The Founding Fathers Of The United States Government

This reading material consists of the first chapter of Stephen Ambrose's text “To America, Personal Reflections of an Historian”, entitled “The Founding Fathers”. In this piece, Ambrose examines several of the founding fathers, contrasting their lives with their failings in the light of modern views on racism and sexism. He begins by speaking about the life of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson's views on African American slavery, as well as the rights of women and Native Americans, are listed in detail. They are shown alongside quotes from the former president that would seem to contradict his actions and lifestyle in these regards. Ambrose also explores the legacy and accomplishments of Jefferson's life in a long term perspective. Further into

The structure of our American Government was founded in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution was written to be the “supreme law of the land,” and produces a democratic republic, where citizens govern themselves (Our American Government, n.d). The purpose of our government, is to “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity” (Our American Government, n.d.). For our country to accomplish this purpose our Founding Fathers created three principles, “inherent rights, self-government, and separation of powers” (Our American Government, n.d.). The government was developed to ensure order in society and protect its citizens, but with all systems, there is strengths and weakness, let’s examine those strengths and weakness. Let’s first look at the strength and weakness of the U.S. Constitution.

Between 1787 and 1791 the Framers of the US Constitution established a system of government upon principles that had been discussed and partially implemented in many countries over the course of several centuries, but never before in such a pure and complete design, which we call a constitutional republic. Since then, the design has often been imitated, but important principles have often been ignored in those imitations, with the result that their governments fall short of being true republics or truly constitutional. The Framers of the Constitution tried very hard to design a system that would not allow any one person or group within the government to gain too much power. Personally, I think they

Did you ever wonder how the United States’ founders envisioned America to be in the years to come? America’s founding fathers were tasked with the difficult challenge of finding a balance between preserving individual rights and forming a strong, long-lasting union. There are many examples of how the founding fathers found a balance. Some examples of this are showcased in the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and A New American Nation.

In American history,Reconstruction was a very brief event that occurred right after the Civil War. During this time, there would be tremendous amounts of issues spreading throughout the nation, such as when the Confederacy would be allowed into the Union or what would freedmen's do since they were once called property. Reconstruction created many accomplishments that still impacts us today. These are some of the topics that went against or fulfilled the ideas of our Founding Fathers.

The Founding Fathers were not selfless and flawless human beings without any imperfections or personal bias. They were actually members of a political elite that were faced with a crumbling country that was suffering from a myriad of internal and external problems. The political environment after the Revolutionary War forced the new nation to either reform its ineffective government and address the critical issues of the time or else face complete destruction. Consequently, the Founding Fathers drafted the Constitution, which created a far stronger and resilient political structure that prevented the United States from disbanding. However, this document was not the ultimate form of democracy that brought freedom to the Western world. Instead,

When debating the Constitution, the Founding Fathers were concerned with factions and their impact on society. Many feared that the government would not effectively mitigate the effects of factions. Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and other Federalists argued in support of a confederate republic because direct democracies would not be able to protect society from factions. Madison states, “in the extent and proper structure of the Union, therefore, we behold a Republican remedy for the diseases most incident to Republican Government” (173-174). Their argument is void in that their definition of a faction is one-sided and the examples they use to support their argument on factions are superficial. However, the Federalists effectively communicate that confederate republics mitigate the harmful effects of factions better than pure democracies.

Rightly dubbed the information highway, the Internet today offers not only the best in quality merchandise and up to date information, it also offers a myriad of educational experiences for those desiring to further learn about the many cultures found on this planet.

Our founding fathers visualized a national government with specific and limited responsibilities. They were to mainly preserve domestic harmony, keep the nation safe, and have restricted intervention in the daily lives of citizens. However, with wars, depressions, and rights movements, citizen’s fears and anxieties grew. American citizens turned to the federal government for help.

In order to understand the motivation of the Framers of the U.S. Constitution one must review the event leading up to it. When the war with Great Britain finally came to a close, the Colonialist of America became weary of what was to come. Many who were well versed in Tomas Hobbes and John Locke feared, without proper action and if not too long delayed, the that states would find themselves in a State of Nature.

The Constitutional framers would never have believed how much power the President of the United States has obtained to this present day. Based off their work, it seems as if the framers expected Congress to have the vast majority of power. It is true that Congress still has maintained some of their power; yet, as a collective society we tend to place our sole interest on the president and magnify on all his accomplishments and especially on all his losses (sometimes even blaming him for events that are out of his jurisdiction). Nonetheless, the president has gained quite a remarkable amount of power over the years and it is highly noticeable when analyzing differences in the institutions, the policies, and culturally.

Alan Taylor writes, “The Founding Fathers-the politicians who led colonial assemblies and congresses-did not distinguish themselves with self-discipline. [During the boycott of English goods to protest colonial restriction], Thomas Jefferson imported British glass windows for his mansion at Monticello.”(Taylor 53) This is one example of the contradicting era of cultural development in 18th century America: the continuation of closeness to England, and the steady distancing of the American colonists from the British. For the majority of the 18th century, colonial America sprouted shocking ideas of the power of the individual through events like the Great Awakening and Enlightenment, and the emergence of parties such as the Whigs. Meanwhile, they continued to hold close ties to their mother country through imitative actions caused by the mercantilist policies controlling trade and taxes. Although mercantilism imposed by the British brought the colonies and England closer, the ideas of individual liberty and choice that arose in pre-Revolutionary America including the Great Awakening, Enlightenment, and Whig ideologies divided them. These conflicting movements led to an era of dynamic cultural growth in which the colonies both grew closer and further apart from Britain.

The Founding Fathers are like the A-team. In most eyes, some of the things they have done is considered heroic. They put themselves on the line and shape what america is today. Some say that the Founding Fathers were only in it for power and money, however they still put themselves on the chop and block by fighting in this war and being the faces of this war. George Washington fought in the battle of trenton, the founding fathers fought in some way. They did the olive branch petition and did all the planning on this war. Who do you think the british would kill first the colonists or the Founding Fathers?

The constitution breaks the government up into 3 branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. It does a good job disturbing the powers of these branches equally among each other. Overtime, the constitution has been changed in which the government is gaining more and more power. A famous quote by Henry David Thoreau is “ The government is best which governs least.” Many citizens do not like how the government is working. Politicians take this to their advantage, and make their campaigns on making changes for the better of people. One of these changes would be a better balancing budget to get America out of debt. Another argument citizens are making is the constitution needs to be made to promote liberty and equality. The founding father’s

We live in this country for the land, and the for the free as Americans we rely on many attributes in this world in order for us to live our lives. Our government has supplied us with many great things for us to be proud of. Our government is “the institutions and processes though which public policies are made for society.” (Edwards, Wattenberg, and Lineberry, p. 7). With all these institutions which includes the President, Congress, the courts and all the federal administrative agencies. These are the institutions that make up public policies for us, and to shape the way we live as Americans. The way this system has been operating through all the years has been