selected at the very end, but this is not and has never been a true indicator of the success that the winner will find after the show is over.  For example, how many people really hear about Taylor Hicks, Ruben Studdard or even Fantasia?  The sad reality is that all of these singers start out searching for success, but somewhere along the line, they have moved far away from the success that they dreamed about.

It is extremely important to remember that anytime you are working to build a career that you have to work at it, and several of the former American Idols have forgotten this very important consideration.   Several American Idols have gone onto create truly amazing careers, after all how many people have not heard of Carrie Underwood?  While Carrie Underwood certainly leads the pack in terms of success, it is certainly not the only contestant who has found success.  Other winners of American Idol such as Kelly Clarkson have also found a great deal of success in the show, and after the show.

Looking over all of the actual contestants and their careers it has appeared that there are some who find greater success ending the show as the runner up, rather than as the actual winner of the show.  For example, Katharine McPhee has found more success in the media while Taylor Hicks has started slipping further into darkness.  This is just another example of some of the earlier castoff’s doing much better than the winner.

Overall the absolute best person to emerge from the show was Chris Daughtry, while his time on the show was special, his time since the show has been an even greater success.  With the creation of the band Daughtry where he is the lead singer, he has enjoyed the benefit of selling over 3.2 million copies of the debut album.  Additional honors that were passed on is the usage of a Daughtry song as the closing song each week for Season 6 when a contestant was sent home.

All across the various seasons there have been several contestants who have gone on to create albums and find some level of commercial success.  Josh Gracin the former marine from season 2, as well as Jennifer Hudson from season 3, Kellie Pickler from season 5 who has found success in country music.  All of this points heavily towards the success of the American Idol is not simply based upon their actual success after the show, but rather how heavily they try to actually pursue a successful music career.

Watching from the failures of other idols it is really easy to see how quickly someone can slip into fame, or how easily they can disappear from the spotlight.  Making sure they make a fabulous impression on the world in terms of record sales is much harder than anyone ever imagined, and the winners of American Idol are certainly not immune to the problems that many artists face when selling records.  Getting the biggest response from the audience will not always guarantee a true commercial success, but those who are determined to make it big like Carrie Underwood certainly have a great shot at the success.

Every year thousands of people from all around the country rush out to audition for American Idol.  The results are intended to provide the opportunity for everyone in the country to vote for the contestant that they feel is best for the title of American Idol.  What actually occurs usually resembles more of a piranha attacking everyone and much less similar to a good friendly conversation or contest.  In order to actually win the competition it is very important to learn how to truly make a great impression, not just on the judges but also on the viewers as well.

For the majority of contestants it is not always a huge deal to be let down towards the end.  Only a single contestant can actually win the show, so coming in 4th place is often good enough.  However, if you are determined that you want to go further than ever before, and you really want to win it is critical that you take some time to really learn how to win.  Once you have a few key issues in place you will be well on your way to the number one finish that you want so badly, without losing track of what is important.

Your first and utmost important tip is to always ensure that you are memorable.  Have you ever watched the show and seen performances only to forget them a few minutes later?  You no doubt have seen several performers like this, and if you are out to win, you do not want to be this performer.  This does not mean that you need to rush out and dye your hair hot pink, wear huge sunglasses and sing with a strange voice.  Rather it does mean you need to connect to the audience, make them interested in you and what you are singing.  If you simply walk out, look terrified and sing for a few minutes you will be quickly forgotten.  If you come out with a song you love, and have a lot of fun you will make a much better impression on the audience and be a lot easier to remember.

While we are talking about impressions, keep in mind the way you look is a huge influence on the audience.  If you go for the Sanjaya look with a huge pony hawk, you are not likely to be taken serious as a performer.  Rather you are likely to be considered the joke of the show.  If you want to be taken serious, you need to have fun with it, without seeming like the class clown trying to sing.  This is extremely important because far too many contestants move from having fun to looking clownish with their performances.

A final suggestion is to watch the ballad songs.  Yes they are beautiful and can be extremely popular, but the slow tempo of the song also makes it much easier to be forgotten the moment you walk off stage.  If people are watching recaps of the show and cannot remember what you sang, then it is certainly time to rethink your song choices.  You need a song that will connect the audience and get them moving.  An audience that is moving while you sing is much more likely to actually remember you, rather than the soft soulful ballad that they forgot about almost immediately after you were finished singing.

As the final season of American Idol drew to a close, there were several great highlights to the season.  Not only had another contestant been successfully awarded the title of American Idol but there was plenty of backstage drama that goes to show things are not always boring between episodes for the contestants.  If you are looking for a surefire plan to get kicked out of backstage then let me assist you with a few suggestions, on the other hand, if you want to stay backstage then look at this as a list of things not to do in order to maintain your welcome.

With Jeff Archuleta and the horrible stage dad routine that followed him we learned a few things. First, contestants are not thrilled with others messing with them while they are rehearsing.  For some strange reason the other contestants had a huge problem with him giving them advice.  I suppose following this mindset they would not really care who was dispensing advice, but rather still tune everything out if it was not what they wanted to hear from someone connected to them.  If you are determined to have your opinion heard and you are lucky enough to get backstage you might want to avoid giving advice that seems to be damaging, such as advising contestants to drink milk before performing.

Other ways to wear out your welcome backstage is to meddle into the song lyrics.  This was certainly proved by many of the songs that contestants have been talked out of singing.  It is also extremely important to ensure that you select just the right song.  This means it is very important to look only for songs that sound good.  If you are looking to get rid of someone, or get yourself kicked out from backstage then it is a very good idea to start pushing a song that is inappropriate for the actual contestant.

If you are looking for something a bit more advanced, you could always result to meddling with costumes, this is a great way to start finding yourself thrown out of backstage areas.  However, most contestants are careful to watch their clothing to ensure that it is not damaged in any way.  If you are absolutely sure that you want to get rid of somebody then messing with their clothes can be extremely effective.  However, you should also keep in mind this could be a great way to find yourself completely throw out of the contest if you happen to be competing as well.

While getting kick out of backstage might seem like a lot of fun.  Most people do not set out to get kicked out of the backstage area of American Idol.  If you are absolutely certain that it is what you want to do, there are plenty of opportunities to create trouble backstage.  It is just extremely important that you be positive that you do want to be kicked out before you start any crazy antics.  If you are still not positive that you want to be kicked off the show then it is very important that you instead wait to make any decisions.  While it can be a lot of fun to cause chaos, it could find you in a terrible disaster that you cannot get yourself out of.  Always think through your decisions, because after all, getting backstage at American Idol is not easy to do.

Knowing that you are trying to be a total superstar is not always easy.  Trying to pull yourself from absolute oblivion and making it big as a singer is one of the hardest parts of the music business, and American Idol has provided hundreds of thousands people with a way to try to achieve their ultimate goals.  Knowing that it is difficult to break into the music business leads a lot of would-be singers to try auditioning.  The problem is it is extremely important to learn how to properly audition for the series, without looking like you are a complete amateur.

Your first step should always be selecting an appropriate song.  This does not mean you should run out and learn a completely new style of singing.  You need something that is comfortable for you, a musician that you enjoy and appreciate and a style that you can actually sing well.  For example, some singers are not capable of doing low tones as well; you should ensure the song fits your vocal range properly before committing to sing it during the audition.

