At no point in the history of humankind has there been something about which everyone can agree. Everyone has different opinions, and the founding era in America was no exception to this rule. People felt very strongly about their views on things like the separation from England, the amount of power the federal government should have, and the idea of a national bank. One of the first decisions to be made in the struggle for America's independence was whether or not they should seek independence in the first place. Those loyal to England believed that rebelling against England would lead only to "devastation and ruin" (Charles Inglis). Some even believed that the success of the colonies was "the result of Great Britain" (anonymous letter) and that anyone who opposed Britain must be insane. The rebels--or patriots depending on who one asks--believed that Britain was a tyrant and had already begun waging war against them and that it was their responsibility to fight back. This debate eventually led to the creation of the Declaration of Independence as those resisting England's control outvoted those who were content with their situation. …show more content…
One of these things was the amount of power the federal government should have. Federalists argued for a stronger national government, with the rich having most of the power because they were "less wicked and sinful" (Alexander Hamilton). Antifederalists wanted stronger state governments and wanted all people to be represented, not just the rich elites. They wanted the government to be "a true picture of the people" (Melancton Smith). This debate doesn't have as clear-cut of an ending as the one above; instead, it led to the division of two political parties and is still a major debate
Contrastingly, the Antifederalists deemed they only needed to be amended. Between the two parties there was also a dispute about the power of the states. Federalists advocated for a new central government and weak state government whereas the Antifederalists wanted power in the states and not in the central
Before the Articles of Confederation and their problems, America was (somewhat) whole. Because of the Articles of Confederation, the population was split into two groups: federalists, and antifederalists, both with differing views. The political, economic, and social views of the nation were quite different. Because of the Articles of Confederation, the Great Compromise was created, and, consequently, Congress was made.
Early American history consists of many debates amongst the writers of the American Constitution. Mainly due to the fact that the United States was a new territory and citizens had many fears in mind. The controversy over what exactly would be entitled into the document that would become the rule of the land was not nearly unified however, the men all agreed that the Articles of Confederation needed to be abolished by guidelines of better foundation. “Yet they were ‘neither fit for war nor peace,’” Spoke Alexander Hamilton. It was obvious at its surface that the Articles of Confederation were not going to carry out a strong independent nation for generations and generations to come.
And being that the Federalists and the Anti-federalists are divided they’re revealed in the debate over national states. Many of these questions are still being question today; What is the best form of government? What rights must the government protect? Which government powers should be granted to the states, and which to the federal government? These things also helped led the debates to form a public conversation, and mainly through the newspaper editorials.
Over the course of American history, society has dealt with many flaws, and dilemmas. In Source B, it illustrates that Abigail Adams, John’s wife, wanted the Continental Congress to remember the ladies when they write The Declaration of Independence. In Source C, it rationalizes how slaves didn’t have equal rights as white men, and the petition is trying to give their natural rights back. Furthermore, in Source D, a miniseries that depicted John Adams life, given particular the Revolutionary War. This source allows the viewer to visualize the conflicts that the Continental Congress had, with the colonists, and the British.
Following the end of the American Revolution marked a new set of problems for the United States. As impending war debts were threatening to crush the new nation, America knew they needed to address the flaws of the Articles of Confederation through a Constitutional Convention. The United States Constitution of 1787 was created in hopes of developing a stronger and more effective governing body while still upholding America’s virtues of freedom. Unfortunately, with change, comes opposition, and many people feared that the Constitution would be oppressive and undermine the autonomy of the individual states through its strong central government. Because of this, the issues that sparked the greatest controversies during the ratification of the
The first section of the Declaration of Independence is talking about the people to assume political independence. The next section is talking about people have certain rights and when the government violates these rights then the people have the right to abolish that government. Then in the next selection, it is a list of charges against King George III, which says that he violated the colonists’ rights and is an unfit ruler. The next selection represents the disappointment that these attempts had been unsuccessful. In another section, it says that rhe signers assert that there exist conditions under which people must change their government that the British have produced such conditions, and by necessity, the colonies must throw off political
The American Declaration of Independence molded the foundation for the United States. Most of the establishments of this country are based on the Continental Congress’ decision to declare independence from Great Britain. The document was the first to demand liberation of the people from the evils of King George. Thomas Jefferson was a highly courageous man for constructing a document that would be considered forbidden during that time, with little to no support from the colonists. One of Jefferson’s main subjects were the colonists’ lack of natural born rights.
“'Tis done. We have become a nation.” said Benjamin Rush after the ratification of the Constitution on July 9, 1788. At this moment a new nation was born, with a basis that is at the heart of American history. The founding fathers wrote the Constitution after the failure of the Articles of Confederation.
During the time before the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the country was split into two factions. The Federalists, who drafted the Constitution, thought that the limited power of state government and limited individual rights to the people was the best form of government. And the Anti-Federalist, who believed that the strong federal government, as drafted in the Constitution,would strip people of their personal liberties and state governments of their sovereignty. Although the Constitution was ratified, if it wasn’t for compromises from both sides we might still be governed by the Articles of Confederation.
Many people were unhappy with the Articles of Confederation and wanted to get rid of it completely while others wanted to change it or keep it. These two groups were called Federalists and Antifederalists. Federalist wanted to get rid of the Constitution while Antifederalists did not. Most people were unhappy because the majority of people were small farmers, landowners and people who were in debt.
Once the framework was complete there was still much uneasiness and disagreement with how the country should be ran. The Federalists were for big government and the anti-federalists wanted to keep it at the state level. I will compare the two groups and what they stand for. Even though the majority of people were in favor
Miriam Murillo Professor Brett Bell History 110 October 5, 2015 Colonists and Independence Since the colonists came from Britain, they were under the hands of Great Britain. However their name changed to label themselves as “Americans” when they decided to fight for independence from the country that had hold them captive for years until 1776. The question is why did they decide to finally seek freedom after a long time? Based upon evidence from Martin 's A Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier and our primary source Voices of Freedom the British mainland colonists decided to seek and fight for independence from Great Britain for many different reasons. These books gives us a better insight of why the colonists decided to.
The Federalist main argument was stated based off the opinion that the government would never have complete power over the citizens, but the citizens would also have a little more power and a say in the things that involve them. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists believed in limited powers specifically stated, they wanted strong state governments, and wanted a Bill of Rights added to the Constitution to protect the people from the government (Document 4). This was their point of view due to the fact that they believed that the individual states know and can act more based on their people that on federal government can. They focused their argument on the rights of the citizens. For the Federalists and Anti-Federalists to agree on a new government, they created a compromise that combined each of their ideas.
Because of the great amount of power Britain possessed, the colonists were under oppression, ultimately taking action to defend themselves. Namely, according to document 5, the author states, “what is to defend us against so enormous, so unlimited power?”. As the taxes began to mound on top of one over the other, the colonists began to feel overwhelmed. In response, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and three others, created the Declaration of Independence as a call to war, to offset British rule. Like the Stamp Act, the colonists answered with violence, and the violence only increased as the British made sure to oppress the