The Framers Of The United States

Created on November 15, 1777 and ratified by the first 13 colonies on March 1, 1781, the articles of confederation is known for being the first constitution of the united states. “The constitution provides a division of powers, meaning it assigns certain powers to the national government and reserves others for the states.” (crouse, slide 4) The constitution is needed because if we didn't have it the government would be weak and would most likely have no power. Framers of the constitution chose a system of government on a territorial basis, between a central government and several states. “ the framers were worried about the government being too powerful because; government power inevitably poses a threat to individual liberty. Therefore the

The framers of the constitution did many things that limited the power of the president by creating impeachment, checks and balances, executive privilege, and allowing the legislature to declare war. However they gave the president too much power because they allow the president to court packing, they allow him to announce important events to the public, and allowing presidents to issue many executive orders. A president must be at least thirty five years old, a natural born citizen, and live in the United states (U.S.) for at least 14 years. The president is allowed to serve four year terms when he or she is elected.

Imagine that your country has just become independent from the leadership of a cruel dictator. They took your money through taxes, they stole your liberty and stripped you of your independence. You must prevent this from happening again. But how? In 1787, 55 men gathered in Pennsylvania for the Constitutional Convention. How did they keep our country from being run by a tyrant when our government was formed? The framers of the Constitution did this in four ways: Federalism, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, and the Great Compromise.

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.

When the Framers of the Constitution met in Philadelphia, they came together with one common purpose in mind. They needed to form a fair and solid system of government that would stand the test of time; one that was both fair for the people and would not involve a monarchy. Each of these men had their own ideas on what would constitute this system, however, so many compromises had to be made. Together, the men gathered in Philadelphia created a federal system of government and drafted a constitution outlining this government. They took care in developing three branches of federal government with a system of checks and balances so that no one branch would gain too much power, thus avoiding any

The framers of the Constitution did many things to limit the power of the president such as creating a system of checks and balances, establishing a process of impeachment, and requiring congressional approval for many presidential decisions; however some believe the president was given too much power by the framers by allowing executive orders and court packing. Through trying to limit the power of the president, the framers also set requirements to become president. These include being least 35 years old, living in the U.S. for consecutive 14 years, and natural born citizen of the United States of America. The framers of the Constitution did enough to limit the power of the President. This was done by creating a process for impeachment,

The framers of the 1787 Constitution formed a just government with ideals such as separation of power that insured none of the three branches of government could hold more power than the others, representation of people to ensure a democratic society in which everyone had a voice, and allowed changes to be made in order to fit with the evolution of people's views. This constitution at the time established a just government, by definition, but at the same time represented how unjust our society was, by allowing slavery to stay prominent, and removing a majority of the people's power from the three branches of government, however these issues were understandable due to trying to represent everyone at that time.

Stephen Medvic, In Defense of Politicians, discusses why Americans feel that politicians are dishonest. In 2007, a Gallup poll about honesty and ethical standards for occupations, showed that only 12 and 9 percent of people felt that Congressmen and State office holders held high standards, (Medvic p. 2). In addition, Americans tend to like their representatives more than the members of Congress because they view them as actual people. Americans view Congress as a group of politicians who are greedy and not representing their interests, (Medvic p. 4).

The Framers of the Constitution in 1787 believed the people weren’t intelligent enough to choose their own leader. They were concerned how informed their voters would be and decided that the president should be elected indirectly. Thus, the Electoral College was produced. The Electoral College, fundamentally, prohibits civilians from voting directly for the president. How does this work? First, the country holds the popular vote. Every adequate voter in every state gets one vote for the president. Then, it is passed to the electoral vote. Now, each state obtains at least three votes depending on the population of that state. In order to be declared president, the candidate must receive a majority of the votes. If no one acquires a majority of the votes, then the House of Representatives elects the president from the top three contenders. In which case, each state gets one vote. Therefore, is it time to get rid of the Electoral College? The answer is no; the process may not be equal, but it protects the country’s ideologies. The Electoral College should be kept because it keeps extremists in check, protects the federalist system, and settles the presidency.