Another key tip is ensuring you dress properly.  While you certainly do not want to show up looking completely boring and plain you also do not want to look like the freak that was let out at night for Halloween either.  If you have ever watched American Idol, you have no doubt noticed that those who dress incredibly strange are very seldom going to Hollywood.  The mere appearance of their outfit is often enough to distract the judges from their actual singing abilities and will ensure that you have a short-lived singing career as well.

Picking out the amount of makeup and jewelry to wear as well is also important.  While most men are not going to wear makeup there is a rather large number of people who start looking towards some type of facial makeup for the sheer purpose of helping them stick out during their audition.  This will rarely be accepted by the judges.  Most of the time you will actually end up crossed out of the audition with the judges before you ever open your mouth.  Again this is due to you are making a rather resounding impression before ever singing and typically this is not a good impression.

In picking the sound and preparing yourself for the audition, you should frequently look for a good vocal coach to help you.  The money you spend on a vocal coach will be well worth the expense since a professional will be assisting you to get ready.  Many people auditioning for American Idol falsely believe that they are star quality just the way they are.  While this may be true for a small number of those who audition the majority of those who audition at the very least need a bit of preparation to get ready to audition.  Using a good vocal coach will ensure you get the best preparation possible and ensure a professional approach.

A final suggestion is to really listen to the opinion of others around you before actually going to audition.  American Idol is really looking for the top singers in the country; they do not want someone who sounds just like everyone else.  You need to find out where your strengths lie in singing, and what your weakness is.  Minimizing your weakness and maximizing your potential is critical to the success that you need.  If you are completely unsure about how you sound without music singing, it is time to find out before you go to audition.

The time you spend getting ready for your audition will be vital and combined with a professional appearance, attitude and fun personality you will make the powerful great impression on the judges that is needed to actually win American Idol, rather than end up the laughing stock of the auditions.  Putting the time in for a proper game plan will pay off in the end, and you are sure to reap the benefit in terms of creative feedback from the judges.

With so much going around about how to be truly successful on American Idol what happened to helping the little guy out who is just interested in some entertainment?  Not everybody sets out with the goal of actually winning the show though.  Those who are not really interested in winning find that there is very little advice offered to them.  If you want to win then obviously doing your very best is critical to getting to the final rounds.

For those looking to just have some fun on the show, not worried about whether they actually win or lose it is possible to have a lot more fun.  Stop and think about the contestants who had a ton of fun on the show.  You are likely to think of someone along the lines of Blake Lewis.  While he was an incredibly talented singer, he also took the time in each episode to inject some of himself into his performances so instead of just singing his way through each show.

If you are interested in trying to create your own special flair to the show, it is very important that you take some time to relax and actually enjoy yourself.  Without enjoying the process, you are going to find that you are struggling to actually go further.  The contestants who actually enjoy the process and procedures of the show will typically go very far, while those contestants who dislike the entire audition process.  Putting your best efforts into the show is not always easy, but enjoying the show does not mean that you have to give up all of the creativity that you have.

For many contestants the best way to actually get kicked off the show is to go against the grain.  While this is an old expression, it is extremely true.  Stop and consider what you like personally in music.  You probably have interests that are not that much different from many other people.  This interest that you have in music means that you are apt to purchase music that is similar.  If you are to go against the grain and instead pick a style of music that is not as popular, you might enjoy it yourself, but you are quite likely to find that there is very little interest from the viewers of the show.

Other sure ways to be kicked off are by disrespecting the judges.  Most of the time you will notice that contestants on the show that last are extremely respectful to the judges.  This might just seem like a coincidence, but do you really think that Simon Cowell would allow people to remain on the show who are completely disrespectful?  It would be extremely unlikely for a contestant to remain that continuously talks down to the judges.  It might make for some very entertaining television for a while, but the serious issue of disrespectful behavior would never be tolerated even if it did generate an incredible number of viewers.

The one area where you can really determine if you are going to stay or go home is in song selection though.  Anyone who wants to go home badly, rather than actually win American Idol simply needs to pick out a bad song.  This does not even mean picking out a song that is terrible in nature.  If you select a song that is great, but it is incorrect for your voice style, and your actual singing style you could quickly turn a fabulous song into something terrible.  It is very important that contestants choose their songs carefully and this means looking at all of the options available in terms of songs before actually picking something.  It also means that it is essential that you select a song that will fit your personality.  If you are just interested in getting the boot, you are much more free to select a song you truly enjoy, rather than something that sounds good for your voice.

If we have to be truthfully honest, everyone can usually agree that the purpose of the show is not just to identity the next great American Idol but it is also to see and watch exactly what the judges will do and say next.  Of course, not all episodes are filled with humorous antics from the judges but you can often find the judges engaging in some strange encounter.  In order to truly determine which judge is your friend, and which is actually your enemy it is very important to determine which judges can be of the most help for you.

In general, the judges are full of useful information.  The problem comes when you are trying to decide which judge to listen to when they have differing opinions.  While many people would love to hear that they are absolutely fabulous and Simon has nothing terrible to say about them, it is a fact that typically Simon will have something to criticize.  But stop and think, most contestants who take the advice from the judges and use it to their advantage and decide to start improving their actual skills.

It is extremely important that you learn how to really follow the advice that the judges are passing out.  But being careful how you actually respond to the judges is also important.  Simon Cowell for example has a habit of coming off extremely abrasive.  However, it is extremely important to actually listen to the advice that Simon hands out.  While he is certainly not known for being the judge that most people want to sit around and cuddle, he is certainly the one judge that will always give the completely unbiased truth no matter how your performance occurred.

Paula Abdul tends to strike contestants and even viewers as the loopy older sister.  With her strange antics, weird comments and unique outfits she is extremely unique for the show.  She does tend to pull back in the face of confrontation and also has a habit of not being quite truthful with contestants when it comes time to provide them with truthful feedback about their performances.  If you are concerned with getting the best advice possible then Paula is typically not the best place to get your suggestions.  However, it is a proven fact after the last 7 seasons that Paula is by far the best at making contestants feel good and even bringing a goofy flair to the show.

The final judge is Randy Jackson, which as everyone knows is typically a pretty laid back guy.  While his career has earned him a lot of respect from music industry experts, it has also helped him to create a truly special interaction with the contestants on the show.  If you are interested in getting a truthful assessment of your skills without being embarrassed then Randy is typically a great choice.  However, it is also very important to realize that Randy does at times soften his feedback in order to protect the feelings of each contestant.

In general, if you are after a truly honest assessment of your skills Simon is the judge of choice.  While he might not be the favorite judge for everyone, he will certainly give you the information and feedback that you need to actually get started in the music industry.  By following the advice and showing him a bit of respect, you should start to see that your skills improve, and as proven by numerous contestants previously his advice is useful and when followed can help them to rise very far into the ranks of the show.

Putting the effort into improvement that is necessary to actually make it on the show often requires that you make friends with the devil.  This means it is time to make friends with Simon, since everyone can readily agree that he does know how to develop talent, but he is a bit brash in his methods of talking to people.  As long as you are willing to overlook a few bad comments, you will find that your make substantial improvements in your skills and making friends with all of the judges rather than enemies.

If you have ever been interested into diving into the beast that is American Idol there are a lot of fascinating tidbits that you can learn.  While most people think that the whole show is about fun and excitement it is often unknown just exactly, what the contestants are put through, and also how much time is spent in rehearsals, contracts that have to be signed, and even the minor details of living away from home for a very long time.  Struggling to emerge from the entire experience as the American Idol has sent numerous potential singers back home crying, while a precious 7 have emerged victorious.

