Research Paper on:
American Citizens and Their Obligations

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
more information on using this paper properly! Introduction The Constitution of the United States is a document which largely addresses how the government should be run, providing rules for  the government. It is, however, also a document which illustrates many obligations for the American citizen. Taking the Constitution in its original form, without amendments, we can see a variety  of subtle, yet powerful, obligations that citizens have to their government. In the following paper we examine some of these obligations. Obligations One of the first obligations  noted in the Constitution is that which addresses taxes, and the paying of taxes: "Section 8. The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises,  to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States."  In this we note the subtlety of the obligation. It argues that the Congress has the power to collect taxes. This inadvertently means that the citizens of the country are  obliged to pay taxes. It also illustrates that, as citizens who are involved in other taxation matters, such as would involve duties, imposts, and excises, there is a powerful obligation.  In the next obligation to be addressed we turn to another aspect of Section 8. In this we see several small references to warfare and military outfits: "To define  and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations; To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning  Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer term than two Years; To provide and