In the year of 1787, delegates met in Philadelphia to write the Constitution. Tyranny, a type of government with an absolute ruler was a fear. They were currently under the ARticles of COnfederation. There was a problem with this though. In the background essay, it states that “there was no chief executive, there was no court system, there was not even a way for a central government to force a state to pay taxes.”. They were in much need of a new Constitution if they were going to be an independent nation. The hard part was making the new government tyranny free. Eventually in 1787 the new Constitution is created.…
At the time the Constitution was written there were two different parties that wanted different things from the United States government. The Revolutionaries or “Radicals”, led by men such as Thomas Jefferson, Sam Adams and Patrick Henry, emphasized the strength and efficiency in government. These were the men who wanted Liberty and the Bill of Rights. The other famous group was the Federalists, which consisted of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. These leaders were more concerned with popular aspects of society such as power, control, and the protection of property rights. In order to keep maintain their wealth, they supported a strong central government, much like the current British system. Both parties contained some of the boldest and most radical thinkers of their time, helping make the Constitution last over 200…
Do you think it was a good idea to ratify the constitution? At the time it was a big debate deciding whether or not we should ratify the constitution because anti-federalists wouldn’t agree with it unless they got a bill of rights, the first ten amendments, to state what all their rights. Eventually, the federalists who supported the constitution gave them a Bill of Rights. I believe the Constitution was a good decision to ratify because it gave power to the people, made 3 houses so not one person got too much power, and it made improvements from the Articles of Confederation.…
How does the Constitution guard from tyranny? Imagine being in world where you are forced to wear certain things. Forced to practice the only religion allowed. Imagine not being able to know what you want, when you wanted! The Constitution was made on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvani…
The revolutionary war brought about political change. Before the revolution, each colony was separately governed. Each had two houses, but besides that, the systems differed. The king controlled the colonies by choosing governors and appointing members of assembly. The king's power over the colonies, along with absolute power, disappeared after the war. Citizens were unsure of what type of government was desired, but they knew it must prevent tyranny. First, the Articles of Confederation was established. Unfortunately, the people found many grievances under this first constitution. The government could not tax, so it could not respond well to Bacon’s Rebellion. The articles were then repealed, and the making of the constitution began. The constitution…
The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787 by delegates who went to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. The convention was supervised by George Washington. It established fundamental laws, America’s national government and the basic rights for American citizens. In America’s first government document which was the Articles of Confederation.…
The United States Constitution was ratified in 1787 to make a stronger and better central government. Although it was hard to get it ratified, especially in the southern states, it was meant to keep the country together and to be the extreme law of the land. This document, although nearly perfect, did not mention slavery at all, as William Lloyd Garrison states in document B. This, to some extent, caused the nation to rip apart, but it was not the only thing that did. Although some people believe that the constitution caused disunity among the union it was not the constitution itself, but many different factors like the compact theory and slavery which angered either the north or the south.…
In the late 1700s, there was a surplus of arguments supporting or fighting against ratifying the Constitution. Ratification of the Constitution is not what's best for U.S citizens because although the Bill of Rights was proved to be successful, the insecurity of rights amongst the people, as well as the massive amount of influence that the people of power had; this will not lead to a successful nation. Documents three points out many major holes in the ratification of the Constitution such as insecurity in rights. Document four gives a supporting view as to why the United States should ratify the Constitution, it discusses how Massachusetts solved one problem, the insecurity of rights. Document five points out the people’s fear in the…
On September 17th, 1787, over two hundred years ago, the greatest document ever drafted was signed into law, and became the United States Constitution. The Constitution is the document that establishes the modern government of the United States, and describes which powers this government possesses, and which it does not. The authors of this document were the fathers of the United States, educated men, who wrote and were inspired by many different influences. The authors got ideas from many different sources such as the Ancients, English, and Enlightened thinkers while writing this document, so they could create a prosperous country. The United States Constitution was influenced by the Ancients, the English, and the Enlightenment Movement.…
Historical Context: Today, over 200 years after it was written ad ratified (approved), most Americans think of the US Constitution as something almost sacred. We assume that this great document has always been honored and looked up to. This is NOT true. When it was written in 1787 and submitted to the states for ratification, it set off months of fierce and often bitter debate. There were, of course, many who welcomed it as a stronger and more effective national government which could successfully tie the 13 states together into one nation. But others were afraid of this proposed powerful new national government. Why should they now set up a new distant central government which could threaten their liberties just as King George and Parliament had? The debate went on in towns and villages across the country for months. Some of the smaller states ratified the new Constitution quickly, but in most states the debate continued. In February of 1788, the Massachusetts convention voted 187 to 168 to ratify or approve the Constitution. In June, Virginia ratified 89 to 79. New York followed almost immediately. Now, with the approval of 11 states, the new government was established. In April of 1789 George Washington was sworn in as President, even though two states still had not approved the Constitution. It took North Carolina until November 1789 and Rhode Island until May 1790 to join the new government.…
“The Constitution was established by America’s national government and fundamental laws”, and guaranteed basic rights for American citizens. The constitution was made by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Thomas Paine, and John Adams – George Washington had the responsibility of seeing the Constitutional Convention that took place in Philadelphia between May 5th, 1787 and September 17th, 1787.In order for the Constitution to be a part of the law, it had to be accepted by 9 of the 13 states. However, Massachusetts, Maryland and South Carolina refused to ratify it because it lacked protection of basic rights. In February 1788, an agreement was reached which Massachusetts and the two other states would agree to ratify the Constitution if amendments would be proposed. The Constitution was then ratified by Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire was the last state to ratify the Constitution. The Constitution would then begin on March 4, 1789. The inauguration of George Washington to become president would take place soon after.…
The draft of the Constitution was submitted to the states by congress in September of 1787. For the first time, the people were able to peacefully vote and discuss how their nation would be governed. Among the people, there were mainly two groups: The federalists and the anti-federalists.…
America is one of the most developed countries in the world and a huge reason is because of the United States government. The agreement under which the government had been operating since 1781 was the Articles of Confederation, but it was replaced by the Constitution in 1789. This change was required due to the need for a stronger Federal Government. It is astonishing that the Constitution, which was created by a group of brilliant leaders still prevails to this day and serves the purpose of running the government. These men created a government from scratch, but many people were not convinced as to how long this new government would last. However, over the years it has been proven that the Constitution has been able to adapt and provide the…
Out of all the documents that laid the foundation of our nation's history, the most respected and revered is the Constitution. It outlines the structure of our entire political system and represents the freedom of America in the eyes of many citizens. But just how democratic is the Constitution, and what events led to its drafting and eventual ratification? Was the Constitution created in order to form a more perfect union for the average citizen, or did the Founding Fathers have other, ulterior motives for writing it? The Constitution's conception can be viewed from numerous perspectives, including democratic, hyperpluralist, economic, and political standpoints. Though all such points of view have a certain degree of validity to them, the…
The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787, yet there was a struggle for its ratification that went on until 1790. Members of Congress believed that the Articles of Confederation, the first government of the United States, needed to be altered while others did not want change. After the Revolutionary War, there was a need for strong state centered governments, rather than a strong central government based on their experience as a colony. However, an investigation of the historical record reveals that the Articles of Confederation were not meeting the needs of Americans, and the need for a new Constitution was desired. This desired Constitution created a huge dispute and argument between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.…