U.S. Constitution: Article 4
The constitution of the United Sates is one of the oldest in the world and it sets the frame for the functioning of the entire country. The United States is the federation, where all its states have their own laws and regulations. The Constitution is a document that regulates the relations between the states as well as sets the rules for their interaction. Article 4 of this document is the key to the federal setup of the country since it regulates the relations between the federal government and the states as well as between the states.
This article is divided into four clauses. The first clause ensures that the states honor and recognize the respective laws and court orders of the other states. The second clause ensures that all the citizens are treated equally disregarding their state of residence. The basic rights are the same for residents and non-residents for all the US citizens in any of its states. This clause also regulates the matter of extradition of the criminal offenders to the states where the felony was committed. The third clause allows new states to be accepted to the Union. At the same time, it prohibits the formation of new states within the already existing ones “without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress”. The fourth clause provides the guarantees of republican form of government to all the states, protection against the foreign invasion and “domestic violence”.
To me it was interesting to find out that the Constitution of the United States allows the new states to join the Union. The USA is a very established country with its own tradition of government and it is hard to imagine such major changes as the new states joining in. I found it also noteworthy that the federal government is providing protection against internal violence within the states. However, I think it is a very important clause because the stability within all the states is crucial to the effective functioning of the entire federation. Article 4 of the Constitution is essential to the federative setup of the United States. It regulates the important aspects of the state-to-state and state to federal government relations. Without its clauses, we would not be able to imagine the politics of the United States as it is …
