Primary source readings 7.4 and 7.5 are two opposite ends of the spectrum , however they are both being written with the same concept in mind; the constitution. In both readings the men express a genuine concern for the people also. Yet, they say completely different things regarding the effect that the constitution will have on the country. In 7.4 James Madison reassures the people of New York that the constitution will keep the branches of government separated and prevent the central government from becoming too powerful. This is the exact fear that the American people have regarding the constitution. In fact he explains to the people that without the constitution in play the very freedom they are enjoying due to their previous hard fight will be lost. He says that the only way to keep the branches of government separated to prevent one that is too powerful is to have a binding document such as the constitution. As …show more content…
He begins by trying to encourage the people to see that the constitution will take away what they have fought so hard for. He continues by giving the reasons as to why the people should question the constitution. He mainly points out that there is a reason the Constitutional Convention was held in secrecy and that the people should recognize and be unsettled about this. Another reason he has no faith in the constitution and suggests that the people should not either is because they want it ratified quickly. He believes this is because they do not want the people to look over the constitution too thoroughly and find flaws or areas that will take away from the people having control. And he mentions this in the reading, “… it is an attempt to force it upon them before it could be thoroughly understood…” (76,
Yet, to most people at the time the Constitution created an effective central government and federal system, “…Should all the states adopt it, it will be then a government established by the thirteen states of America…, but by the people at large… The existing system has been derived…whereas this is derived from the superior power of the people”(Document 8). James Madison included the statement above in his speech defending the Constitution, for he believed that the Constitution was a document by the people and for the people. What’s more was that he believed the Constitution provided a balance between the states and federal government that no other document had ever did
The constitution of the United States is an insightful and revolutionary idea of how a government should be practiced in order to prevent a greedy, corrupt form of government from establishing and taking over its people. The US government is founded on the principle that it works for its people, meaning that whatever is legislated is meant only for the benefit of the American people. However, the Constitution is at this point flawed due to the fact that many of its proclamations are vague and outdated, and has to be left to interpretation as to what the framers truly intended of it. This is dangerous because it further divides the nation when Americans believe in different forms of what is constitutionally righteous, and this may start a civil
Anti-Federalists Patrick Henry and Mercy Otis Warren both opposed the ratification of the United States Constitution because they believed the strong national government the document created would have the power to take away the rights of the people. Patrick Henry’s speech at the Virginia ratifying convention in June 1788 and Mercy Otis Warren’s pamphlet, “Observations on the New Constitution,” both explain their authors’ opposition to the new Constitution for a stronger national government. In his speech Henry spoke of the lack of security for the people’s rights under the Constitution. Because of that, he said, the new Constitution should be considered as a source of anxiety and fear. The people needed to be more protective of their rights,
Per Henry “A year ago the minds of our citizens were in perfect repose” before ratification. Henry is concerned with the rights of the people and what would happen to them after ratification. “You ought to be extremely cautious, watchful, jealous of your liberty; for, instead of securing your rights, you may lose them forever.” Henry is objecting to ratification because “one government cannot reign over so extensive a county without absolute despotism.” The government will take over with power of their three branches and limit the people’s right to an extremely low point.
In William Brennan’s view on the American Constitution he focused on human dignity to determine his interpretation. As he states in his essay, “But we are an aspiring people, a people with faith in progress. Our amended Constitution is the lodestar for our aspirations. Like every text worth reading, it is not crystalline.” (Brennan).
The audience were both loyalists who were unsure in joining the American rebels who were leaning towards the side of the loyalists that it was written in such a way that common people could interpret concepts and to promote the rebellion. The technique was to use what he thought was "common sense" to persuade people into believing what he expected to be an obvious thing. His argument is for American independence which begins with theoretical reflections about government and religion which furthermore progresses into the specifics of the colonial situation. He distinguishes between society and government; society to him is constructive whereas government is represented as an institution. He saw that the global significance of the American struggle for independence was human rights and freedom.
