Picture yourself living in a world without any rules or laws. Everything would be very chaotic. That is why in the year 1788 there was a large debate if the New Constitution should be approved. With this Constitution came a new type of government. This Constitution had no security, lacked freedoms, and fairness to all of the people of America. There were many dangers to making a stronger type of government. The Constitution also did not include any protection of the citizens rights, however that is what the Americans needed. One person that opposed the new Constitution was Mercy Otis Warren. She believed that this new central government would limit the rights that the people of America had. Many others were also worried that the Constitution held no security. Some citizens also thought that it interrupted some of the laws in the government and for the humanity of the people. Mercy Otis Warren said, ¨There is no security...for the rights of conscience or the liberty of the press.¨ She also had another belief, would the Constitution be different if it contained the protections of the rights that the citizens had? The only complication to this was the protections did not take charge until 1791. Similar to Mercy's position against the Constitution was Thomas Jefferson. He had no part in writing the Constitution. He got a copy from …show more content…
He believed that everyone such as lawyers and ¨moneyed men¨ who had more sophisticated jobs and earned more money, were favored more than others and they would be able to join part of the Congress. Jonathan Elliot said , ¨They expected to be the managers of this Constitution, and get all the power and all the money into their own hands. And then they will swallow up all us little folks...this is what I´m afraid of… .¨ The others like farmers and laborers would be pushed aside and not having any meaning to them. Many people similar to the farmers and laborers positions thought that this was very
The Constitution and the Amendments are two very important documents that are needed in order to keep the people of America in order. The purpose of the Constitution is to, “form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” (Constitution Preamble). The purpose of the Bill of Rights and the 17 Amendments, bringing the total to 27, are to protect the rights of the people of America and to prevent the government from having full control over the people.
The main purpose of the U.S. Constitution is to provide the basic rights of all citizens and provide direction how the government should work.The Constitution also provides the structure for law. and it has three branches; federal judiciary branch, legislative branch and executive branch.
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 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.
Constitution. When the Constitution was written in 1787, it left out individual rights for citizens which led to the refusal of many states to ratify it. The Constitution of the U.S. was made to embody the fundamental principles of a government but the lack of a Bill of Rights was the main reason why many opposed the ratification of it. As stated in the Article VII, “the vote of nine states shall be sufficient for the establishment of the Constitution as the principal document uniting the states,” but in 1788 only four had states ratified it. At the time of the ratification, there was a debate between those who supported it, the Federalists, and those who opposed it, the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists argued that individuals’ rights were already protected by state constitutions, and that not listing these rights did not mean that they were inexistent as natural rights, which explains why First Amendment rights were initially not included in the Constitution. On the other hand, The Anti-Federalists strongly disagreed and feared that the increased strength of a national government would lead to an abuse of individual rights. These disputes finally initiated the draft of a new charter for the Constitution of the United States that included The First Amendment as the first section under the Bill of Rights. The leading man for this draft was James Madison, of Virginia, who is often considered “the father of the Constitution” because of his
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
Since the beginning, America has been considered synonymous with freedom and new beginnings. The first revolutionaries fought with these ideals in mind and saw them as achievable goals, no matter how far away they actually were. Now years after, America has reached its goal and declared its independence from the tyrannical Great Britain. As the United States of America grows in both prestige and population, a strong and organized government is necessary for it to be as strong as it can be. A constitution such as the one being proposed will do exactly this, in addition to providing the nation with a purpose. Granted, there are many valid arguments against the Constitution being posed. However when considering the bigger picture, the Constitution will do more good than harm. Ultimately ratifying the new Constitution is the best option for America in its current situation in order to
Speaking against the ratification of the Constitution, Patrick Henry says, "If a wrong step be now made, the republics may be lost forever. If this new government will not come up to the expectation of the people...their liberty will be lost and tyranny must and will rise..." The leaders of the country created the U.S. Constitution due to an immense dissatisfaction with the system of government stated in the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation support a government in which there is only one branch, but it's power would be limited in order to protect the people's liberty and rights. Although the Articles of Confederation establish a better system of government than when the states were under British rule, some weaknesses were found and amended in a new document called the United States
Explain the primary purpose of the Constitution and identify the main rights we as US Citizens all share due to our Constitution. ( CO 3)
In Document 5 Amos Singletree wrote, “ These lawyers and men of learning and monied men……….gloss over matters so smoothly………..make us poor illiterate people swallow the pill, expect to get congress to themselves…….and get all the money and power into their own hands.” He was saying that the Constitution was put into place to indirectly hand over all the power to the men who are rich and well-educated. Furthermore, they would gloss over matters of importance to win the favor of the men who weren’t as educated or rich. Next, the Anti-Federalists believed that the constitution would essentially take away most of the rights the people had. In Document 4 Patrick Henry claims, “ The rights of conscience, trial by jury, liberty of press…...are rendered insecure.”
Whether or not to ratify the Constitution was one of the greatest controversies in American history. This constitution set the framework for a new stronger government unlike the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation was known as America’s first ‘weak’ government. These Articles were passed to provide authority to the Continental Congress on a legal basis. Even though, they had already been exercising this power, they wanted something so they wouldn’t be questioned when regulating trade and creating taxes.
-The two primary functions of the U.S. Constitution is as followed below. The first major function of the U.S. Constitution is to establish an organizational structure that allocates governmental powers. While, the second major function of the U.S. Constitution is to protect individual’s rights from governmental overreaching.
The Constitution, when first introduced, set the stage for much controversy in the United States. The two major parties in this battle were the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. The Federalists, such as James Madison, were in favor of ratifying the Constitution. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists, such as Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee, were against ratification. Each party has their own beliefs on why or why not this document should or should not be passed. These beliefs are displayed in the following articles: Patrick Henry's "Virginia Should Reject the Constitution," Richard Henry Lee's "The Constitution Will Encourage Aristocracy," James Madison's "Federalist Paper No. 10," and "The Letters to Brutus." In these
He was receiving news of the constitution while serving as an American minister in Paris, liked some provisions, but there was extremely un-easy at the possibility of presidential re-election. He then had wrote to john Adams on November, 1787, “prove to us that a chief magus-trade, so containable, as an officer for life. About a month later in letter to James Madison’s dis like the abandonment of the necessity of rotation in office, and particularly in the case of president.
In 1776, the thirteen British colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. The colonies then had to establish a government that would be the framework for the United States of America. In 1787, after the first governmental plan of the United States known as the Articles of Confederation was unsuccessful in the colonies, the United States Constitution was formed. The purpose of the Constitution was to establish a strong form of government following the failure of the Articles of Confederation. The original Constitution did not directly address the rights of individuals. It consists of seven articles that give attention to legislative power, executive power, judicial power, power of states, amendments, federal power and ratification.