Preview

Sup dowg

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
420 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Sup dowg
"An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States," is a 1913 book by American historian Charles A. Beard. It argues that the structure of the Constitution of the United States was motivated primarily by the economic interests of the Founding Fathers. Beard pointed out, for example, that George Washington was the wealthiest landowner in the country, and had provided significant funding towards the American Revolutionary War. Beard traces the Constitutional guarantee that the newly formed nation would pay its debts to Washington's desire to have his costs refunded.

Forrest McDonald in "We The People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution" (1958) argued that Beard had misinterpreted the economic interests involved in writing the Constitution. Instead of two interests, landed and mercantile, which conflicted, McDonald asserted that there were three dozen identifiable interests that forced the delegates to bargain.
Rate Comment
"An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States," is a 1913 book by American historian Charles A. Beard. It argues that the structure of the Constitution of the United States was motivated primarily by the economic interests of the Founding Fathers. Beard pointed out, for example, that George Washington was the wealthiest landowner in the country, and had provided significant funding towards the American Revolutionary War. Beard traces the Constitutional guarantee that the newly formed nation would pay its debts to Washington's desire to have his costs refunded.

Forrest McDonald in "We The People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution" (1958) argued that Beard had misinterpreted the economic interests involved in writing the Constitution. Instead of two interests, landed and mercantile, which conflicted, McDonald asserted that there were three dozen identifiable interests that forced the delegates to bargain.
Rate Comment
"An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the book “A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution” by Carol Berkin she explains the constitution from start to finish from how it all began, to the debates inside the convention and finally the end product. Berkin takes the reader and puts him directly in the middle of the convention of 1786; throughout the book you can feel the excitement, the frustration, the tensions between delegates and the overall commitment to making a new government work for all.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To briefly summarize the book; Morgan first begins by examining the relationship between the American colonies and the English Parliament. He focuses mainly on the unfair taxation that was forced upon the colonies by the English and other infringements of liberties committed by Parliament. The colonies "admitted Parliament's right to use duties, from which an incidental revenue might arise... but denied the right to levy duties for the purpose of revenue"(36). Morgan develops on the increasingly unpleasant relations between the two (backing up his claims, such as the one quoted above, with reference to some influential writers from that time such as Dulany and Dickinson), and ties it directly with the declaration of independence.…

    • 955 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Critical Period Dbq

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Articles of Confederation contained glaring weaknesses in the economy, including the failure to regulate trade. In Document B, it shows the estimated value of exports to Britain in relation to the population. From 1770 to 1775, as the population increased the value of the exports also roughly increased. But after the Articles of Confederation were implemented the growth of the value of the exports ceased. The Articles of Confederation proved to be ineffective in regulating trade which led to the economic depression. The national debt grew from 11 million to 28 million during the time span of the Confederation. Document A was also a response towards the economical affects of the Articles of Confederation. It was a response towards Robert Morris’s taxation and debt management plan. The Rhode Island assembly rejected the plan. The plan allowed congress to collect money from states that were commercially inclined. The Rhode Island assembly say that the plan would go “against the constitution” of their state. But the government needed a unanimous approval from 9 out the 13 states, so consequently Robert Morris’s was never put in order.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Costello, G.A., Killian, J.H., & Thomas, K.R. (Ed.). (2002). The Constitution of the united states…

    • 1547 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The period surrounding the American Revolution (1775-1783) was marked by significant societal challenges and transformations as the colonies grappled with political unrest, economic instability, and social inequalities. Through the examination of various documents from this era, we can gain insights into the complex dynamics of society during this tumultuous time. John Dickinson's condemnation of the Townshend Acts in 1767 reflects the growing resentment among American colonists towards British taxation policies. Dickinson argues that these acts are detrimental to the liberty of the colonies and could lead to a loss of autonomy. His critique highlights the tensions between the colonies and the British government over issues of taxation and…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Davis, Sue (2008). Corwin and Peltason’s understanding the Constitution (17th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth Publishing.…

