GRE AW 作文中的法律相关文章.docx
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GRE AW 作文中的法律相关文章.docx
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GREAW作文中的法律相关文章
LAW.Alltherulesrequiringorprohibitingcertainactionsareknownaslaw.Inthemostgeneralsense,therearetwokindsoflaw--naturallawandpositivelaw.Naturallawhasbeenrecognizedsincetheancientworldtobeageneralbodyofrulesofrightconductandjusticecommontoallmankind.Thisconceptgrewfromtheobservationoftheoperationofthelawsofnatureandtheiruniformity.Positivelaw,ontheotherhand,consistsofregulationsformulatedbytheheadsofacountryorsociety.Inmanycases,naturallawshavebeenwrittenintopositivelawsbygovernments.Theprohibitionagainstkilling,forexample,iscommontovirtuallyallofmankind,andmostnationshaveenactedlawsagainstit.ThisarticleisconcernedprimarilywiththemanyaspectsofpositivelawinWesternsociety.
DevelopmentofPositiveLaw
Whenpeoplefirstbegantoliveingroupstheyhadfewrulesorlaws,buttheysoonrealizedthateachindividualhadtopayattentiontotheneedsandwelfareofhisneighborsinordertomakelifenotonlytolerablebutpleasantforthegreatestnumberofpeople.Itwasconsiderednecessary,forinstance,foreachpersontorecognizeeveryoneelse'srightstolifeandtheownershipofproperty.Withoutthismutualrecognition,societycouldnotfunctioninpeace.
Withtheemergenceofwrittenlanguagesitwaspossibletoputlawsintowrittenform.Oneofthebestknownoftheearlycodes,orcollectionsofwrittenlaws,isthatofHammurabi,kingofBabylon,wholivedabout1800BC(seeBabyloniaandAssyria).Probablythemostfamousoftheancientcodes,however,isthatfoundinthefirstfivebooksoftheBible,thelawsofMoses.TheheartofthiscodeistheTenCommandmentspresentedbyMosestothepeopleofIsrael.Thesecommandmentsarethebasicsummaryofallmorallawdesignedtoregulatethebehaviorofindividualswithregardtoeachother.
Allothersocietiesintheancientworlddevisedsetsoflaws.Inthe7thcenturyBC,alawgivernamedDracodrewupaveryharshcodethatpunishedoffenses,nomatterhowtrivial,withdeath.Notmanyyearslater,anotherGreeklawgiver,Solon,repealedallbutthelawsdealingwithmurder(seeSolon).IntheGreekcity-stateofSparta,therewasalegendarylawgivernamedLycurguswho,aftergivingtheSpartansacodeoflaw,leftthecitywiththeinstructionthatthelawswerenottobechangeduntilhereturned.Heneverdidreturn(seeLycurgus).
ThemostcompleteandcomplexsystemoflawsintheancientworldwasdevelopedbytheRomans.Itwastheproductofmanycenturiesofcivilization,fromtheearlyyearsoftheRepublicuntiltheendoftheEmpire.Inthe6thcenturyAD,theemperorJustinian(seeJustinianI)collectedandorganizedthelawsforuseastheRomanCivilLaw.RomanlawhasstronglyinfluencedthegeneralcharacterofthelawsineverynationofWesternEuropeexceptEngland.
AfterthefalloftheRomanEmpireintheWest,AD476,theChristianchurch,asthestrongestinstitutioninsociety,becameamajorlawmakingandlawenforcementbody.Calledcanonlaw(canonsareregulations),abodyofrulesformulatedbythechurchwasdesignedtoregulatehumanbehavior,withrespecttoreligiousmattersprimarily.Butiteventuallycametoapplytotheactionsofpeopleonsocial,economic,andpoliticallevelsaswell.
Toenforceitslawsagainstthosewhodisagreedwithit,thechurchoftheMiddleAgescreatedtheInquisition(seeInquisition).Churchcourtsinseveralcountriesexaminedthosewhoweresuspectedofbreakingchurchlaws.Manypeoplewereclearedofwrongdoing,butotherswerenotandwerepunished,frequentlywithdeath.OneofthebestknowntrialswasthatofthescientistGalileo.Heagreed,underpressure,todenyhisopinionthattheplanetsorbitthesuninfavorofthechurchdoctrinethatthesuncircledtheEarth(seeGalileo).
ThesocietyoftheMiddleAgeswasrigidlystructured,withkings,princes,andnoblesatthetopandthecommonpeople--mostlypeasantsworkingtheland--atthebottom.Withineachkingdomtherulerissuedthelawsbywhichhispeopleweretolive.Suchlawscouldnotconflictwiththoseofthechurch.
InEngland,eachlocalityhaditsownlawsbasedoncustomandtradition.AftertheNormanConquest,1066,judgesappointedbythekingmovedfromoneplacetoanothertoadministertheselocallaws.Astimepassed,locallawsgavewaytojudges'interpretationsofabroadersystemoflawsacceptedinmorethanonearea.Eventuallythedecisionsofthejudges,constantlymodifiedbylaterdecisions,wereacceptedasthebodyofEnglishcommonlaw.
