ipl-logo

Absolutism Vs Anti Federalism

1034 Words5 Pages

Governments typically derive their authority from those citizens that live within the country. Whether the citizens vote for the elected officials, vote for representatives, or in some instances, even vote for certain decisions within the government (think: Brexit), the citizens are considered in theory to be the ones with the most power within each country. Problems arise, however, when the decisions and opinions of the citizens do not align with those within the government, leading to strain between the two “ruling” and “ruled” groups. Expecting situations such as these, the founding fathers created various documents to ensure that the goals of the two groups aligned, and that the rights of the citizens were protected above all. James …show more content…

Holding the Constitution as an authoritative power required faith in the federal governments, but the government had not yet been established for enough time to warrant that faith and trust. Through the creation of this document, Madison intended to prove to the Anti-federalists and the citizens that the federal government did indeed intend to protect the rights of the citizens (Berkin, 41). Madison worked to stop the Anti-federalist followers from solely following those beliefs, and also wanted to prevent the Anti-federalists from passing their amendments that would work to limit the powers of the government. Additionally, Madison also wanted to establish a trusted relationship between the people and the government, hoping that the document would foster faith in the …show more content…

The founding fathers wrote these documents in a time period with entirely different influences regarding how a government should be structured, such as a focus on avoiding imperial influences and monarchies, and one that was structured during a constant fear of war (Berkin 41). Additionally, the meanings of these documents are continually purposely misconstrued, and so should be regarded with caution as to the ways in which the writings can be utilized for personal gain in times where the original intentions are somewhat moot. Overall, however, the government is still one that draws its authority from the consent of the governed, so those who are elected to represent the citizens of the United States should keep in mind the true desires of its

Show More
Related

  • Us Constitution Outdated

    1367 Words  | 6 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Structure Of The Government Must Furnish The Proper Checks And Balances: Federalist 51

    491 Words  | 2 Pages

    On Friday, February 8, 1788, James Madison wrote “The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments: Federalist 51”. In this document, Madison discusses in regard to the Constitution the structure of government and its relation to its many parts. How each part should share a relation with the other to keep both part in its’ proper place while respecting the other branch. In the defense of the Constitution, the article states, “shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the necessary barrier of power among the several departments, as laid down in the Constitution” (Madison).

    Read More

  • Chapter 2 The Us Constitution Essay

    1195 Words  | 5 Pages

    Chapter:2 The United States Constitution pages 87-107 Preamble: 1. Form a More Perfect Union, Establish Justice,Insure Domestic Tranquility, Provide for the Common Defense, Promote the General Welfare, Secure the Blessings of Liberty. 2. "We the people of the united states" it means that the only reason that their is a government is because of the people, and should be made to serve the people. Article:1 Legislative Branch 1.

    Read More

  • What Is Publius's Argument For The Constitution Of The United States

    1350 Words  | 6 Pages

    Eleven scores and ten years ago the Framers of our fine country gave birth to a new documentation system of government which still holds deep roots today. They called it the constitution of the United States. Some of what this document laid out is the framework for divvying up the powers at be in the federal government as well as the state government, it tackled majority ruling, and promoted equality for all citizens. Before this, however, three wise men who were deeply involved in politics and were worried about the future direction that the country was going in decided to come up with eighty-five what they called Federalist papers that would help ratify a new constitution. These three men are Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay more formally known as Publius.

    Read More

  • Ratification Of The Us Constitution Dbq Essay

    827 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Rise Of The Temperance Movement In The 1800's

    595 Words  | 3 Pages

    John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government is echoed in the Declaration of Independence, particularizing the importance and necessity of the “consent of the governed”. Seventeen years before James Madison wrote the Bill of Rights enumerating “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances,” John Dickinson, author of the Articles of Confederation, wrote his Petition to the King, a formal list of injustices committed by King George III. The inherent right to peacefully express discontent with the actions of the government is the cornerstone of American democracy. In a letter to James Madison in 1789, Thomas Jefferson suggested the Constitution be rewritten every nineteen years.

