The Level of Maturity That Constitutes Adulthood
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The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research Volume 7 Article 8 2004 The Level of Maturity that Constitutes Adulthood Peter Stoller St. John Fisher College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur Part of the American Studies Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation Stoller, Peter. "The Level of Maturity that Constitutes Adulthood." The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research 7 (2004): 29-35. Web. [date of access]. <https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol7/iss1/8>. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/vol7/iss1/8 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Level of Maturity that Constitutes Adulthood Abstract In lieu of an abstract, below is the article's first paragraph. The United States of America provides its citizens with many freedoms and privileges unique to other nations worldwide. At 15, you may start working with the proper legal working papers. The same freedom that allows you the right to earn that living also allows the government to take taxes out of your paycheck as a thank you for the privilege. This very same government acknowledges the fact that you are old enough a U.S. citizen for the government to remove taxes, federal and/or state, from your paycheck. yet you're stilJ not old enough to vote in our nation's elections until 18 years of age. At 16, you are given the opportunity to drive an automobile by passing a written and road test prior, but you may not serve your country in a war until age 18 as well. At 18, you may also purchase a shotgun and ammunition with a minor background check. but you may not buy a beer. With these adult-type privileges being offered to us at various ages, is it any wonder people are confused? Is there a set age at which a person is considered an adult, with all its prohibitions and privileges, in the United States? This article is available in The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/ur/ vol7/iss1/8 Stoller: The Level of Maturity that Constitutes Adulthood The Level of Maturity that Constitutes Adulthood By Peter Stoller The United States of America provides its houses (Newman 10). After that, the amendment goes citizens with many freedoms and privileges unique to to the individual states for approval (J 0). Congress other nations worldwide. At 15, you may start may call a national convention to propose an working with the proper legal working papers. The amendment if two-thirds of the state legislatures same freedom that aJlows you the right to earn that approve it (10). The amendment becomes part of the living also allows the government to take taxes out of Constitution onJy after legislatures or specially chosen your paycheck as a thank you for the privilege. This conventions in three-fourths of the states have ratified very same government acknowledges the fact that you it (10). are old enough a U.S. citizen for the government to Interpretation of the Constitution is one of the remove taxes, federal and/or state, from your most controversial subjects in history. One approach paycheck. yet you're stilJ not old enough to vote in our is of "original intent" or that the Constitution should nation's elections until 18 years of age. At 16, you are be interpreted according to the intention of those who given the opportunity to drive an automobile by drafted and adopted it. History and the words used are passing a written and road test prior, but you may not very important to interpretation. Another approach is serve your country in a war until age 18 as well. At the "living Constitution," namely, that the constitution 18, you may also purchase a shotgun and ammunition is to be kept as up to date as today's news. with a minor background check. but you may not buy Unfortunately, the idea that a country's fundamental a beer. With these adult-type privileges being offered charter of government should be constantly changing to us at various ages, is it any wonder people are bothers a lot of people (Newman 11). confused? Is there a set age at which a person is The Constitution is rigid in regards to personal considered an aduJt, with all its prohibitions and liberties that are basic, timeless, and the very reason privileges, in the United States? this country was founded (Newman 12). It is an In an effort to determine an answer to the adaptable and changing document that creates and above question and come up with a basis for the limits power at the same time (12). The commitment decisions made, there are several factors that needed to the Constitution is one of the few bonds that unites to be considered: historical, legal, religious, and all Americans (12). psychological. Upon establishing the Constitution, our founding fathers also had the foresight to realize that Historical what worked then may not work in the future. To To understand why our government made insure the freedoms they initially established wouJd certain decisions and the circumstances that occurred work, they didn't stop at just the Constitution. They which led to those decisions required a review of the went on to draft the Bill of Rights or the first ten U. S. Constitution. Roger K. Newman, in his article Amendments to the Constitution, which set forth the "Constitutional Concepts'', in Principles of American liberties of the people and also to limit the power of Government, did just that: "ln framing a government the federal government. which is to be administered by men over men," John This legal document and the above process is Madison wrote in The Federalist #51, "the great what are used to determine the rights of all Americans difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the and legal age is one of those rights. The I st government to control the governed, and in the next Amendment and 5th Amendment, which basically place, oblige it to control itself' (Newman 7). With guarantee life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to this in mind, the Constitution was drafted to limit all Americans are by far the most well known and weU government using the principles of separation of used of the Bill of Rights. powers and federalism, the "due process" clauses, and The 14th Amendment is probabJy the 3rd most the doctrine ofjudicial review (7). Chief Justice John important amendment. Up to this point most people MarshalJ called it "the theory of our government" were governed by the state that they lived in. Made (Newman 8). into a law in 1868, it was designed to prevent state and Newman went on to describe popuJar local governments from violating the individual sovereignty as a government that is created by and American's rights and freedoms. Coming after the subject to the will of the people and which allows the Civil War, the intent of this Amendment was to also people to make changes to the Constitution (9). The place the word "equal" into the Constitution originally ability to limit governmental power is through the left out by the Framers. The 14th amendment is amendment process (9). Amendments to the considered one of the cornerstones of American Constitution are introduced in Congress where the freedom. Along with the 13th amendment which first step is to have a two-thirds approval in both banned slavery, and the 15th amendment which 29 Published by Fisher Digital Publications, 2004 1 The Review: A Journal of Undergraduate Student Research, Vol. 7 [2004], Art. 8 affirmed national birthright for citizenship, it offered relates to most Christian religions, refers to an adult as Americans a second Constitution, one that was more one who has reached maturity, or age of reason. The freedom loving, giving equality to all the people age of reason is an age at which a child is normally (Newman 90-95). able to make responsible decisions, usually age 7, but this may vary with children (13). The book also refers Legal to the age of discretion, which is a time in life when a During this review of basic American person can begin to make serious decisions (13). The freedoms, the term "Age of Majority" was used a lot. Maryknoll book also lists the age of consent, which is In Black's Law Dictionary, 7th edition, under "age" the lowest age at which a person can marry: age 14 for the following list is found: boys and for girls, the youngest at which a girl may Age of capacity: The age, usualJy defined by statute consent to sexual relations without having her partner as 18 years of age, at which a person is legally capable subject to statutory rape (13). of agreeing to a contract, executing a wiJJ, maintaining The above information is very important as to a lawsuit, or the like. Also termed age of majority; the makeup and mindset of those that came before us, legal age; lawful age. those responsible for the Jaws we now have to abide Age of consent: The age, usually defined by statute by. It also takes us into the next area of review. as 16 years, at which a person is legally capable of agreeing to marriage (without parental consent) or to Psychological sexual intercourse. When my grandparents were young, Age of majority: I.