The primary thing that most people do not realize is the bulk of contestants do not actually get to see the judges when they first audition.  Do you really think Simon would sit through millions of auditions?  I would love to personally see that happen, in reality though because the time of the judges is severely limited for each city they stop in contestants are first required to audition with additional personnel from the show.  Once they have passed this stage they are moved along to actually audition with the judges.  As you can imagine, it is around this time that a few unique people are allowed through for the sheer opportunity to provide some great entertainment when the auditions are released for television.

Additional bits of knowledge that is often not known is that once contestants get to Hollywood they are spending very little time sleeping, even less time seeing the sights and the bulk majority of waking hours either rehearsing or else they are doing another audition.  This is I suppose designed to see which contestants have a flair for going without sleep and still keeping their voices.  There have been numerous contestants’ crash and burn during this part of the show, and while it might seem cruel, it could serve as an indication of what a tour schedule could look like.

Other surprises that are waiting in store for contestants is the requirement to only choose from songs that have been preselected.  Many feel that this is unfair, but honestly in a world that is overflowing with lawyers and legal loopholes it is likely one of the few measures of protection that American Idol can be offered.  By limited the song selection to only those songs that they have approved they are able to ensure that they are not accidently infringing on the copyright of another artist that they do not have an agreement worked out with.

A final surprise in store for many contestants is the contract that they are required to sign.  American Idol has a habit of not allowing contestants to talk to the media until after they are voted off the show.  However, this contract extends a bit further.  In fact, contestants are not allowed to sign with any other recording company until a minimum of three months after the season finale airs. This can seem like a huge drain for many contestants, however it is typically non-negotiable.  However, the contract usually does permit contestants who have been booted to sign with a new recording contract if they receive permission from the show early in writing.  Taking the time to get this approval is not always worth the effort, but it is something that is required if someone wants to really try hitting the album beat while they are still fresh in the minds of viewers.

As you can see, while the show appears to be all fun and games from the episodes that are released, it is actually far from it.  For those who manage to be successful at winning the show the hard work is well worth the effort.  For those contestants who are determined to actually make something of themselves regardless of how far they get into the show it is something that can be a bit of a hassle, but it is still worth the bit of effort to go onto the show and see what happens.

With all of the publicity that American Idol has gotten in recent years, some of the most entertaining gossip from the show lately has been the overbearing stage parent that is Jeff Archuleta.  Questions still surround his time with the show, and many parents worry that they could find themselves in Jeff’s shoes at some point with their own talented child.  However, much as many parents are starting to worry, the show really had some good reasons to do what they did.  Learning how to become a stage parent like Jeff Archuleta because is very important to actually allow your child to find true success on the show.

While it might at first glance just seem like a truly loving parent waiting in the wings, stage parents are a growing breed that seem to spawn from the depths of hell, rather than from the encouraging love that most parents come from.  At times crossing over from a lovingly encouraging parent into the area of stage parent seems to be extremely easy; many parents slide over simply, while other parents find that the transition is extremely complicated.

It is a well known fact that American Idol will not allow contestants to actively participate that are under the age of 18 without the permission of their parents.  This has been well known since season 1 kicked off many years ago.  However, while parents’ permission is required, parents are not permitted to simply sign a form and disappear back to their hometown while the producers handle watching after their kids.  I suppose this makes it easier for some parents to quickly turn into stage parents, but it is necessary for parents to watch after their own children.

Jeff Archuleta rose to fame as a stage parent due to his constant meddling with other contestants.  He was not content to simply run his son’s time on the show.  Rather he was extremely interested in trying to sabotage other contestants according to reports.  Due to this, rumors quickly started flying claiming that tensions on the show were running high and stating that Jeff Archuleta was at the center of it all.  How true the actual reports are is yet to be seen, but the fact is many parents find themselves crossing over into the area of tampering with other contestants.  It is extremely important that as a stage parent, you limit your interaction with your own child, rather than messing with other contestants.

Another fatal mistake that Jeff Archuleta made which created the disaster that had him quickly banned from the set was working with his son to change the lyrics of his song.  This created nightmares for the show due to the very real problems with copyright that were created. By working with his son to change the lyrics of his songs, he not only broke the rules of the show, he went against what the producers had told him when he asked about changing the lyrics, and he cost the show a lot of money in terms of fines and penalties for the artists who were wronged.  This all created a very big drama in the show.  Due to the problems that occurred because of the incident, Jeff Archuleta was banned from being back stage.

It is extremely important to realize that as a stage parent, you cannot interfere with other performers and you also cannot become so overbearing that you are putting the show in danger.  Just as American Idol has turned out numerous winners, they are also turning out numerous “losers” who do still manage to go onto a truly successful career.  If you are willing to let go of your child and allow them creative input, as well as ensure that you are having your child follow all of the rules of the show you will discover that it can be a truly fun experience without all of the drama that follows stage parents.

On February 27th, 1951, the 22nd amendment was ratified which made permanent a tradition that has profound influence on the philosophy of government in the United States of America.  This amendment may not be the most well known amendment but its place in the fabric of American history cannot be overstated.  That is because the 22nd Amendment mandated that…

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.

The limitation of service as President of the United States to two terms was one that up until the 22nd amendment was more a matter of custom than law.  It began when George Washington refused to run for a third term.  But by making the limitation of power in the presidency in the 22nd amendment, the American people made a bold statement about how their government would be run.

One of the most unique aspects to how the United States of America organized its government was the concept of citizen rulers.  This concept was born in the very halls and pubs where the founding fathers gathered to discuss this new country that was just getting started.  By reducing the idea of a “career politician”, especially at the presidential level, the 22nd amendment dealt a deadly blow to the concept that America would ever be ruled by a king or a “president for life.”

This was clearly a reaction by America to the abuses that had witnessed by the pilgrims and immigrants that make up this great country in their homelands.  They reacted strongly and negatively to the deification of kings and the virtually unlimited powers that too many times systems of royalty tended to give to their leadership.  This was one of the central themes that caused so many to flee Europe, Central Asia and other parts of the world to seek a land where it was the people who were the center of the governments will, not the arbitrary ideas of a king who was cut off from the real needs of the people he served.

The way America set up its presidency was in every way an attempt to “fix” the flaws and abuses of the European models and refocus the center of power in government on the electorate rather than on the elected.  Another aspect of the American federal system that was put in place deliberately to limit the ability of those in power to abuse that power is the system of checks and balances.  This system assures that none of the branches of government, The Congress, the Presidency or the Supreme Court could dominate the other or take complete power and rule without challenge.  By insuring that all in power had to answer to the opposing party and be prepared to answer to the American people for what they did and even said, this completely eliminated that chances that one part of the government would stage a “coup” over the other.

Accountability is a word that is not very exciting but it is the concept that has kept the American system of government healthy and in service to its people rather than putting them in service for over 200 years.

In addition to these several highly innovative methods the founding fathers gave to this young country to eliminate the abuses of past governmental systems, they also put a system in place that assured the orderly transition of power.  The system of elections every two years stopped two evils, the occurrence of a politician who served for life without accountability and a system wherein the only way to loose your job in government was by violent overthrow.  As a result the American system, albeit contentious and argumentative, has been and continues to be one of the most peaceful and orderly systems of federal administration in the world and indeed in the history of the world.

As the number of people auditioning for the hit television series American Idol can certainly prove the amount of competition is increasing.  This means that it is necessary to show up to the audition fully prepared to show exactly what you are capable of doing, and minimize any insecurity that you have.  Your ultimate goal is to always walk away with one of the coveted Golden Tickets, but the reality is that they are hard to come by.  This means taking as much time as possible to learn how to handle yourself during the audition to get the absolute best reception from the judges possible.

