The Constitution’s Becoming As a new country/nation state the constitution… Many influences and cases helped to shape the constitution to what it is today. During the 1787 constitutional convention various political dynamics, followed with our political belief systems, the constitution was constructed. This important document states involved sources and limitation of power. Furthermore this essay will illustrate the various sources that took part in shaping our political belief systems, along with the political dynamics including the major debates at the election, in addition many of the major sources and limitations of power. The Constitution was crafted firstly through the various influences on the framers. Such influences as Shay’s-Rebellion, Articles of Confederation, and The Enlightenment, (Class Notes). Starting with one of the most important …show more content…
Firstly William Penn set up Intercolonial Cooperation; he suggested that all of the colonies should cooperate with one another. The colonies were to cooperate on the subjects of defense, criminal matters, and trade. The cooperation of the colonies lead to the first and second continental congress in 1774-75. The influence helped craft the constitution because the “Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States”. This system lasted until it was replaced in 1789 when it was finally replaced by the Constitution. (History Staff 1) Following that is Common Law and Nationalism. Such phrases as “trial by jury” and “due process” both refer back to Common Law. “Second, the very question of what kind of document the Constitution is and how it ought to be interpreted is better answered with an awareness of common law ways of thinking”(Stoner 1). Common Law was highly referred to while the framers crafted the
The reasoning behind the Constitution of the United States is presented as 'based upon the philosophy of Hobbes and the religion of Calvin. It assumes the natural state of mankind in a state of war, and that the carnal mind is at enmity with God.' Throughout, the struggle between democracy and tyranny is discussed as the Founding Fathers who envisioned the Constitution in Philadelphia in 1787 believed not in total democracy, but instead saw common man as selfish and contemptuous, and therefore in need of a 'a good political constitution to control him.' Being a largely propertied body, with the exception of William Few, who was the
The ratification of the US Constitution in 1787 sparked a ferocious and spiteful debate between two large groups of people, those who supported the ratification and those who did not. Both sides were very passionate about their ideas yet they were so divergent, as one believed that the ratification could create a more powerful, unified country, while others worried about the government gaining perhaps too much control. The supporters and opponents equally had various strong reasons in their beliefs regarding the ratification of the US Constitution, the most common for the supporters being that the current government was heading badly, and a ratification would fix all the mistakes made originally and set the course for a successful government. On the other hand, the biggest concern for the opponents was that the ratification would give the government too much power, and there would be no controlling force to keep the government in its place.
This book emphasizes the alternative interpretations offered by Americans on the origins of the Constitution. Holton’s purpose with this book was to show that the framers interests involved making America more attractive to investors. In order to do so, they purposefully made the government less democratic with the writing of the Constitution. However, with the addition of the Bill of Rights, one could argue the Framers had at least a slight concern for the American people and their civil liberties.
Using information from the evidence below as well as your knowledge of the period, discuss the development of the United States Constitution as a document which ensured popular sovereignty.
The most politicized debate in American history has been the arguments made by the Federalists and the Antifederalists over the ideas and powers stated within the United States Constitution. A large number of authors who write about the debates between these two political groups present the ideas of the Federalist and Antifederalist as separate, opposing ideologies about how the U.S. Constitution should either stay the same for the sake of the country or be amended to grant border rights to the public and states. To begin a paper about how this assumption of the two factions always being at odds, first there should be an explanation about the Federalists’ and Antifederalists’ main arguments. The Virginia debate over ratification will be the used as the platform to present the details of their arguments. After those two main objectives are complete, the presentation of information found on the topics that the two parties had arguments between themselves over the true future of the Constitution, and that certain Federalists and Antifederalist shared certain ideas about the problems this Constitution could cause or solve for the United States. To conclude those ideas, a presentation of the political figures of this time period will be used to understand the similarities and differences between the parties. Towards the end of the paper, there will be an explanation of how the ideas of the two parties, mostly Antifederalists, have led to the creation of amendments added to the
In modern America, many citizens hold to the notion that the Constitution was adopted unanimously, without debate or disagreement. Not only is this not the case, the debate and disagreement that took place during the institution of the governing articles for the newly formed country are ultimately responsible for the system we have in place today as the concerns and counterpoints raised in the discussion were more crucial to the successful continuance of stability in the nation than any unanimous decision. Given the apparent import of such discussion, it is therefore prudent to examine the original points of contention to determine their merit and to further ensure that the concerns originally raised have been addressed sufficiently.