Today, career politicians are constantly looking for what will aid them in getting reelected. They become more loyal to their campaign fund contributers than to the people whom they represent. This increases the likelihood of having corrupted politicians in office, as they use the government as a vehicle to further their own career (Kurfirst, 1996, p. 123, 129). George Will, a well-known political journalist, was quoted as saying “[The] worst feature of professionalism in politics is that it obliterates the proper distance between the representatives and the represented” (Kurfirst, 1996, p. 125). Even James Madison agreed that legislators were meant to represent the people, not hold office as a career. In The Federalist No. 57 (1788), he wrote, “From this change of men must proceed a change of opinions; and from a change of opinions, a change of measures.” The lack of new faces in Congress today symbolizes that the American legislative branch is straying from its intended purpose.

First, Lazarus argued that most members of Congress received small donations from the same organizations for which they pursed earmarks. While this is not illegal, it certainly is not ethical. In the most glaring cases, at least five United States Representatives received over $100,000 due to earmarks. Lazarus points out that these numbers do not include donations made to members by lobbying firms on behalf of the companies seeking earmarks, as well as, money donated by individuals associated with those companies. Taking all of these factors into account, Lazarus concluded that on average members received $30,000 in campaign donations per earmark. Finally, supporters of the ban on earmarks argue that only the most skilled or powerful politicians will secure beneficial earmarks for their constituents. Therefore, the areas that need federal aid the most will not be fairly served by earmarks, unless their representative is particularly skilled or

The Founding Fathers put their blood, sweat and tears into the making of the Constitution and created a government out of practically nothing, all while having a vision for the future. This future consisted of a government that focused on liberty over security; a government of minimal intervention. To say that the modern version of the United States government is exactly what the Founding Fathers envisioned is a very debatable topic. There are many instances where todays government has followed the Constitution for the most part, but then there are a lot of other areas where the Founders visions have been twisted to the point that they are unrecognizable anymore. To start off, the basic concept of the United States government is one of checks and balances. This was put in place to ensure that the government never became too powerful. One very good example of checks and balances is the media. Even the founding fathers knew the extreme power of the media and its ability to keep the government in check. Two men by the names of William Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer were even able to create the Spanish American War by the process of yellow journalism, or the crude exaggeration of events. The first amendment states that “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” The government today reflects this belief that the media is a watchdog or “fourth estate” as it is so often referred to. Political parties and everything that comes with it, including

In my opinion, I feel that constituents have power over congress members because they have the power to vote them in or out of office. On the other hand, I feel that voting constituents have the least amount of influence over congress members, who strive for money contributions in order to, run their political campaigns, compared to donors and PACs.

Certain interests do not change over time in our society. Over 200 years ago, the prominent concern that led to the framing of the Constitution regarded the establishment of a government that was “for the people and by the people.” The framers of the Constitution, with concern of an over powering central government in mind, provided a basis for the structure of the federal government of the United States. The powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government are laid out strategically in a way that no one branch can have more power than the other. The national concern of maintaining a legitimate government has not shifted since the initial days of the framers. Although the capacity of the government has grown over time, the system of checks and balances that was adapted in the framing of the Constitution allows for the structure and powers of the federal government to remain in order today. Other than providing a structural map for how the government will operate, however, the additional aspects of the Constitution fail to administer practical framework for addressing 21st century interests. This document was written over 200 years ago and it has not been altered substantially since then (Lazare). While certain Amendments have been added to assist the Constitution in staying relevant, such as the abolishment of slavery and the addition of women’s right to vote, there has been practically nothing added to help in applying the framers’ intentions

George Washington said, “I do not expect the Constitution to last for more than 20 years” (Gilder Lehrman). Today, we have oldest written constitution in the world. It has been able to endure because it is flexible and it stresses liberty and equality to the American people. The book states, “It has endured for more than two centuries as the framework of government because it has changed over time” (Overview). Thomas Jefferson, based on his notion that "the world belongs to the living" was technically right. We are the living and our Constitution is basically the same as it was when he made that statement.