One of the best things you can do to prepare yourself for a singing career is using a vocal coach and taking vocal lessons.  Even the professional singers all work with talented vocal coaches.  You need to learn how to talk, how to breathe, how to control your voice, and how to improve your skill level continuously.  Very seldom do you ever find a professional singer who does not continue to work with a vocal coach.  This means that it is critical that as an amateur you work to improve your vocal skills continuously.  Just remember, this is not the time to be cheap, you need to locate a good quality vocal coach that has a track record of success.

A second tip to follow is you should select your song months in advance and practice repeatedly.  Practice until you know the words forwards, backwards and sideways.  You do not want to be the one contestant that forgets the words to their song in the middle.  The more you practice the better you will know the lyrics and the less likely stress is to cause you to forget the words.  An additional benefit to practicing so much is you will be comfortable with the flow of the song, and have ample time to ensure that you can select a new song in the event that you have too many complications with your first song.

Speaking of song selection it is a good idea to have at least two songs that you are prepared to sing on audition day.  This means two full songs, not one song that you fully know, and one that you know a little.  You need two songs that you know fully so that you can properly perform the second song if requested.  There are occasions that warrant a contestant singing more than a single song, being prepared for this situation will ensure that if it does occur, you are properly prepared for it.

Your fourth tip is pick a specific style.  There are no professional musicians that are masters at all styles.  There is a specific reason for this; it would be far too complicated to master every musical form.  This will require you to select a specific style of music that you are comfortable with and sticking to it as much as possible.  Do you tend to favor a folksy style of singing?  Perhaps you are more comfortable with a rock feel.  You might even discover that you sing classically or even in an R&B style.  Regardless of the style that you are most comfortable with you need to find it.  All of your singing should be focused around the same genre as much as possible.  From tone, to flow, to even song selection you are creating an entire package, make sure the package sounds perfect.

Your final tip would be staying modest.  There are very few people who ever swear that they are the American Idol in the auditions.  Most who are truly talented know just how stiff the competition is and they go in ready to work towards the prize.  Those who are merely walking around with a huge ego tend to be lacking in the singing skills necessary to win and quickly find themselves on their way out.  If you are certain that your singing is the best in the world, you should simply prove it by singing, rather than telling the judges that you are destined to be the next American Idol.

Everybody runs around talking continuously about each season of American Idol as if it is the greatest experience ever in the world.  But if you have been watching the show for a while, you are very much aware that there was 6 seasons even before the most recent.  This leaves 7 seasons worth of rejected potential Idols wondering around the world trying to make a life for themselves.  While some of the previous contestants have gone on to do amazing things with their careers, even more have slipped into the cracks again.

Season one was the start of something huge. Not only was there two hosts, remember Brian Dunkleman?  Do not feel bad, most people have no clue who he is or that he was involved.  But there was also contestants such as Justin Guarini, Kelly Clarkson, and even Tamyra Gray to mention a few it was an incredible season.  The overall excitement was mounting heavily but where have these contestants actually gone?  Kelly Clarkson of course emerged as the winner and is still active in the music industry.  Justin Guarini has made a few television appearances, and even released a few albums but his commercial success has been significantly limited.  Tamyra Gray has found to date the greatest success on television appearing in several different shows.  She has also recently found success in the Broadway showing of “Rent.”

Season two started with a bang, and brought with it the former marine Josh Gracin who has gone onto win the hearts of country music lovers, Carmen Rasmusen who also released a country music album and even brought with it Kimberly Locke, Clay Aiken, and the amazing Ruben Studdard.  With the talent that emerged from this season it was undeniable that the show was in full swing.  Ruben went on to record several albums, while Clay Aiken has found great deals of success with both albums and even on Broadway.  Others like Carmen, Josh and Kimberly are not as followed, but have still received attention following their time on the show.

Season three found contestants like Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia Barrino and the notorious William Hung who while not an actual finalist still lives on in the hearts of all true fans for what not to do at an audition.  Additional treasures were found in Diana DeGarmo as well.  From season three, it was rather obvious that it was a bit harder to find lasting talent.  Jennifer Hudson has so far emerged as the most successful contestant of the season, and after being booted in a 7th place finish she has gone onto star in Dreamgirls with Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles and even win an Academy Award for her performance.  Fantasia meanwhile has grabbed headlines for her strange antics, failure to appear for performances on Broadway and less than stellar commercial success.

Season four brought out all of the bad boys of rock, with Constantine Maroulis and even Bo Bice.  By bringing the two rockers to the stage, it was a shift to a different style of music, and it has been these two contestants credited with inspiring season five contestant Chris Daughtry to try out.  Winning the season was Carrie Underwood, who has been an enormous success and to date the most successful American Idol winner yet.  The remaining contestants from the year have managed to slip back into the background with only occasional news stories, such as Vonzell Solomon the third place contestant arrested for a handgun at an airport.

American history, or really history in general is not always marked with outstanding events, stunning personalities or remarkable speeches.  Much of the history of a great nation is slow steady improvement, set backs and then how a people recovers from those set backs.  But in the context of American history, there are a number of truly phenomenal moments when everything changed.  These are not just one day events, although some are that sudden.  But these are events that once they transpired, Americans thought of themselves, the world and their place in the world completely differently.  And it’s worth noting what those events were and how they changed Americans forever.

Obviously the revolution itself and the founding of the country changed a small group of colonies who thought of themselves as Englishmen far from home.  When the independence of America was done, that vision of ourselves was completely different.  We were now a proud new nation, a new type of nationality that had its own view of the world and its own hopes and dreams as well.

World War II was the kind of event that once we underwent the tremendous trial, struggle and victory that such a war demands of a people, we never could go back to seeing ourselves again in the same way as we thought before the war.  Our victory against Japan, Germany and their allies gave us tremendous confidence that we could affect world history for the better.  But it also gave us a tremendous sense of responsibility.  When we dropped those bombs on Japan, everybody on the planet began to understand the horrible power that was now in the hands of mankind, for a season in the hands of America and the huge responsibility for the fate of mankind that came with that kind of power.

Pearl Harbor while part of World War II deserves its own mention because of the fundamental change to how America viewed itself in relation to the world.  Prior to that attack, America considered itself invulnerable.  Like a teenager that thought they could never be hurt, we had never been attacked on our homeland before.  But Japan proved that they not only could attack us but that they could hurt us very badly.  Yes, we responded with a fury but from that moment forward, we knew that we, like everybody else in the world, were vulnerable and we had to start behaving differently in a world full of both friends and enemies.

Outside of the military world, the famous I Have a Dream Speech by Dr. Martin Luther King at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963 did not just change the black community forever.  Yes, that speech had a mighty impact on the way the African American community saw their future and it gave inspiration and hope to a struggling civil rights movement that spurred it on to victory.  But it also affected all Americans because we started to see ourselves as a community of many cultures, many races and many orientations.  It was the beginning of acceptance in this country.  But that is a process that is far from over.


In modern times, the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 had a drastic effect on the minds and hearts of America and indeed on the world.  We are still learning how that effect will finally show itself as the ripples of shock, fear, anxiety and reprisals are still going on.  But to be sure, as with Pearl Harbor, the effects on our feelings about our place in the world and our vulnerability were certainly be changed forever.

It was one of those moments in American history that the people who were able to watch it for the first time felt like they were in a science fiction movie.  But with televisions cameras on every move, the nation and the world watched on July 20, 1969 as three American astronauts landed on the moon.

The project had been in the works for years to be sure.  You have to wonder with the phenomenal amount of work, expert engineering and the amazing genius that created the rocket ships and everything that would be needed to make the flight possible, if even those in NASA sat in mute wonder and had goosebumps when “Buzz” Aldren was the first man in history to put his foot on another world and pronounce those famous words –

“That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.”

That phrase, which itself was carefully prepared, has a lot of wisdom in it.  Sure, touching another world for the first time in human history was a tremendous accomplishment for America.  But more than that, it signaled a new era for humankind everywhere.  All of a sudden, the moon wasn’t a far away myth, full of mystery and magic.  All of a sudden, people everywhere felt like they too could touch the stars if they put out their best efforts too.

It was also a huge moment for the unity of all people.  Few things cause the world population to come together and link arms and be one people, not separate countries.  Most of the time, it’s a terrible global disaster that makes us all bond together.  But this time was different.  This time is was a moment so phenomenal that everybody stopped and watched and everybody knew that this was not just a great accomplishment for three astronauts and scientists that put them there.  This was a great accomplishment for mankind.

American history is populated with tremendous events, both bad and good.  But it’s worth a moment to sit back and reflect on what the first moon landing meant and continues to mean for Americans and the American spirit.  You have to wonder if any other nation would have had the ability, the creative powers, the powerful minds and the collective will to see this kind of amazing accomplishment through to success.

It’s even more amazing when you remember that just a few years earlier, on September 12, 1962 that President Kennedy challenged American to rise to this challenge in a speech at Rice University.  It takes a lot to make something as historic and earth shaking as landing on the moon a reality and visionary leadership such as Kennedy showed that day was a big part of why this landing made history.

This amazing achievement points out something outstanding about the American spirit.  Americans are a people who dream big.  And to land a man on the moon took big dreams.  But we didn’t just dream to put a man up there, it was not acceptable unless we got everybody home safely as well.
For the most part the American space program has had a phenomenal history of success in breaking through barriers that nobody had every done before.  Yes, there have been set backs and tragedies along the way.  But Americans are not quitters and through all the struggles we face, we face them together.  But we never forget to look up at the stars and dream of the day that yet again we see an American set foot on another world and plant out flag in that soil to be signal forever that America was here!

In the annals of American history, there may be no other country name that evokes such emotion as the country of Vietnam.  The history of this conflict is more than just a military struggle.  The impact that the Vietnam conflict had on American culture and foreign policy for many decades to come makes it a truly watershed war in the life of a relatively young country.

Vietnam was not, on the surface as clearly a moral battleground as World War II or the Civil War had been.  That in itself made it more difficult for Americans to understand and become patriotic about as they had been in prior wars.  Yes, as in past conflicts, we found ourselves defending our allies, the South Vietnamese against the attacks of a communist neighbor to the north.  And in that way, it became a struggle to assist an ally, a military objective that America had long embraced.

But the war was not just with the North Vietnamese.  To a very large extent, the war was against the Chinese and the Russians who were using the theater in Vietnam to wear down the American fighting force.  It was a war that had been going on for many decades before the Americans got involved as a regional battle.

Many foreign powers had gotten involved and left defeated so when America entered this conflict, it was a very different kind of war than we had been used to.  The armies mixed with the population.  There were no uniforms and formations and battle theaters as battle could occur anywhere at any time.  Combine that with a hostile jungle setting and the complete absence of any battle protocol and you had a formula for failure if not a very difficult road to success.

Vietnam also is a watchword for the tremendous resistance movement that rose up on American soil to try to stop the conflict.  This resistance movement became deeply entangled with a huge change to the social fabric in the rise of the youth movement, the hippies and the fast moving surge of the civil rights and the woman’s rights movements.  This made the era of the late 1950s through the early 1970s tremendously difficult to navigate as a nation.

Vietnam did follow somewhat of a predictable path of invasions, major battles, set backs and regrouping of our forces.  But the military faced a huge challenge in facing the many new war scenarios this difficult combat setting presented.  As the casualty count grew, without a clear cut definition of victory and with very few clear victories to demonstrate to the American people our superiority, the ability of civilian leadership to sustain the support for the war effort became jeopardized.

Vietnam very much represents a transition in how America viewed conflict.  We came out of the huge successes we had seen our military bring in battle.  The defeat of Hitler and the axis powers in World War II gave America a sense of confidence, of divine calling to prevail militarily and the concept that we are the good guys and we will always win.  But we did not win in Vietnam and that was and is a hard lesson to learn.

America demonstrated its devout dedication to the concept of supporting an ally in a warring situation when it committed troops to the Vietnam conflict.  But there were many lessons to be learned about preparation and going into a conflict with a strategy that had a high probability of success.  In wars to come in later years such as Grenada, the Balkans and the Liberation of Kuwait, we demonstrated that America had learned those lessons going in with a massive force and achieving victory before we got bogged down in a long civil conflict.

So we can applaud the bravery of our troops and the willingness of our leadership to learn from a tough war like Vietnam.  The lessons to be learned from Vietnam are still being worked out.  But in the end, we will be a better nation and a stronger nation because we put ourselves on the line for a friend, even if the outcome was not the desired outcome.

Thomas Jefferson is one of those almost mythic figures from early American history that stand tall as one of the great heroes of the revolution and the early definition of what this country was going to become.  Sometimes it’s easy to look at a figure that stands so tall in history and think, perhaps some of that is myth.  But when you look at the history of the times, he was every bit as great as our adoration of him suggests he was.

Thomas Jefferson’s service to the new American union lasted over fifty years.  He not only contributed to the core philosophical underpinnings upon which our democracy I based, he served in a variety of offices and made some phenomenal contributions to the developing country including…

* 1775 - Served in the Continental Congress
* 1776 – Wrote the Declaration of Independence
* 1779-1781 - Governor of Virginia
* 1783 – Elected to Congress
* 1784-1789 – Commissioner and minister to France
* 1790-1793 – America’s first Secretary of State under George Washington
* 1797-1801 – Served as Vice President of the United States
* 1801-1809 – Third President of the United States
* 1803 – Approved of and helped launch the Lewis and Clark Expedition
* 1803 – Purchased the Louisiana Territory for the United States
* 1815 – Launched the Library of Congress
* 1825 – founded the University of Virginia

This phenomenal record of achievement is virtually unmatched in any public service record of comparable public servants.  But Jefferson’s contribution were more than just offices served, he was one or two or three key philosophical thinkers of his time that laid the ideological foundations of America.

It is impossible to overemphasize the accomplishment he writing the Declaration of Independence.  This document has taken on such a central position in American history that it is viewed with the reverence usually reserved for religious documents.  It so eloquently communicates the beliefs and the values of the American system of government that Jefferson can be seen as a true minister and prophet of those ideals.

Thomas Jefferson also believed strongly in Manifest Destiny and the westward expansion of the country as far as the Pacific Ocean.  He provided the inspiration, the funding and the political muscle to launch the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition that was responsible for discovering vast new lands and treasures in the heartland of America and providing inspiration to a country to “go west young man” and to achieve that dream of becoming a nation that stretched “for sea to shining sea”.

