The Constitution of the United States created the form of government known as federalism. The national and state governments each have specific powers and functions, while also sharing some of the same powers. The Constitution made the agreement that any laws passed under the constitution would be the supreme law of the land. Three separate branches were created; the legislative, executive, and judicial. **********The new Constitution resolved the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation to the extent that it created a new system of government that was equipped with the necessary powers needed to implement changes through compromises, the passing of laws, and the levying of taxes.
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to discuss the difficult problems the new nation faced. The Framers decided that in order to facilitate change within the nation, the Articles of Confederation needed to be replaced with a new plan for government that would give the federal government more power to implement the changes necessary for the progression of the nation. The next step was to devise a plan for the government that would be accepted by the people of the nation. A series of compromises, known as the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Great Compromise, were created. The Virginia Plan, created by James Madison, included an executive branch, courts, and a bicameral legislature where representation in each house of Congress would be based on each state’s population. This plan enticed delegates from heavily populated states such as, New York; however, the small states feared a government subjugated by the large states would give them no say. The New Jersey Plan, devised by delegates from the smaller states, included a unicameral legislature in which states would have equal representation. Within this plan, Congress had the power to set taxes and regulate trade, which were powers it did not have under the Articles of Confederation. The