Constitution DBQ Around the time of the ratification of the American Constitution, there were some American citizens that wanted the government to have more power, and there were others that thought the people should be in control of the government. These two groups called themselves Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Federalists wanted more government power, and the Anti-Federalists did not. At the time the Constitution was created, the number of Anti- Federalists compared to Federalists was relatively the same (Doc A). Because of this, both opinions were well represented at the Constitutional Convention. When the constitution was ratified, in some ways it may have seemed that it was based mostly on the Federalists’ beliefs. However, it …show more content…
It would be unfair for the small states to be taxed as much as the large states. The constitution also claims that each state has to have at least one Representative in Congress, and there can be a maximum of one Representative for every 30,000 free people (Doc D). These rights are based on democratic views because if they had based the taxes and number of Representatives on the number of states, the rich and important people/states would have had all the power in the government. But with equal representation, the people would be able to help control the decisions made in Congress. The Constitution also gave the people the right to alter or abolish the Government’s decisions. The Government is run by the consent of the people. As long as the people base their ideas on good principles, it is their duty to help the country to have a government that will give the people safety and happiness (Doc C). The Constitution is giving the people the right to improve, change, or recreate the Government if it fails. Because the people have this privilege, they have power over the Government; therefore, this confirms that when the Constitution was ratified, there were some democratic ideas
The United States has a government of laws, not of men. While individuals are in charge of the United States Government, the Constitution is the dogma guiding the decision-making of those in power. After the American colonies declared independence from Great Britain, the collective colonies constructed their first written constitution: The Articles of Confederation. A decade later, the colonies saw the shortfalls of the Articles of Confederation, and came together at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Like in contemporary politics, two factions controlled the Convention of 1787: the Federalists and Antifederalists.
Since its inception in 1787, the U.S. Constitution has been considered as the oldest and most influential document. It laid down the principles and foundation which helped shape U.S. as a nation, and the more than one hundred countries that used it as a model for creating their own Constitution (Constitutionfacts.com, n.a.). But the circumstances during its creation were critical. The American War of Independence (1775-1783) against Great Britain had ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris that gave sovereignty to the U.S. in 1783.
When talk of the Constitution arises it is understandable that colonists were weary of a government that would have that much power after they worked so hard to break away from Great Britain. The Federalists firmly believed that the Constitution would strengthen the Federal union and not give too much power to the central
The Constitution guarded against tyranny due to the principles of government and the Great Compromise. This argument will be proven by Federalism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, and the NJ and VA plans. Federalism guarded against tyranny by making sure the state and central governments can check each other to ensure neither government has total control. In Federalist Papers #51, Madison states, “the different government will each control each other, that at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.” Our government, being split into three branches, controls each other and makes sure that one branch won’t be able to gain more power.
Apparently the Anti-Federalists thought that with the Constitution, they wouldn’t have any individual liberties. Unfortunately the Federalists didn’t see the problem with the Constitution. This is where compromise comes in. After the Federalists and Anti-Federalists discussed their ideas, each side gave up something they wanted in order to get something they did want. Finally after a long, long discussion both sides agreed on the amendments for the Bill of Rights.
During the writing of the Constitution there was a group of people who did not agree with the federalist and they were the anti-federalists. They believed in the exact opposite of what the federalists believed. The federalists believed "that the nation might not survive without the passage of the Constitution"(The Ratification Debate). They argued that the government would only have powers that the Constitution would state. They also argued that the separation of the powers of government would help balance out power and help prevent any tyranny.
The Anti-Federalists that opposed the constitution believed that the constitution would give too much power to the government. The Anti-Federalists argued that a powerful government would become tyrannical like the British monarchy that they worked so hard to escape from. This led them to create The Bill of Rights. Today’s government has similar problems. Nowadays some politicians believe that The Bill of Rights is a living document that can be changed or manipulated to “better fit” the era that we live in.
When early America was started out, the constitution was a new concept that had been only applied to this new nation that we now call the United States of America recently. There were two known sides in this new success, one being the Federalist and the other being the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists were people that believed that there should be a strong national government, indirect election of officials, and supported of the ratification of the constitution. Whereas, the Anti-Federalists opposed the ratification of the Constitution, legislative should be more powerful than the executive power, believed there should be a bill of rights to protect individuals, and that the state should have more power than the central government. When it comes to which majority the federalists represents, its the majority of wealthy large farm owners and some were commoners.
While the federalist and anti-federalist had opposing views in a functioning government system, some crucial points were agreed upon. They both knew in order for the United States to succeed as a new country, they needed better stability and a sense of unity between the colonies. The Articles of Confederation, on both sides, were thought of as a weak system of governmental control. A central government appealed to both sides, but as to how much power it would possess was still at a still point. Federalist wanted a strong central government, whereas anti-federalists were afraid of it seeming too much like the British monarchy.
When the Articles of Confederation failed to organize the citizens and the economy of America its citizens decided to advocate for a different form of government, that arose in the creation of the Constitution, the supreme law of the land. As a new form of government was presented the fear that the American Revolution had brought upon the colonies lead to the creation of two different political groups the Federalist and Anti- federalist that stood for those who feared the government and those who believed that the government should be stronger. Based on the Federalist papers I believe that the Anti- federalist had a better argument as they pushed for the protection of individual rights and the limitation of the power of the government. Federalist
At the time of the founding of the United States almost all other political systems in the world were authoritarian governments in which rulers fully controlled the government. It was because of oppression by England’s monarchy that the Americans protested for a government that gave the power back to the people. It was then that the Framers of the constitution established a republic. When writing the constitution the framers established a republic not a democracy, however today many people say we have a representative democracy.
The Constitution today is used for numerous things in the US government; it is seen as the foundation of our country as it is an answer sheet for right vs wrong, or more so, guilty or not guilty in court. However, this great document of black and white wasn’t unanimously agreed upon by the great figures of America. In fact, the Constitution was highly controversial at the time; ones who proposed and supported the Constitution called themselves the Federalists as ones who were opposing of it were known as the Anti-Federalists. Just as their names are completely opposite, these groups of men had polar opposite ideas.
The quote, “After all, sir, we must submit to this idea, that the true principle of a republic is, that the people should choose whom they please to govern them.” (“NY Debates” p.257), shows that there is a strong importance of freedom to the people and that they deserve that freedom granted by the Constitution. There are policies that can and must be changed to perfect the government but first, it must be implemented for the people to choose how they are governed. Citizens above all need the ability to choose who governs them, but that is just the beginning of rights the citizens
The United States Constitution prompted much debate when it was made. There was a vast schism between two heavily imposed factions. The Federalist Party and the Anti-Federalist Party. The federalists believed that the Constitution should be ratified and the anti-federalists (as the name assumes) believed the Constitution should not be approved. Even to this day the Constitution is still being controverted.
“Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.” these wise words of President John F. Kennedy have proven to be true time and time again as we study the improvements that change has brought us throughout history. The Constitution of the United States was signed and adopted in the September of 1787, and throughout the past 228 years, the only changes it has gone through are 27 amendments!