Jefferson had a thirst for knowledge that was virtually unquenchable.  He passed that passion for learning on in the building of the University of Virginia.  But his contribution to education that has made such a huge mark on American society was the building of the American library system by which citizens of any community can have access to large volumes of information at no cost.  It was an amazing experiment in public education.  But today few of us can imagine a world where we cannot at any time just “go check it out at the library”.  Libraries have become that central to the American way of life.

It seems that Thomas Jefferson made an impact on every aspect of society from the educational systems of the growing country to government and even making his viewpoints on religious freedom an important part of how America approached this crucial topic.  The entire concept of “separation of church and state” was one that Jefferson championed.

It should be noted that in his writings it was clear that the separation of church and state works because it is there to restrict government from illegally restricting the religious rights of citizens.  Sometimes we misinterpret Jefferson’s concepts that this governmental restriction is there to limit religious freedom when in fact, it is there to encourage all the religious freedom that the citizens of America need to honor and worship with complete openness and to never fear that the government will hinder who, what, when, where or how they go about expressing their religious ideas.

It’s important to look back at the genius of this man, Thomas Jefferson and be grateful that he was the man of the hour for such an important time in the development of the great nation of the United States of America.

If you thought back to the first things you ever learned about the history of America, the one that jumps out is that Columbus sailed the ocean blue and discovered America is 1492.  While the date is correct, we later learned when our study of history became more scholarly that there is some dispute about whether Columbus discovered America at all.  So what is the real legacy that this legend of Columbus has given to the American culture that has made him such a revered figure in cultural history?

So much of the Columbus story is approximate that, at first review, we would almost relegate the story of how Columbus discovered America to the level of a myth that borders on superhero worship.  But Columbus was not a myth.  There really was an explorer named Columbus who carried out three bold journeys across the ocean and during those journeys, he did indeed discover “the new world.”  His ships really were named the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria and he did indeed embark one of those three voyages in 1492.

The legacy of Columbus then is more than just the facts of his exploratory journeys and their outcome.  There is reason to believe that Columbus’s fabled “discovery of America” did not occur on North American soil but somewhat further south of here, somewhere in the Bahamas.  But the legacy of Columbus lies in his spirit and the challenge he took on that is part of the American spirit and one we identify with so strongly.

Part of the legend was that Columbus embarked on this trip for the new world despite the prevailing “scientific” belief that the world was flat.  Now research in recent times have surfaced sufficient documentation to show that sailors of that time never did believe that teaching.  Their extensive knowledge of navigation and astronomy, which is crucial for any successful sea voyage, was sufficient for sailors to know that the earth was round and that they would never “fall off the edge.”  However, the image of those brave men launching out to sea, against the advice of popular opinion, to find something new and exciting so connects  with the American spirit of discovery and adventure that this myth persists as part of the legacy of Columbus.

Americans do have a tremendous sense of discovery and adventure and a deeply seated need to conquer new lands, to reach out beyond their own grasp and to do the impossible.  This was the spirit of Manifest Destiny which gripped the nation long before there was any reason to believe that this meager band of colonists had the resources to settle a great nation.  Americans always have had such a firm belief in themselves and a core faith that they could do the impossible.  That part of the American spirit is what connects to Columbus’s setting out on these bold missions facing certain dangers so he too could discover new lands and have great adventures.

The legacy of Columbus also lies in the American desire to explore.  Even though the source of the quotation is only a science fiction show, the “mission” of the fictional space ship “The Enterprise” sums up a deep desire in the heart of all Americans.

Space, the final frontier.  These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise.  Her five year mission: to explore strange new worlds.  To seek out new life and new civilizations.  To boldly go where no man has gone before.

For Americans, the mission of James Kirk is a perfect restatement of the mission of Christopher Columbus.  And it is the mission of America which has driven this country and its citizens to discoveries and achievements that have never been done before.  It is that spirit of Columbus in all Americans that is one of the things that have made this country great.

The history of America is decorated with some of the great conflicts that have ever been fought by civilizations and for great ideals.  This was never truer than in World War II which was sometimes called the Great War.  As is so often the case, it was not a war that America wanted to become part of.  So often, it is when aggressors bring war to America that she is forced to respond.  But in all cases when America responds, it is with a fury that her enemies will seldom forget.

When you think about it, the very idea of a world war is terribly frightening.  And in every way, World War II was a world war because it caught up virtually every country and every continent in a global conflict that went on for years.  The enemies of America and her allies were well armed, intelligent, determined and powerful.  But America was up to the challenge and it will be up to the challenge again if the likes of Hitler dare to threaten civilization like this again.

World War II was also virtually a textbook case of flawless collaboration with our allies.  Working together with them almost like we were one country and one army we deployed our forces across multiple theaters of combat from Europe to Asia to Russia and across the globe.  We had to fight more than one enemy.  Hitler’s Germany alone was a frightening enemy as it spread its evil influence across Europe capturing country after country and threatening to swallow up the continent whole and then move on to capture lands in central Asia and even America.

But we also had powerful enemies in German’s allies, particularly Japan.  When this frightening enemy struck our forces at Pearle Harbor, it was a blow to America that could not be ignored.  For Japan, they had hoped to cripple the American military and remove all hope from the American heart to be able to strike back or become part of the conflict.  They got exactly the opposite as every man, woman and child in America rallied to build the kind of war machine that would bring the Axis powers to a crashing end, no matter what the cost.

But the most important thing that America said to the world when it took on Hitler’s armies and defeated them was that totalitarian rule of free peoples would never be tolerated.  Hitler had dreams of world domination like the great kings of ancient Rome of the early Germanic empires.  But America had thrown off dictators when we founded this country and declared that we would not become the pawn of kings or tyrants.  We were not going to turn over that hard fought freedom to a madman while there was a fighting will left in this country.

It was not an easy battle or one without cost.  Thousands of America’s youth gave their lives to preserve the freedoms that had been won by our forefathers.  Our leaders had to show a resolve and a unity that they would not blink in the face of a challenge and they would not let down the brave American soldier or the civilian population that stood behind them until Hitler and his allies were in defeat.

The world saw what America was made of in that great conflict.  It saw that a country that was gifted with great wealth and prosperity was also willing to turn those resources to defend its borders and defend its allies.  It was a stern lesson for our enemies to learn that America was not a country to be trifled with in combat.  But then we showed that we were not a vindictive country when, even in defeat, we reached out to Japan, Germany and other defeated peoples and helped them rebuild from that awful war.  This too is a testimony to the American sprit and the American sense of fair play.  Let’s hope that an enemy never rises up again to test that will because they will find as Hitler did, that America would not fail to respond to the call to battle or the call to honor which is her legacy.

If you had to think of one document other than the Bible that people can most easily quote almost without thinking about it, that one document would be the Declaration of Independence.  The comparison to the Bible is apt.  Not that the Declaration of Independence is holy in a religious sense of the word.  But it has a place of reverence in the hearts of the American people and in the history of the founding of this great nation.

While not the first words of the Declaration of Independence, these stirring words have that kind of prophetic power that anyone who hears them in immediately inspired by the beauty, the poetry and the deep truths that were so beautifully expressed in that historic document.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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.

This one statement from that famous declaration so beautifully demonstrates some core principles that show why this document has such a deep impact on the American mind and heart.  The statement that the truths in this document were indeed truths is a profound statement in its own right.  The Declaration of Independence does that suggest that what is being declared in those pages are theories, possibilities, even political ideology.  These are truths which puts them on the same value as statements of values as often taught in a religious setting.  Truths are eternal values and values that are not changed by circumstances, by whomever or whatever is handling the government of the land or by the whim of lawmakers.  These truths exist above those temporal earthly ideas and live on that plain of the eternal.