    • 1691 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    It has been speculated upon that the most serious flaw in the Articles of Confederation is its inability to allow the federal form of government the power to tax. Taxes are the governments’ income, without them the government cannot provide the services vital to the stability of the country. John Locke theorized…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    c. Roche believes that the delegates at the Convention were divided into two groups. What were these two groups and how did they protect their interests in the new Constitution?…

    • 581 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    These historians do not believe Charles Beard's thesis and try to disprove his thoughts and prove that the supports did not write the Constitution for their own interest. In a chart, which shows the Delegates that were at the Constitution Convention. The Delegates on this chart are people having public security holdings, who are people from all different backgrounds. The Delegates mostly signed the Constitution were not all wealthy landowners looking out for them. There was some small farmer in that group, who would never sign the document to benefit the rich. In other chart on the Delegates to the New York State Ratifying Convention shows that there was a mixes of people with different economic status voting for the Ratifying Convention. Also the people who voted were Federal and Anti-Federal that voted Federal, plus lawyers did not vote for it and those would be the kind of people to want…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Alexander Hamilton, one of the most important people of the time, was the first Secretary of the Treasury. Utilizing federal power to modernize the nation, he convinced Congress to use an elastic interpretation of the Constitution to pass laws that Jefferson deemed unconstitutional. These laws included federal assumption of the state debts, creation of a national bank, and a system of taxes through a tariff on imports and a tax on whiskey. Hamilton was also the creator of the Federalist Party. In contrast, Thomas Jefferson was born to a wealthy family but was nonetheless an anti-federalist. He was sympathetic towards the poor people and advocated state’s rights.…

    • 937 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people wanted a strong central government. This strong central government was wanted to stabilize and produce a strong economic system that American people could depend on. Others wanted decentralization of government, and for the American people to depend more on themselves to create opportunity to a wider range of people. In the years following the war of 1812 many court cases that displayed both sides were brought into the picture. There was Fletcher v. Peck, Dartmouth College v. Woodward, and McCulloh v. Maryland. In McCulloh v. Maryland the questions of congress of were brought up. That included, could congress charter a bank? And, could individual states ban it or tax it? That it shown in (Doc D) and that the decision was difficult to make. The final decisions of most of the cases brought about a control from federal government that some people appreciated and some people seriously opposed to. It was seen that the federal government could help protect economic values in American…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The different biased policies of which Federalists believed in interpreting the Constitution broadly, while Jeffersonian Republicans (Anti-Feds) believed it should be interpreted strictly, continued through the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. However, throughout both of their terms, both parties eventually “switched” their ideals, and followed the other party’s belief. “Our country is too large to have all its affairs directed by a singled government” (Doc. A) is a letter from Jefferson to Granger, then the complete opposite is written in Doc F, where Randolph talks about how the J. Republicans abandon their original principles. This is just one example of how later the two parties ideals were “switched.” Actions such as the Louisiana Purchase, the Embargo Act, and the establishment of the Second National Bank show this.…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The ultimate protection of individual liberties had to wait for later passage of the Bill of Rights, for these men, as their arguments made plain, distrusted what Madison called the superior force of an interested and majority. Many of the constitutional provisions they praised were intended precisely to decrease democratic surplus.. The essays, published in book form as The Federalist in 1788, have through the years been widely read and respected for their masterly analysis and interpretation of the Constitution and the principles upon which the government of the United States was…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The drafting of the new federal Constitution for the infant United States drew many staunch lines between federalists and antifederalists. These differences proved to be vast and in most cases complex, the antifederalists opposed the newly drafted constitution, while the federalists pushed for its ratification. These two primary views of how the United States government should function, made the ratification of the Constitution by no means a guarantee in 1787. Thus, the criticisms made by the antifederalists and the retorts returned by the federalists echoed the uncertainty of the United States in its infancy, plus these arguments demonstrated the blurred views on the “good society” and developed the Constitution into a document that preserved…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Garrison, William Lloyd. “On the Constitution and the Union." TeachingAmericanHistory. Ashbrook Center at Ashland University. 2006-12. Web. 30 April 2013.…

    • 1719 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays