Federalist Argument Essay
Federalist Argument Essay
It all started with the Declaration of Independence. Under British rule, the 13 American colonies were incredibly displeased with the governing of the king and his tyranny. Consequently, Thomas Jefferson and a group of four other men (Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston and John Adams) gathered to compose a document declaring the colonies’ independence from Britain. The Declaration states that everyone is born with a set of natural rights, or rights that a person is born with and cannot be taken away by the government, and if any government infringes upon these rights, the people have the right to “alter or abolish it”. These words became the basis of Republican Ideals, or standards the people had for American government. The first form of government the United States established was the Articles of Confederation, or a loose alliance of the 13 states. Under the Articles, the federal government was purposely weak, and the states had ultimate supreme power. However, with this came multiple complications and grey areas. The federal government had no power to enforce laws, collect taxes, control trade between states, raise troops, or prevent states from printing money, and this kept multiple problems in the states from being able to be resolved. One problem, of which, influenced an abundance of Americans to suffer greatly from war debts. Because of the high debt, taxes became incredibly high, and caused many people to lose their land. One farmer in particular was affected and decided that he wasn’t going to put up with the outstanding taxes any longer. Daniel Shays of Massachusetts joined with other local leaders to organize a resistance to high taxes and strict penalties. The rebels’ actions created sympathy for farmers and persuaded the Massachusetts legislature to pass laws relieving debtors. The revolt also emphasizes the need for a stronger federal government. These problems with the Articles of Confederation sparked
It all started with the Declaration of Independence. Under British rule, the 13 American colonies were incredibly displeased with the governing of the king and his tyranny. Consequently, Thomas Jefferson and a group of four other men (Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert R. Livingston and John Adams) gathered to compose a document declaring the colonies’ independence from Britain. The Declaration states that everyone is born with a set of natural rights, or rights that a person is born with and cannot be taken away by the government, and if any government infringes upon these rights, the people have the right to “alter or abolish it”. These words became the basis of Republican Ideals, or standards the people had for American government. The first form of government the United States established was the Articles of Confederation, or a loose alliance of the 13 states. Under the Articles, the federal government was purposely weak, and the states had ultimate supreme power. However, with this came multiple complications and grey areas. The federal government had no power to enforce laws, collect taxes, control trade between states, raise troops, or prevent states from printing money, and this kept multiple problems in the states from being able to be resolved. One problem, of which, influenced an abundance of Americans to suffer greatly from war debts. Because of the high debt, taxes became incredibly high, and caused many people to lose their land. One farmer in particular was affected and decided that he wasn’t going to put up with the outstanding taxes any longer. Daniel Shays of Massachusetts joined with other local leaders to organize a resistance to high taxes and strict penalties. The rebels’ actions created sympathy for farmers and persuaded the Massachusetts legislature to pass laws relieving debtors. The revolt also emphasizes the need for a stronger federal government. These problems with the Articles of Confederation sparked