In the book “A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution” by Carol Berkin she explains the constitution from start to finish from how it all began, to the debates inside the convention and finally the end product. Berkin takes the reader and puts him directly in the middle of the convention of 1786; throughout the book you can feel the excitement, the frustration, the tensions between delegates and the overall commitment to making a new government work for all.
Developing a country and its principals comes with many debates, arguments, and many decisions to be made. In the end of the eighteenth century the Founding Fathers of the newly established America dealt with the difficulties of creating a country with strong political, social, and economic power. With the writing of the Articles of Confederation the country had now developed a national government, but was weak and ineffective. The top leaders of the country knew the flaws of the Articles and gathered together to rewrite the draft. When these decisions makers met in Philadelphia for the Convention the Constitution of the United States was written. This Constitution developed the foundation of the American governmental system. Along with
Two hundred twenty-five years ago, on September 19th, 1789, the Constitution of the United States of America took on the responsibility of becoming the supreme law of the newly founded United States. As one of the most unique documents ever penned by man, it established a government “Of the people, by the people and for the people,” with “equal justice for all.” 1 The document makes no hesitation to establish power, as the first three words state “We The People,”2 thus placing the supreme power of government not in the hands of those elected, but in the peoples’ hands.
1) How does the U.S. Constitution reflect the political atmosphere of the United States in the late eighteenth century? What domestic and international concerns prompted the Constitutional Convention of 1787? Explain how these concerns were addressed by the debates of the framers, and what extent did the final document successfully meet the political challenges of the period?
This paper will address the most influential sources in drafting the Constitution. It will demonstrate the influences of a philosopher, a historical document, and a historical event in the Constitution. The most influential philosopher that will be referenced is John Locke and his ideology along with his writing called Two Treatises of Government. The English Bill of Rights will then be associated with the US Constitution and its influential pieces. Lastly the Articles of Confederation will be referenced and how the Founding Fathers looked to the past to prepare for the future.
Have you ever wondered how the U.S. Constitution created, how long it took, and why it was created? Founding fathers such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin help create what is known today as The U.S. Constitution. The Constitution was signed in the Independence Hall, in Philadelphia. In the year of 1781 it was signed and it became ratified on June 21,1788. The reason why it was created was to create a stronger central government that would work for the benefit of citizens. It would then define the rights that the government would protect for its citizens. Ideas from the Greek, Roman, and Magna Carta helped the writers of the Constitution to have ideas of what to write. It established the
According to Scott (2008), the Constitution of America has undergone several translations within the history of America because they found it to be unclear. Whereas it appears discrepant that the unclear Constitution could be useful, the disagreement is the case (Robertson, 2005). Americans regard the Constitution to be helpful for the reason that it allows for diverseness of views. In the history of America, a variety of thoughts would develop with alarming and formidable support through various factions (Robertson, 2005). Today, the main political arguments are presented from the Republican group or Democratic group. During the early periods of the American government, arguments on politics were made by Thomas Jefferson
The last half of the 18th century was very important for the United States. During this era, the nation was founded following the Declaration of Independence and drafting and ratification of the Constitution a decade later. The 1787 constitutional convention and ratification debate was very important in the making of the US Constitution. The dynamics, antagonism, considerations, process and the eventual consensus regarding the Constitution can be explained by discrete theories in political discourses. However, there are theories that fit best within this historical context and help better explain the process of the constitutional convention and ratification. This paper will talk about pluralist theory as a theoretical perspective that best explains the workings of the 1787 constitutional convention and ratification debate, as opposed to power elite theory. This will be achieved by looking at the premises of pluralist theoretical perspective, and the workings of the 1787 constitutional convention and ratification and then show how pluralist theory best captures the workings.
Without the English Common Law, America’s judicial system and the true meaning and purpose of the Constitution could not be understood. As Fisher and Pond state in Our American Common Law, “It is the Common Law that is most represented within Our Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Our Bill of Rights.” These documents were designed to limit and eliminate the vicious Equity, Maritime or Admiralty Law which was what we revolted against as Our Revolution against the totalitarianism of England. Since the colonies in the seventeenth century migrated from Europe, the colonial government was a mixture of English principles that had been modified to fit the needs and beliefs of the new nation. Therefore, British and American legal systems share many similarities. Global legal system