    Read More

  • American Constitution Corrupt

    579 Words  | 3 Pages

    The primary concern of the framers of the constitution was the proper and just balance of powers in order to protect against tyranny, ensure fair representation, and safeguard individual rights. The American Constitution was framed with the citizens past experience fully in mind. While under British control, American citizens were severely undercut in both federal power and representation in parliament. Parliament was insanely corrupt, purposefully taking more power for itself over the population of Britain en masse. While making the constitution the framers kept these issues in mind, holding to the firmly held belief of their colonial constituents that, as stated by Lord Acton in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

    Read More

  • Federalist Vs Anti Federalists

    1093 Words  | 5 Pages

    The process of ratifying the constitution created a basis for feverish debate amongst the founding fathers. The delegates differing ideologies and beliefs created one of the first political parties in the new nation—the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. Due to this political factionalism the inclusion of the bill of rights were ultimately added to the constitution and thus ratified by the minimum required of votes—nine out of thirteen states—in 1788. To understand how the constitution became to be, one must grasp the ideals that the federalist and anti-federalist stood for, how key figures such as Patrick Henry and James Madison contributed to the constitution, and why their contributions were significant. To begin, the Federalists were those who favored the ratification of the

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Anti Federalism

    1357 Words  | 6 Pages

    Federalism is restricted that governments decide to take care of the issue of administering substantial populaces and different societies. Federalism lives up to expectations by separating its power and responsibility, instead of a unitary government, in which the focal government controls everything. The Anti-Federalists contradicted the US 's ratification Constitution; however they never composed effectively over each of the thirteen states, thus needed to battle the ratification at each state tradition. Their awesome achievement was in driving the first Congress under the new Constitution to set up a bill of rights to guarantee the freedoms the Anti-Federalists felt the Constitution disregarded. I support the Federalism in light of the fact

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Founding Fathers A Reform Caucus In Action

    390 Words  | 2 Pages

    In his essay ‘The founding fathers: a reform caucus in action', John P. Roche describes the Founding Fathers as practical politicians that were indeed acting on behalf the citizens they represented. Roche states the founding fathers kept in mind everyone's rights while making the Constitution. He explains how James Madison drafted the Virginia Plan. Roche describes it as a ‘Political Masterstroke'.

    Read More

  • How Did Federalist 51 Impact Today's Government

    543 Words  | 3 Pages

    James Madison wrote Federalist 51 over 200 years ago, yet its words still impact today’s government in 2016. When writing Federalist 51, Madison had two main objectives in mind; he wanted a government with a separation of powers, and he also wanted minorities to be protected. Both of his objectives have been accomplished and continue to be present in today’s American government with the latter objective being more present in today’s government even more so than in the past. To begin with, power is separated in today’s government, preventing a single person or group from having absolute power since, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” according to John Dalberg-Acton. The American government is composed of three branches which power is separated amongst.

    Read More

  • Differences And Similarities Between Anti-Federalists And Anti-Federalists

    622 Words  | 3 Pages

    Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists Federalists were mostly merchants, bankers manufacturers, and wealthy farm owners. They basically owned land or some type of property and were well-educated. Most of these people lived in urban areas. Anti-Federalists were mostly artisans, shopkeepers, frontier settlers, and poor farmers. They were mostly uneducated and illiterate and most of them lived in rural areas.

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The Constitution

    952 Words  | 4 Pages

    James Madison argued that the power of both the state and federal government comes from its citizens and because of this there can be sovereignty on both a state and federal level. The Constitution also set out to solve this question by dividing the power between the state and federal government. The Constitution would be the “law of the land” but this would not impede state level powers or laws. Instead the federal government would oversee federal level concerns like taxing and creating an army. There were still many who felt that a large government would lead to a corrupt government with control in the hands of only a few.

    Read More

  • DBQ Essay: The United States Constitution

    1159 Words  | 5 Pages

    DBQ Essay The United States Constitution is a document that or founding fathers made in order to replace the failing Articles of Confederation (A of C). Under the Constitution, the current government and states don’t have the problems they faced when the A of C was in action. The Constitution was created in 1788, and held an idea that the whole nation was nervous about. This idea was a strong national government, and the Federalist assured the people that this new government would work. The framers of the Constitution decided to give more power to the Federal government rather than the state governments because the A of C had many problems, there was a need for the layout of new government, rights, and laws, and there was a need for the Federal

    Read More

  • James Madison: The Father Of The Constitution

    487 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Constitution of the United States was created by the people of the United States composing the respective states, who alone had the right” (James Madison,

    Read More

More about Absolutism Vs Anti Federalism

Open Document