chapter 2 discussion and thought questions 1

1. Why were the leaders of the American Revolution not content to remain loyal British subjects? The first reason was after the Seven Years War we were no longer depended on Britain for protection against France and Spain. The second was the Stamp Act put in place by Parliament in March of 1765 requiring stamps to be purchased for all envelopes, newspapers, wills, playing cards, college degrees, marriage licenses, and land titles, among other things. Violators were subject to trial without jury. The following tax raising endeavor by Parliament was the Townshend duties which imposed taxes on all imports which caused the Boston Tea party.
2. What were the main reasons for the failure of the Articles of Confederation? Under the articles there was no president of the country, and they did not give Congress the power to regulate foreign or interstate commerce. They also did not give the power to tax, during the first two years under the Articles Congress received less than $1.5 million of the $10 million in taxes requested from the states. There also was no federal court system to settle disputes between the states, this alone meant that any state could veto another state in disagreement.
3. Why did the Framers of the U.S. Constitution reject the idea of a parliamentary system? What would the Framers say about the failure of legislation to pass because of the “gridlock” that sometimes develops when Congress is of one party and the president is of another? The Framers rejected the idea of a parliamentary system because they believed that it could be manipulated by monarchs and short-lived majorities. Parliaments provide little to no security for liberty or property. The resolution that resulted was the development of the House of Representatives that where representation is based on state population and Senate where all states are represented equally. The Framers created the distributive articles of the Constitutions which are the first