The purpose of the Constitution is presented in the Preamble or the Introduction of the Constitution. It explains a brief synopsis of the Constitution. Hope this helps! :)
Knights were indeed lower than vassals and held less prestige in medieval society. It's not true though, that knights didn't have enough prestige in medieval society. Vassals swore to the king or the ruler of a region, whereas knights often swore to vassals, so they still had people under them, but they were not at the top.
During the Gilded Age, 1876-1900, Congress was known for being rowdy and inefficient. It was not unusual to find that a quorum could not be achieved because too many members were drunk or otherwise preoccupied with extra-governmental affairs. The halls of Congress were filled with tobacco smoke, and spittoons were everywhere. One disgusted observer noted that not only did the members chew and spit incessantly, but their aim was bad. The atmosphere on the floor was described as an “infernal din.” The Senate, whose seats were often auctioned off to the highest bidder, was known as a “rich man's club,” where political favors were traded like horses, and the needs of the people in the working classes lay beyond the vision of those exalted legislators. The Senate dominated the federal government during the Gilded Age. Causing the world to react as if America wasn't under good control.
In other words, the world reacted as America wasn't mature.
Imperialists around the world used ideas of racial, national, and cultural superiority to justify imperialism. One of these ideas was Social Darwinism which was the belief that life consists of competitive struggles in which only the fittest survive. Social Darwinists felt that certain nations and races were superior to others and therefore destined to rule over inferior peoples and cultures. In an 1899 interview president McKinley explained "We could not give (the Philippines) back to Spain- that would be cowardly and dishonorable." instead he argued that the United States had no choice but to "take them all, and educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilize...them.".
Soviet Union and the United States