“Self evident” is a powerful phrase and it reflects on the founder’s belief in what was called natural law.  Natural law is the belief system that there are laws that are part of our natural state of existence and that they cannot be taken away (inalienable).  These laws are our rights as creations of the almighty and any government system must recognize these laws because they are above government.  It is a basic belief system of the American system that ALL people are entitled to these rights and that they cannot be taken away.

The mention of a creator in the declaration of independence is very important because there are those who would maintain that the separation of church and state tells us that the government is at heart a secular institution.  Clearly the founders did not lay the foundation of our country on that groundwork.  They saw the inheritance we as Americans have in our rights and freedoms to be part of our legacy from God and as such, above the government and something the government must back off and leave alone as well as prettiest and defend.

The Declaration of Independence is truly an amazing document especially when you consider the “primitive” state of the nation when it was written by Thomas Jefferson and signed on July 2, 1776 to become the backbone of our American system of government.  It became an often referenced and quoted document, even becoming a part of President Lincoln’s famous inaugural speech when he said with such deep conviction…

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

Because these words are such a deep part of our American heritage, American history and the American spirit, they are often a crucial center part of any study of history in the schools in this country.  That is why school children in every state are so familiar with these words.

But it would do us all well to take some time once a year or so and take our copy of the Declaration of Independence and read it either as a private moment of reflection nor with our families.  What a wonderful fourth of July tradition that would make.  Then as you watch the fireworks celebrating the birth of the country and its independence, you will have those words fresh in your heart to remind you that it was our creator that gave us our freedoms and independence and nobody has the right to ever take them away.

There are just a few truly great documents that represent the foundation stones upon which the American system of government was built.  One is the Declaration of Independence. Another is The Bill of Rights.  But when it comes to the legal girding that we always go back to in order to test if a law in this land can stand or fall, it is the Constitution of the United States of America that is that backbone that defines right and wrong for us.

Indeed you might even say that the sole reason we have a Supreme Court is to have a living body that is here to decide on, interpret and enforce constitutional law.  And what is the worse accusation anyone can make about any act that is in question from a government agency?  “That’s unconstitutional” is that accusation.  That is how powerful this document is in American life, legal definitions and culture.

The historical context of the signing of The Constitution was The Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia.  That city witnessed many such historic events which enshrine its place in the history of the country to be sure.  The framers of that Constitution would have to be considered without question the most intelligent and well educated men certainly of their time and maybe of any time.  That document was so well crafted that it has lasted as a legal standard for over 200 years with no signs that its power will diminish for hundreds of years more.  But in that context, the Constitution is the oldest document of its kind in existence in the world and the original is carefully protected but on display in Washington DC.

The Constitution reflected the best of some of the oldest legal documents of similar intent that went back hundreds of years into history.  As such the Constitution includes ideas drawn from the Magna Carta, the French political philosopher Montesquieu, The Code of Hammurabi, the law of the Old Testament, ancient Greek political ideology from such writers as Polybius as well as Common Law from England.  So while the core ideas of the Constitution draw from some of the greatest systems of government and ideologies from history, the outcome is a unique format for governing a people that was so untried that it was considered to be “The Great American Experiment.”

The Constitution is divided into seven “articles” each of which discusses one of the divisions of government.  Articles one through three discuss the three branches of government including the legislative, the executive and the judicial.  Article four goes into depth about the rights and powers reserved to the states.  It is clear to see that the framers knew the importance of leaving much of the power of governing at the local and state level and that those rights needed to be preserved at the foundational document of the society, The Constitution.

Other articles discuss the ratification process and federal power.  But the wisdom of the framers of The Constitution lie in article five which outlines a process of amendments which leaves room for additional work to be done to keep the Constitution up to date to changes that need to be made.  As such the Constitution has remained a living document for all of these years and will continue to be seen in that light for many decades and centuries to come.

When we look back over the span of centuries that represents American history, it is easy to call out major military engagements which represent the major wars of this country.  From World War II to the Civil War to Korea to World War I, America has been involved in many military engagements and emerged victorious in all but a few of them.  But one of the strangest, longest lasting wars that America has entered into was the one that was called “The Cold War”.

For many Americas living today, The Cold War was a fact of life for decades.  The reason it was a cold war was that there was no battlefield, no armies on deployment, no body counts and no major engagements to report.  Instead it was a long period of silent animosity between the United States and the Soviet Union that lasted from the end of World War II up to the early 1990s.

The strange thing was that the cold war grew out of our relationship with the Soviet Union during World War II which was a relationship of friendship.  But the seeds of the “conflict” were in place at the end of that horrible war.  With the presence of nuclear technology, the concept of a “superpower” was born.  This was not itself a source of tension until the Soviet Union themselves developed the bomb as  well and a long cold stand off ensued in which both nations trained thousands of these weapons on each other to warn the other that they must never consider firing those weapons.

It was a staring contest that lasted almost fifty years and created a tremendous drain on both economies.  Both countries had to maintain “parity” of their nuclear weapons so neither country got more than the other thus throwing of the balance of power and giving one combatant an unfair advantage.  This was a strange logic in that both countries possessed enough weaponry to destroy the earth dozens of times over but still they insisted on “having parity” throughout the cold war.

It was clear that no battle between the Soviet Union and America could ever be tolerated.  The potential outcome of engaging those weapons had the power to destroy life on planet earth.  But neither country was prepared to lay down their arms and begin the process of making peace with the other.  So the weapons continued to point at each other, day after day, year after year, for fifty years.
So instead of conducting battles directly, the two countries fought each other through small wars around the world.  The Soviet Unions, working with China happily contributed to the humiliating loss in Vietnam that the United States endured.  But the United States then turned around and armed the Afghan Mujahideen which lead to the defeat of the Soviet Union in their occupation of that country.  From proxy wars, the space race, and occasional face offs such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War continued for decades testing the will and resolve of both countries never to look away and give the other the advantage.
Finally the pressure on the economies of the two countries took its toll in the early 1990s, particularly in the Soviet Union as the stress of sustaining such an expensive and unproductive war forced the Soviet economy into collapse and the empire broke up.  The United States had won the cold war by sheer will to endure and stubborn refusal to give in.  This is a seldom spoken of element of the American spirit but it is one that the Soviets learned to their own disaster not to test.  Hopefully no other “superpower” will ever think they are equipped to test it again.

America has been part of some devastating battles over her long history.   World War I and World War II were tremendously difficult conflicts and ones that taxed the nation’s resources to the maximum.  But none of those conflicts can compare to The Civil War not only for the brutality and devastation of human life but in the damage to social fabric that was caused by that terrible conflict.

America is proud that it has never had a battle on its native soil.  Other than Pearl Harbor and 911, we have never even been attacked on our own soil.  So it took a war of brother against brother, American against American to make even the possibility of war within the borders of America even possible.

The war’s statistics are staggering for a relatively short conflict.  The war started on April 12.  1861.  It was the confederacy that drew first blood attacking Fort Sumter in South Carolina.  The battles of the Civil War and legendary.  We have come to honor the dead of both sides of this bloody conflict by preserving many of those historic battlefields even to this day.

Throughout the war, the North was at an advantage in preparation, equipment and supplies.  But General Lee, who commanded the confederate army, was a brilliant strategist and the battles often resulted in massive casualties on both sides.  When the final tally was drawn up, over 970,000 American citizens died from the Civil War.  While that may not compare numerically to the huge losses in the two world wars later to come, this figure represented 3% of the American population at the time.  And since the huge majority of the war dead were from America’s youth, the hope for her future, the set back this war had on the development of America’s economy was truly remarkable.