Hence Federalists came up with the Bill of Rights as a way to get the Constitution ratified and for people to really see a needed change. The Bill Of Rights which lists specific prohibitions on governmental power, lead the Anti-Federalists to be less fearful of the new Constitution . This guaranteed that the people would still remain to have rights, but the strong central government that the country needed would have to be approved. The 1804 Map of the nation shows that even after the ratification of the United States Constitution there still continued to be “commotion” and dispute in the country.(Document 8) George Washington stated that the people should have a say in the nation and government and everything should not be left to the government to decide.(Document 3) Although George Washington was a Federalist many believed he showed a point of view that seemed to be Anti-Federalists. Many believed that The Bill of Rights needed to be changed and modified and a new document’s time to come into place.
Madison in #10 argues about factions and how not to worry about the government. The Constitution would limit possibly factions and destroy the country. On the other hand, Jefferson believed in a weak government and a strong federal state. Anti-Federalists
Primary source reading 7.4 is an excerpt from “Federalist NO. 51” which was written in 1788 by James Madison. This excerpt is actually an essay written by Madison and published in the New York Packet that explains how the federal government will not become too powerful as the people think, and trying to convince people to get the constitution ratified. Primary source reading 7.5 is an excerpt from “Observations on the New Constitution and the Federal and State Conventions by a Columbian Patriot” written by Mercy Otis Warren in 1788. This excerpt is actually a pamphlet that was published as well. In this pamphlet, Warren criticizes the Constitution for thinking the federal government will get too much power and tries to get the people to reject
After a fiercely fought revolution, the newly independent American nation struggled to establish a concrete government amidst an influx of opposing ideologies. Loosely tied together by the Articles of Confederation, the thirteen sovereign states were far from united. As growing schisms in American society became apparent, an array of esteemed, prominent American men united in 1787 to form the basis of the United States government: the Constitution. Among the most eminent members of this convention were Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. These men, held to an almost godly stature, defined the future of the nation; but were their intentions as honest as they seemed?
The constitution was a collaboration project where several different people and ideologies worked together to form a fair and just government in the colonies. Due to the large number of different ideas battling for dominance within the formation of this new government, compromise had to be made. This level of compromise allows the modern interpreter to find the existence, both in large and small ways, of the ongoing battle in regard to individual and civil rights in every part of the document. These contributors had very different ideas about the concept of ‘rights’ and more specifically, their ideal level of priority within a society. Locke, Rousseau, Paine, Dickinson, Madison and Blackstone all had varying ideas of what this balance should
The Federalist No. 10” is a persuasive argument written by James Madison in an attempt to ratify the Constitution. He wrote a series of documents called the Federalist Papers under a pseudonym to convince others to approve of the Constitution. He says that factions are not good for America, neither is a pure democracy. Madison provides extensive arguments and remedies for the problems he is addressing. James Madison is attempting to ratify the Constitution by analyzing the way to deal with factions, comparing a republic to a democracy, and by comparing a small government to a large government.
The Federalist No 46, written by James Madison, is one of the most critical essays in the Federalist Papers. This essay was published on January 29, 1788, in response to anti-federal concerns about the new draft constitution. Madison argues that the powers of the new constitution are limited and that the states retain sovereignty. Though it was never fully explained. Madison also says the new constitution will protect states from encroachment or usurpation of their power.
Introduction: Line of Inquiry: This text set intends to reenact the United States Constitution with specific language, used by the signers George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin about the sacrifices and actual drama it took to start of our nation’s governmental system.. A quote from author Lynne Cheney’s book We the People, The story of our Constitution, “At length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun” (p.28), will help to guide students understanding with close readings from the Constitution. Moreover, the first three words, in the Constitution “We the people.” is the greatest phrase from this founding document which allows students to better appreciate the history and premise of what
The Constitution—the foundation of the American government—has been quintessential for the lives of the American people for over 200 years. Without this document America today would not have basic human rights, such as those stated in the Bill of Rights, which includes freedom of speech and religion. To some, the Constitution was an embodiment of the American Revolution, yet others believe that it was a betrayal of the Revolution. I personally believe that the Constitution did betray the Revolution because it did not live up to the ideals of the Revolution, and the views of the Anti-Federalists most closely embodied the “Spirit of ‘76.” During the midst of the American Revolution, authors and politicians of important documents, pamphlets, and slogans spread the basis for Revolutionary ideals and defined what is known as the “Spirit of ‘76”.