Redmond Peiro Ms. Smith Maryland State Constitution Paper 9 February, 2016 In the months preceding the American Revolution, a convention was held in Annapolis between a number of Maryland’s most powerful men in which to discuss the development of a new government. In addition to this, they sent representatives to the Continental Congress to finalize pre-war preparations. On July 3, 1776 the convention agreed that a new group was to be created to draw up their first state constitution as the old ad hoc government structure was considered inadequate. “That all government of right originates from the people, is founded in compact only, and instituted solely for the good of the whole.” This is the first statement made, it seems clear that this new constitution was going to focus on benefiting solely the people, not a king. The document began drafting on August 14th, and adjourned November 11th. This constitution determined a bicameral legislature consisting of the Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland State Senate, also known as the Maryland General Assembly. …show more content…
The citizens vote on the House of Delegates, and indirectly vote on the Senate, through the senatorial electors, chosen every five years. The Senate was composed of nine men from the Western shore and six from the Eastern
With a revolution starting, the thirteen colonies needed to implement a new government to replace, and improve upon the British one that the colonies were fighting against. The Founding Fathers’ first attempt at such a government was drafted and defined in the Articles of Confederation. This draft was put in front of the Second Continental Congress in 1777. It was completely ratified and adopted by March 1, 1781. While battles large and small enveloped the fledling country, it was written quickly, and in the grand scheme of things was also adopted and implemented rather quickly.
Before the U.S. Constitution there was the Articles of Confederation. The document could declare war, negotiate treaties, and control foreign affairs. It couldn’t enforce laws, tax, and raise its own army. What the Articles Of Confederation lacked was a strong central government. Alexander Hamilton called for a constitutional convention in 1786, and it took place in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787.
In the early years, after winning independence from Great Britain, the American colonies set up their government in accordance with their first constitution, the Articles of Confederation. This means that the majority of the power laid in the hands of the states and Congress, “the only institution of national authority” (Brinkley 151) at that time, had very little power. This distribution of authority was the manifestation of the American’s fear of a strong, central government. However, as time passed, more and more people came to agree that the national government was too weak and needed to be strengthened.
During the revolutionary war congress felt that it needed a document to unite the states and set forth the principles and laws of the nation. Benjamin Franklin wrote the first draft of the articles to congress although it was never formally considered. It wasn’t until the 4th version of a draft was presented by John Dickinson, which congress began to feel closer to what they were looking for. After being revised three times, the document was approved to be submitted to the states in November 1777. All but one state, Maryland, agreed to the articles.
In 1787, delegates met in Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia to come up with varied views that spearheaded the formation of the Constitution of the USA that came into existence allowing the powers of the federal government to exceed those of the federal states. Several issues were proposed by different individuals to be adopted into the constitution of the country. They include, The Annapolis Conference, Paterson and the New Jersey Plan. The question of power, Madison and the Virginia Plan; Empowering a president plan among many others (Vile, 2006). The Virginia plan was the mother of the US constitution as it proposed several issues that are present in the constitution of America.
The two plans that were presented was the The Virginia Plan and The New Jersey Plan. The Virginia plan was drafted by James Madison. While he waited for a an appropriate number of delegates to gather at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. The Virginia plan gave all power to the government. The New Jersey Plan was a proposal to structure the United States Government which was presented by William Paterson also at the Constitutional Convention 1787.
The Articles of Confederation structured the first government of the thirteen states. The thirteen states included: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Rhode Island. However, Rhode Island did not vote to revise the Articles right away. Therefore, the proposals of the Constitution continued to be declined by the other states due to not having a balance on votes. When Rhode Island finally sent a representative to the Constitution Convention, the Constitution was approved.
It was May, 1787, when representatives from all over the country came to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. George Washington was chosen to run these meetings, as they all believed he was trustworthy, he could have an unbiased opinion, and also that he could keep their secret. Their secret being the meetings and the discussions that took place here. They kept it unknown by the media and people so that they could say as they please without unwanted pressure. They created these meetings with the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, on account of much needed to be done.
Congress had certain limitations with this constitution in action, along with many disputes among each separate state. Land distribution, foreign trouble, and payments of money, were all familiar predicaments to Congress. Absence of a centralized national power prevented the states from having fair land control, causing debate among the colonies. Maryland, rejected the constitution stating that other states, including Virginia, would become too dominant unless the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi river were turned over to Congress (Davidson, page 190).
The Constitutional Convention was arranged for the “purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation” (208). As a result, it was concluded that the power of this great nation should fall in the hands of a “direct authority” rather than within each state (209). Additionally, the national government must provide the Constitution as the representation of the people’s voice and their rights. Consequently, the New Jersey plan became in effect in which equal representation amongst the states in a “unicameral (one-house)” (210).
For centuries the world was governed by unethical and overpowered rulers or tyrants. This was the way of life and nobody tried to defy it until a young nation decided to break from tyranny and build a country based on fair morals. For centuries, after we discovered the New World, Britain had a tyrannic dominion over it. As time went on, the people who lived in America kept on receiving unfair treatment by Britain with unethical taxes and rules. Eventually, the colonists were fed up with the cruel treatment and decided to break apart.
The first difference is that the state constitution, in this case, the Maryland Constitution, is reserved for state government, whereas the U.S. Constitution is reserved for the national government. Only Maryland government is required follow the Maryland Constitution, it sets the laws, rights, powers, etc. strictly for the State of Maryland. The U.S. Constitution, on the other hand contains the rights, laws, and powers of all American citizens. It also contains judicial review and helps with Supreme Court decisions, which the Maryland Constitution does not contain.
The Constitution was scribed subsequent to the delegation that occurred at the Constitutional Convention, held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This document was intended to be an improvement of the Articles of Confederation, in which the ending result was an entirely new government called the republic. The idea of institutionalizing a constitution created differences between the participants of the meeting. Those who opposed the idea of a new government and the constitution were called the Antifederalists and those who supported the ratification of the Constitution were federalists, which is the idea of federalism vs. state’s rights. The Constitution failed to protect the rights of the civilians despite Federalists attempts to persuade individuals
How come no one could ever take over the government? Well, we have the writers of the constitution to thank for this. WIthout the constitution, there would be a tyranny. The constitution was written in 1787. Its main purpose is to give our government a solid direction, and to describe the roles of the three branches in our government: The judicial, legislative, and executive branches.
A constitution is the fundamental law by which a nation or a state is governed and organized. It establishes the framework of government, delegates the powers and duties of governmental bodies, and defines the relationship between the government and their citizens. Texas current constitution was adopted in 1876, and since then Texas voters have approved more than 467 amendments to this document. The word “amendment” is defined as the act or process of changing the words or the meaning of a law or document (constitution). Throughout this essay I will explain the rules for amending the Texas Constitution, the attempts made at constitutional reforms during the 1970s, explain why constitutional reforms were attempted and why it ultimately failed.