James Madison And The Federal Convention Essay

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was held to address problems in governing the United States which had been operating under the Articles of Confederation since it’s independence from Britain. Fifty-five delegates from the states attended the convention to address these issues. The delegates consisted of federalists who wanted a strong central government to maintain order and were mainly wealthier merchants and plantation owners and anti-federalists who were farmers, tradesmen and local politicians who feared losing their power and believed more power should be given to the states. The Constitutional Convention dealt with the issue of the debate between federalists and anti-federalists. The debates, arguments and compromises

“While the authors of the United States Constitution are frequently portrayed as noble and idealistic statesmen who drafted a document based upon their conception of good government, reality is that the constitution reflects the politics of the drafting and ratification process. Unfortunately, the result is a document that is designed to produce an ineffective government, rather than a government that can respond to issues in a timely fashion.” In support of this conclusion, the issues of slavery, The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and the civil rights struggle keenly demonstrate the ways in which our constitution hinders the expediency and effectiveness of America’s government. The constitution’s provisions towards voting eligibility and

A constitution is a written document that sets forth the fundamental rules by which a society is governed. Throughout the course of history the United States has lived under two Constitutions since the British-American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776. First in line was the Articles of Confederation (1789-1789) followed by the Constitution of United States of America (1789-present). The Articles of Confederation was the first formal written Constitution of America that specified how the national government was to operate. Unfortunately, the Articles did not last long. Under the words of the Article’s power was limited; Congress could make decisions, but had no power to enforce them. Also the articles stated

When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in 1787, the United States just had 13 states. The Founding Fathers believed that more states would want to join the Union in the future. They saw that it would be significant for new states to have the same form of government as the original states had. Since then there are now over 50 states that have similar characteristics which were developed centuries ago; although, resembling the creation of new ideas and inventions, current state government had many problems from being the way it is today, it also has many important features that benefit many people, as well as plays an important role in how American democracy and government works.

The Constitution Convention was made, some of compromise which was balancing power between the federal government and state government in 1787. Because of some issues was emerging at a constitution convention like lager and small states those the key compromises helped to create a perfect constitution of the united states.

55 delegates of twelve states wrote the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787 and in 1788 the states ratified it. That gathering at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall brought nearly all of the nation’s most prominent men together, including Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and George Washington. Several of the men appointed had records of service in the army and in the courts and others were experienced in colonial and state government. When Thomas Jefferson found out who had been appointed he wrote “It is really an assembly of demigods” to John Adams. That summer in Philadelphia, the men, drew out a document defining the distinct powers for the the president, the federal courts and the Congress. This division of authority that was established is known as the principle of separation of powers, and it ensures that none of the branches of government can overstep their boundaries.

Although James Madison despised factions as explained in Federalist Paper No. 10, Madison believed factions were an essential part of government, that needed to be revised through careful governmental intervention. Madison was careful to ensure his vision for the country 's future would protect the given right to liberty; therefore he found in the Constitution multiple outlets for these factions to dissolve. However, the government itself was corrupt so the three branches had to be separated to prevent tyranny and be successful in stopping the dangerous factions. Therefore, in Federalist Papers No. 10 and No. 51, Madison would outline his goals for creating a more cohesive country.

The 1787 Constitutional Convention was paramount in unifying the states after the Revolutionary War. However, in order to do so, the convention had to compromise on many issues instead of addressing them with all due haste. This caused the convention to leave many issues unresolved. Most notably were the issues of slavery, race, secession, and states’ rights. Through the Civil War and the Reconstruction, these issues were resolved, and in the process the powers of the federal government were greatly expanded.

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention rejected James Madison’s proposal for an absolute federal negative by a convincing margin on June 8, 1787. This was not quite the end of the story, however. A narrower version of the negative, which would apply only to state laws that Congress believed violated the Constitution, lived on in the working draft of the document. Yet this clause, too, soon came under attack. On June 20, John Lansing of New York declared that if the federal government were granted a veto, even a narrow one, “the States must be entirely abolished.” Delegates debated the clause again on July 17 and ultimately voted it down, despite Madison’s pleas that it was “essential to the efficacy & security of the General

James Madison, (1751-1836), 4th President of the United States of America. Although he served eight years each as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, as secretary of state, and as president, Madison's principal contribution to the founding of the United States was as "Father of the Constitution."

During this part of his life, James Madison met Thomas Jefferson, who later became an important counselor and friend. James Madison strongly supported the American-French alliance during the revolution and kept up diplomatic relations and counsel with French mainly by himself. Of his important documents, Madison worked the Virginia Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. The Virginia boy worked on the proposed Virginia Plan, which would later combine with the New Jersey plan when scribing the official document. Most people refer to him as the “Father of the Constitution,” for the federalist pioneered a strong central government with three branches, each keeping the other in check. In his notes, the future president captured the ambiance of the convention, letting future Americans get an idea of how our founding fathers treated the situation. Along with his two pals Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, Madison wrote The Federalist papers which also “commented” on the makings of the Constitution of the United States of America. The Bill of Rights` success owes much credit to Madison for his general support and

The plan to divide the government into three branches was proposed by James Madison, at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. He modeled the division from who he referred to as ‘the Perfect Governor,’ as he read Isaiah 33:22; “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us.” http://www.eadshome.com/QuotesoftheFounders.htm

The debate that was being discussed was whether to change the branches of the government or not. James Madison drafted the Virginia plan and brought it to the convention. His idea, encompassing a revolutionary idea, plans to scrap the articles of confederation. By scrapping the current rule, they will divide power, allowing room for democracy. The outcome of the argument will determine how power will be divided in the government and how decisions will be made.

After the Revolutionary War, the newly formed United States still had a major task ahead of them. They had to form a new government that would satisfy the demands of the people and ensure the success of their nation. The Articles of Confederation was the first system of government that was proposed and put into effect. This attempt at creating a system that protected the people form a strong central government ultimately failed but was an important step in the development of the current government system. The weaknesses presented by the Articles of Confederation helped lead to reforms that made the Constitution successful. Both the Articles and the Constitution demonstrate the struggles that the colonists went through with the British and

Forming a new nation with its own values and beliefs was a very daunting task. It was supremely difficult when the members of the nation were holding on to the beliefs of the old ruling country. It was believed that to be a leader you had to be in the upper classes, a so called aristocrat. To be an aristocrat you had to posses large sums of land and property. Property was not in the sense we think of today. Back then, slaves were also considered property. So the vast majority of our leaders owned slaves. In fact George Mason, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison owned over four hundred slaves between themselves. This proves to be very odd since these are the leaders who fought for equal rights for all men.