In modern times we look back on the Civil War as a titanic battle to bring an end to the horrors of slavery in this country.  And to be sure, the Civil War is and will forever remain a central part of black history and the beginning point of the civil rights movement in America.  But the causes of the Civil War were complex and diverse which only made negotiation and resolution of the war more difficult in advance of conflict.

Part of the issue that was being fought out was the rights of states for self determination as balanced with the rights of the federal government to determine affairs in the individual states.  On the surface, this may seem trivial compared to ending slavery but put in context, it was a critical relationship to iron out in light of our not very distant memory of our revolution against England for trying to impose unreasonable controls on the colonies.

American’s are fiercely independent people and that independent spirit was born in the battles of the revolutionary war where America stated firmly that they would no longer bow to a king or let the centralized government have such sweeping control over individual lives.  The outrage over how England tried to put the colonies under servitude was the foal that caused the explosion known as the Revolutionary War.  And much effort was made to assure there was language in the constitution and other critical documents to assure that the federal government would be severely limited from interfering in the lives of its citizens.

Beyond that the preservation of the union as one country was also in contest in the Civil War.  But it was the moral issue of slavery that made the Civil War such an emotional issue and one that caused people to fight with such ferociousness to defend their side.  In the end, even Abraham Lincoln made slavery the central rational for the war and determined that the end of this barbaric practice would be the legacy of this horrible conflict.

But one thing that also was a legacy of the Civil War was the determination that we, as Americans, would never turn our war machine on our own citizens again.  The war tore families apart and literally caused brother to war against brother.  Since reconstruction and the union of America, the country has had a bruise in its national psyche over this war and that bruise reminds us that we are one people and we would always be one people devoted to the causes of truth, justice and the American way of life.

There are some events that took place during the historic time when America was declaring its independence from England that are so historic, so iconic that they have taken on the status of myth and legend as much as history.  And certainly the Boston Tea Party fits that description.  This is such a stand out event in American history that it is common to see school children reenact it during elementary school plays or skits.  And the participants names including John Hancock, Paul Revere and John Adams have similarly become classic heroic figures in American folklore and history.

But the events of December 16, 1776 were not fable or myth but real and important parts of the development of the American Revolution that was crucial to the early foundation of this country.  The situation of taxation that was being imposed by Brittan on goods that were coming into the colonies was one of serious stress on the colonists because they had no control over those taxes.  And that tax situation was made more extreme with the relationship between the British government and the East India Tea company who was receiving tax breaks for their goods that would place them at a competitive advantage in the Americas.

These kinds of preferential treatment only aggravated the already tense relationship between the colonies and Britain and many in leadership over the American states saw the way England was handling the situation as conspiratorial to try to hurt the economy of the growing new country and to impose restrictive rule through taxation on the colonies and the colonists.  That is why that famous proclamation “No Taxation Without Representation” became one that is historic for the outrage against the English that took the colonies into revolutionary war that eventually lead to the independence of the American colonies and the beginning of a new country.

Finally on Thursday, December 16, 1776, decisive action needed to be taken.  And our forefathers were nothing if not known for bold and decisive action in the fact of tyranny.  The East India Tea Company had docked the HMS Dartmouth in Boston harbor full of a fresh import of tea for the colonies.  It was time for the colonists to make a statement that this unethical and immoral use of taxes on tea was for all intents and purposes an act of war and they were going to treat it as such.

Badly disguised as Indians, the brave colonists boarded the HMS Dartmouth and her sister ships, the HMS Beaver and the HMS Eleanor and skillfully and efficiently dumped the entire delivery of tea into Boston harbor.  All totaled, over forty five tons of tea went into the water that night.  It was a stunning blow.  But more than that it was a slap in the face of the British government and a gauntlet laid down that their attempts to rule the colonies b tyranny were not going to be tolerated any longer.

This event was pivotal in pushing the hostilities between England and the colonies past the “nuisance” stage and setting forces in motion for war.  But more than that, it was such a bold statement of defiance that many colonists were inspired to join the increasing chorus calling for war and independence.

For loyal Britains, the idea of separating and forming their own country was hard to grasp.  But the leadership of the men who planned and executed the Boston Tea Party demonstrated a new independent spirit.  This was the kind of backbone, the sense of pride and independence that was to come to define the American spirit in years ahead.  But it took the courage and boldness of this little band of men to demonstrate that being trod on by a foreign tyrant was not something we had to put up with.

It made a statement to England and to the colonists at the same time that revolution was possible and they really could think of themselves as free people who would bow to no king.  From that time forward the independence of America was inevitable.  These visionary leaders showed us an America that gave power to its people, not to kings or governments and the result in how America works and our lives are lived is the direct outcome of bold protests such as the Boston Tea Party.

We as Americans have a tremendous regard and respect for the framers of our Constitution because it was they that laid the foundation stones for the greatest country on earth.  But on top of the many amazing aspects of the Constitution, one stands out as an act of wisdom and foresight that made sure the Constitution would remain a living document for centuries.  That was the provision of the Constitution that allowed for the addition of amendments.

It was not long after the Constitution was ratified that the first ten amendments were indeed organized and became law.  That those ten amendments have become as central to the American system of government as the Constitution itself.  They have come to be known as the Bill of Rights.

The Bill of Rights are so deeply engrained in the American consciousness that they are often referenced in conversations about issues, how Americans work and live together and our relationship with the government.  The true genius of the Bill of Rights was the work it did to severely limit the ability of the government of the United States to ever interfere with the fundamental rights of its citizens.  This is a stunning achievement at a governmental level when you think in terms of legal systems of governments throughout history and around the world.

These ten amendments assure that the rights of citizens in this country are forever protected from any move by any administration to take those rights and give them to the government itself.  As such, the government is forever banned from getting too strong and it relegates the government to a servant role in society which so often is not the case in governmental politics elsewhere in the world.

The ten amendments to the Constitution cover the core rights of Americans including…

1. Freedom of Religion, free speech, freedom of the press and the fundamental right of assembly without fear of harassment from the government.  Also the right to petition the government to seek relief for grievances caused by the government.
2. The right to bear arms.
3. Protection from the forced habitation of troops in civilian homes in a time of conflict.
4. Protection from unreasonable search and seizure as part of a criminal investigation.
5. The right to due process when being accused of a crime.
6. The right to a jury trial, to be allowed to cross examine your accusers and other rights of accused to assure Americans cannot be “railroaded” by the legal system.
7. The right to civil trail by jury
8. Protection against cruel and unusual punishment and the right to bail.
9. Protection of rights not specifically spelled out in these ten amendments
10. Protection of states rights.

Of these rights, the ones listed in the first amendment are most often quoted and most cherished by Americans.  The original authorship of the Bill of Rights is credited to James Madison.  These basic rules of order for how the government will respect its own citizenry set in place and entitlement of rights by American citizens that has fundamentally shaped this country and how Americans come to expect its government to behave.

It endowed the citizenry of the land with an expectation that the rights of the citizens of the country at a very basic level are more important than the rights of the government and that the government “works for us” which is a phenomenal change to the way societies have been organized throughout history.  As such, The Bill of Rights is one of the many reasons that America can be regarded as the most unique country in the world and the country that many citizens of other nations wish their own counties would emulate.