The Constitution Pros And Cons

However, four years later, the United States was still not yet quite united. It was under a confederation-where the states remained sovereign and independent, and the powers of the central government rests on the approval of member-states. A transformation of its political system to federalism -where central government is essential in uniting and leading all member states was believed to be imperative by some head of states. Therefore, the existing Articles of Confederation at that time had to be changed (History.com Staff, 2009). Having just emerged from the American Revolution that started as an opposition against the British government's taxation, there was much caution and fear about the power of a US federal government and what rights each state have.

Many Americans who were not wealthy supported the Constitution was because they believed that the United States needed a new and stronger national government. They believed that this government could provide the stability and security against violent outrages. The foil of these people were the Antifederalist. The Antifederalists offered three objections: that the Congress had conspired under a “veil of mystery” to create a new form of government, that a strong national government would destroy states’ rights, and that the new system of government resembled and monarchy and that violated the principle of liberty that guided the American Revolution. They also pointed that the voters will not directly

When James Madison and the 56 other delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in May 1787, they intended to amend the Articles of Confederation. They ended up creating a new constitution, and Madison, representing Virginia, became the chief recorder of information. Madison had helped develop Virginia’s Constitution 11 years earlier, and it was his plan that served as the basis for debate in the development of the U.S Constitution. Madison argued for a strong central government that would unify the country. The Convention

Woodrow Wilson, the 28th president of the United States, once said, “The Constitution was not made to fit us like a straight jacket. In its elasticity lies its chief greatness.” In 1787 the delegates from twelve out of thirteen sates attended the Constitutional Convention. They threw away the Articles of Confederation and wrote Constitution of the United States. Many residences were hesitant to the sudden change, but as time went along people came around to the fact that the Constitution was useful. Although the Constitution is viewed as completely binding, it does allow for changes to be made, giving it flexibility to the changing times.

In Philadelphia, a heavily disputed convention took place between May and September of 1787, often referred to as the Constitutional Convention. The Constitutional Convention addressed the conflicts of the fragile U.S government that emerged from the Articles of Confederation. The U.S Constitution that originated from convention established various major compromises that are currently in use today. The Great Compromise and Three-Fifth Compromise validate that the creation of the Constitution was a “bundle of compromises”,these being two of the major compromises. The Great Compromise also known as Connecticut Compromise, proposed by Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellworth, permitted both large and small states to agree to the Constitution without immensely decreasing their power in Congress.

After the American Revolution, the Americans were finally able to break away from British rule. They knew they needed to create a government and with that, the Articles of Confederation were born. However, the Articles gave the states too much power and gave almost none to the federal government. The Founders scrapped the Articles and created a new document, the Constitution, which gave more power the federal government than the state governments. In spite of this, not everyone was happy about the new Constitution.

His influence on the arena of politics includes composing the majority of the Federalist Papers, leading America’s first political party, establishing the first national bank of the United States and the first tax on internal goods, and publicizing his belief in abolitionism. Hamilton’s contribution to the Federalist Papers influenced the future of the government of the United States. The Federalist Papers were a series of 85 essays that defended the newly written Constitution that resulted from the failure of the government under the Articles of Confederation. Alexander Hamilton was the principal author. He wrote 51 of the essays while his counterparts, James Madison and John Jay, wrote 29 and 5 respectively (Chernow 248).

After declaring independence from Great Britain, the United States needed an established document to help unify the colonies. The Articles of Confederation was the first documented “Constitution” the Unites States ever had. The Articles of confederation was created to push for the individual states to come together and act as a one. Almost being like a rough draft, this document was a loose outline for the federal government that was meant to help defend the country from foreign attacks and promote economic growth. The weak document led to the eventual ratification that allowed the nation to adopt the new and improved Constitution.

The Articles of Confederation was the first written constitution of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. The Articles created a weak central government because of the fear that too much centralized political power would jeopardize liberty. It stated that the new national government be a “perpetual union.” The Articles formed a loose confederation of sovereign states. The central government could make treaties and alliances, keep up armed forces, and coin money but lacked the ability to levy taxes and regulate commerce. Another weakness was that without a president to enforce the laws or interpret them, the major decisions required the approval of nine states rather than a simple majority.

After the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the thirteen Colonies finally gained its freedom from Great Britain, Even though the thirteen States were independent they did not know what would be the specific prohibition on the government power. The Continental Congress adopted the Article of Confederation in which listed specific function to the National government. The Articles of confederation was a total disaster, because the Federal government was too weak to enforce any of the its laws. The thirteen States now decided that they needed a stronger central government and created the U.S Constitution, It was signed on September 17, 1787. The Constitution created a national government, laws, and guaranteed certain rights for its citizens.