To what extent was america "one nation, under god, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"? use examples throughout history.

Explanation:

Up until and during the civil war, it wasn't any of those things. The constitution of the United States had one major unfixable problem: it did not deal with the issue of slavery. So for 85 years give or take the states pushed for their own self interests until the war broke out.

The civil war began as a war involving states rights. About the middle somewhere (like 1863) the issue changed to slavery. That has a complex history of its own which I won't go into, but you should be aware of it.

The civil war's end left with amendments 13 14 and 15 which extended voting rights to the colored males, but the conditions were so rigid and tight that few blacks qualified. Conditions during Grant's administration were actually worse for former slaves than before and during the war.

Then there was the question of women's sufferage which did not come about until 1920 or so with the 19th amendment.

But due to Lincoln's foresight the country began to heal. and it was moving towards one nation. Lincoln's attitude was one of forgiveness and tolerance.

The question of the colored was not resolved until the civil rights movement in the 1960s.  It took 3 assinastions to get it right.  

If you expect a "Rose Garden Answer" you will not get it from me. The struggle to become the land of the free and the home of the brave was long and difficult taking the better part of 2 1/2 centuries and I am not sure it has been achieved yet. The poor are one example. The Latin Americans another. Trump's wall is a third. If I was congress, I'd give him the money to build his wall. At least it would provide jobs. But it would not be useful. It will not be that effective in keeping people out. There are other things equally absurd. You are on your own here because I'm almost certain your teacher wants you to agree with the sentiment. I simply think there is room for improvement.

the articles of confederation only set up the continental congress at the federal level. there were no executive or judicial branches except within the states. the states were allowed to keep every right that was not specifically given to congress. the bonding of the states was through a 'firm league of friendship' that best served as a defense agreement against invasion. states were not allowed to use taxes as a way to discourage treaties, and states were extremely limited in their dealings with foreign nations.

not many historians today talk about the strengths of the articles of confederation, likely because of how unpopular the document quickly became. the articles did set the legislative body, congress, as the highest power in the nation because of the fear of monarchy. congress had the sole power to declare war, assign treaties, entertain foreign relations, and operate post offices. disputes between states and territorial issues were to be brought to congress. the document also stipulated that canada was allowed to enter the union if they desired.

there were more weaknesses than strengths under the articles of confederation. the lack of power given to the continental congress strangled the federal government. the articles gave congress the power to pass laws but no power to enforce those laws. if a state did not support a federal law, that state could simply ignore it. congress had no power to levy taxes or regulate trade. without a federal court system or executive leader, there would be no way to enforce these laws, either. amending the articles of confederation would also require a unanimous decision, which would be extremely difficult.