InFrance,undertheguidanceofNapoleon,acivilcodewasenactedin1804.Withrevisions,itstillremainsinforceandhasbeenamajorinfluenceinthelegalsystemsofmostEuropeancountriesandinLatinAmerica.TheCodeNapoleonwasmadenecessarybythediversityandconfusionoflawsthathaddevelopedinFranceandotherpartsofEuropeduringtheMiddleAgesandearlymodernperiod.Thepremiseforthecodewastheideathat,forthefirsttimeinhistory,alawbasedpurelyoncommonsenseshouldbecreated,freeofallpastprejudicesandinequities.Underthecodeallcitizenswererecognizedasequal,andallclassprivilegesweredoneawaywith.ThecodewasoriginallyintroducedinareasunderFrenchcontrolin1804:
Belgium,Luxembourg,northwesternItaly,andpartsofGermany.AftertheNapoleonicconquestsitwasintroducedintoconqueredItaly,theNetherlands,andmostofGermany.Itwasvoluntarilyadoptedduringthe19thcenturyinanumberofotherplaces,includingHaiti,theDominicanRepublic,Chile,Bolivia,Ecuador,Colombia,andArgentina.IntheUnitedStates,onlyLouisianahasacivilcodecloselyconnectedwiththeNapoleoniccode.
TheinfluenceoftheNapoleoniccodewassomewhatdiminishedatthestartofthe20thcenturybytheintroductionoftheGermanCivilCodein1900andtheSwissCivilCodein1912.JapanadoptedtheGermancodeandTurkeytheSwisscode.
CommonLawandStatuteLaw
Asnotedabove,thelawinEnglanddevelopedoverthecenturiesfromthecombineddecisionsofjudges,thedecisionsbasedonrulesalreadyestablished.Knownpopularlyasthecommonlaw,itwasembodiedinreportsofdecidedcasesthatoriginatedintheearlyMiddleAges.ThebroadacceptanceofthecommonlawinEnglandwaslargelyduetothedominantpositionoftheroyalcourts,especiallytheKing'sCourtestablishedatWestminster(nowpartofLondon).TheroyaljudgeswentouttotheprovincialtownsandinterpretedthelawofWestminsterinbothcivilandcriminalcases.HencecommonlawcametoapplyeverywhereinEngland.ThisearlycentralizationofthecourtsystemremovedthenecessityofimportingintoEnglandanyforeignsystem,suchasRomanlaw.
Statutelawdiffersfromcommonlawinthatitislegislation,orcodesoflawmadebylegislativebodiessuchasparliaments,congresses,andlegislatures.InEngland,forexample,statutesarepassedbyParliament.IntheUnitedStateslawsarepassedbytheCongressinWashington,D.C.EachstateintheUnitedStateshasitsownlegislaturethatmakesstatutelaws,andtherearemanylocallawmakingbodiessuchascitycouncilsandtowncouncilsaswell.Statutelawgrewupbecauseconditionsarosetowhichcommonlawdidnotapply.
Thechiefdifferencebetweencommonlawandstatutelawisthatcommonlawisbasedonwhathashappened,onprecedents,whilestatutelawispassedtomeetpresentcircumstancesandfuturepossibilities.Thecomplexityofmodernsocietyineveryindustrializednationhasbredanenormousamountofstatutelawthataffectstheprivateandpubliclifeofeveryindividual--lawsoncompulsoryeducation,taxation,regulationofbusinesses,protectionoftheenvironment,andmanymore.
Inrecentyears,governmentsunderthecommon-lawsystemhaveincreasinglyadoptedstatutelawsandregulations.Inthissituation,thedifferencebetweencommonlawandstatutelawhasbecomemuchlessdistinctthanitoncewas.
TheAmericanSystemofLaw
LawintheUnitedStateshasbecomeacomplexblendofcommonandstatutelaw.WhenthefirstEnglishcolonistscametoAmericainthe17thcentury,theybroughtEnglishcustomswiththem,buttherewaslittleexpertiseinlaw.Colonialcharters,oragreementswithEngland,gavethecoloniststheEnglishmen'straditionalrightsthathaddevelopedaspartofthecommonlaw.Anexampleistherighttotrialbeforeajuryofone'speers,orequals.Buttherewerefewmentrainedinthelaw,fewjudges,andnoschoolsoflaw.Localjurisdictionspassedtheirownstatutestomeetspecificsituations.
Bytheearly18thcentury,therewerelawyerspracticinginthecolonies.TheyusedEnglishlawbooksandfollowedEnglishproceduresandprecedents.In1701thecolonyofRhodeIslandacceptedEnglishlawinfull,subjecttolocallegislation.TheCarolinassoonfollowedsuit,andeventuallymostofthecolonieshadtheirownmixtureofEnglishcommonlawandlocalstatute.LegalbattlesbeforetheAmericanRevolutionwerefoughtoncommon-lawprinciples.AftertherevolutionmanyAmericanswantedtodivorcethemselvesfromEnglishpractices,butotherEuropeanlegalsystemsweretoodifferentandwritteninunfamiliarlanguages.The'Commentaries'ofWilliamBlackstonehadbeenprintedinthecoloniesin1771andhadcomeintowideuse.Thus,despitetheobjectionsofmanycitizens,EnglishcommonlawremainedtheheartoftheAmericanlegalsystem(seeBlackstone).
TheworkofBlackstonewasreinforcedbyjudgesintheUnitedStates.AschiefjusticeoftheSupremeCourt,JohnMarshallhadapowerfulinfluenceinshapingthedevelopmentofconstitutionallawthroughhislegaldecisions(seeMarshall,John).Inthe1830stwoimp
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