The Constitution Of 1787: A Historical Analysis

After America shocked the world by defeating Great Britain in the War for Independence, the new nation needed a document that established their governments- state and national. After failed attempts with the Articles of Confederation, which gave the state governments too much power, the Constitution was eventually drafted. This contract established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for the citizens. The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by delegates to the Constitutional Convention, in Philadelphia, conducted by George Washington. Said authors of the Constitution intended this document to rule our nation for eternity, yet a widely debated topic in the political science world, is whether or not the Constitution is still relevant in today’s

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

The Constitution has been operative since 1789 after the ratification of nine states (American Vision and Values, Page 52). Today many question the relevancy of a document 222 years old to our society. The Founders created a governmental framework, defining three branches and giving powers to the government and others to the states. It also guarantees the rights of the people. It took two and one-half years for the 13 colonies to ratify the Constitution. This ratification period was one of great debate and produced a series of essays complied into The Federalist. Authored by John Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay during the ratification debate in New York, they tried to get public support for the Constitution. Thus began the first

It was crucial for the colonists to figure out a way to live and work together. This was their first time making decisions without being commanded by a king or Queen and it was important to formulate and then implement a plan of action. (Schmidt, 2017). The idea of a constitution was thus created for the betterment of those living in America and has served as a rallying cry, a defense mechanism, and a safeguard for all citizens within the United States. This irreplaceable document has survived throughout time not only on paper but also in the hearts of many Americans. The Constitution of the United States officially went into effect on “September 17,1787” (Schmidt,2017, pg.35). The greatness of this constitution is still seen today as it serves as a solid base, with room allowed for re-examination or change if needed. Every now and then an issue may arise and the laws set forth into the constitution are reexamined and an amendment may be set

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.

The Constitution is the framework of America’s government as well as the supreme law of the United States. It was written and signed during the Philadelphia Convention on September 17, 1787. In the Constitution there are various amendments that outline the powers and duties of the government, the state’s rights, and the rights of the people, and the process of amending and ratifying the document (Sidlow, Henschen 26). Even though there have been new laws issued by the government, they have failed to be successfully passed as an amendment. Proposing and ratifying an amendment is not an easy or short process. The difficulty of amending the Constitution is due to the various steps before the ratification of an amendment.

The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787, yet there was a struggle to ratify it that went on until 1790. This Constitution was created in order to replace the Articles of Confederation, because many people agreed that the articles were not right in keeping the United States in order. The Constitution is made of many rules that have helped the country to stay in order, but on the other hand some of these rules have

During the American Revolution, the founding fathers wrote the Articles Confederation, a written set of laws that intended to provide a framework for government. The Articles of Confederation failed to create an effective form of government and could not promote stability for the nation. In 1787, 55 delegates met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. The result was an entirely new document, the United States Constitution. The United States Constitution addressed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, promote unity through compromise, and established a framework for government that effectively promotes the ideals of American Government.

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.

An article of Confederation was adopted by the Continental Congress, on November 15, 1777. It was the first constitution of America. Though, ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not take place until March 1, 1781. After some all the states realised that article of Confederation is inadequate to resolve the national and international issues. As a result on March 4, 1789, Articles of Confederation was replaced by the new Constitution of 1787. This new constitution was signed by the members of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 in Philadelphia. In new constitution, members tried to strengthen the central government. The new constitution was the demand of time. It was more practical. It was broader than the article of Confederation. Under article of Confederation, states were free to form their military. But under new Constitution of 1787, this power was taken from states and given to centre. In new constitution, foreign affair and defence department was given to federal government. No state was given power to sign treaties with other nations. Some changes were also brought in the composition of congress under new constitution. Now, seats in congress were decided on the basis of population of each state.

The creation of a government takes time and goes through many failures and successes. The Articles of Confederation, while being the first attempt at a new government fails by trying to keep revolutionary ideals, but not giving the national government enough power. With the Articles failing a new national government was needed. The Constitution was created to fix the failures of the Articles, but this was a gradual process, the state representatives creating it looked towards the past, by putting in revolutionary ideals, to build it.

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.

During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress established a government by writing a set of laws known as the Articles of Confederation. This document was meant to give more power to the people, the opposite of the British monarchy, but it proved to be too weak and the federal government lacked power to govern the country. Because of this, Congress needed to draft a new set of laws that would create a central government powerful enough to control the country without seizing power and leading to tyranny or uprising. Eventually, the 55 delegates of the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention agreed on a document, the Constitution of the United States. It would guard the country against tyranny through balanced federalism, separation and balance of federal government powers, and equally representing all the different states of the union.

In 1787 the Articles of Confederation were introduced as the first Constitution of the United States. However, soon after the Constitution was implemented by all thirteen states, the need for ratification became imminent. James Madison crafted the Virginia Plan while Edmund Randolph presented it at the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in order to gain support. Under the Virginia Plan, James Madison made a few but necessary changes to help better the Constitution. In this paper I am going to show that even with Madison’s proposed changes, the members of the Philadelphia Convention improved on his initial proposal.

To solve the emerging challenges, the American States legislatures brought up delegates to the Philadelphia Convention to sign a new form of government into power. The delegates include politicians, ordinary citizens and lawyers. The American States hoped that the convention would the constitution would be efficient to end the disaster – characterised by economic and security issues. Therefore, the condition and the measures put in place led to the development of the phrase “Inventing the American Constitution” aimed at discovery the motives behind the building of the United States Constitution, and the faults that existed within the Articles of Confederation.