ipl-logo

Analysis Of The Quartet: Orchestrating The Second American Revolution

1504 Words7 Pages

The origins of the American republic are shrouded in a fog of myth and convenient interpretation. It is not uncommon for each generation to reinterpret historical figures such as Alexander Hamilton in ways that the generation before them, or even the historical figure themselves would not recognize or appreciate. In addition, there is a long-standing tradition among those who analyze the American government to see it as weak. Only recently has academia tried to rebut the paradigm of a weak American government, a phenomenon which William J. Novak describes in his article, “The Myth of the ‘Weak’ American State.” In his book, “The Quartet: Orchestrating the Second American Revolution,” Joseph J. Ellis attempts to disburse some of the fog …show more content…

The Articles of Confederation were a weak governmental structure that was produced by the first American Revolution. The second American Revolution produced a centralized government which, as described by Novak, was capable of growing into the large and powerful entity that it is today. The Supreme Court made some of its most important decisions which expanded federal power while headed by Chief Justice Marshall, who, as contemporary of the founding fathers, fought in the Revolutionary War. The first of these cases was Marbury v. Madison, which established the Supreme Court’s power of judicial review, thereby making the following cases possible. The next important case was McCulloch v. Maryland which began when a branch of the Federal Bank in Maryland refused to pay taxes to the State of Maryland. The Court’s decision, that the Maryland law was unconstitutional, was an important step in cementing the supremacy of the federal government over the state governments. Gibbons v. Ogden was a case which started when a ferryboat captain, Gibbons, was sued for operating a steamboat in New York waters without a New York license as described in a New York Law. Gibbons argued that because he had a federal license under the Federal Coasting Act, he was allowed to operate his steamboat in U.S. coastal waters, including those of New York. The Court ruled in favor of Gibbons and declared the New York law unconstitutional because it conflicted with federal law, upholding the law of the land clause of the

Show More
Related
1007 Words | 5 Pages

Marbury Vs Madison establishing Judicial Review allowed the Federalists to maintain checks and balances on the Democratic Republican-controlled Legislative and Executive branches. McCulloch Vs Maryland, establishing that Federal institutions could not be taxed by state law allowed the government to increase its own wealth. Gibbons Vs Ogden established that federal licenses outlawed state-granted monopolies and allowed the government uninterrupted trading power for domestic economics. All these helped move the Federalist agenda of increasing power in the central

Read More
1224 Words | 5 Pages

Gordon Wood achieved great success among his peers with the publication of his book, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787, for which he was awarded the Bancroft Prize, as well as the John H. Dunning Prize, both in 1970. In it, Dr. Wood breaks down the process of how American political thought developed from early protests against British measures in the construction of the world's first federal republic. He does so by giving us in detail using a number of different sources, historical information on the reasoning behind the revolution. Dr. Wood walks us through how our government started with a monarchical society which was hierarchical, and later transformed, and emerged as a more recognizable modern society, in where a more commercially oriented and capitalistic government came to light. Wood writes, “[Americans] learned how to define the rights of nature, how to search into, to distinguish, and to comprehend, the principles of physical, moral, religious, and civil liberty, how, in short, to discover and resist the forces of tyranny before they could be applied.

Read More
1069 Words | 5 Pages

The limited powers of the United States central government under the Articles of Confederation, exemplified by events like Shays' Rebellion, significantly influenced the development of the Constitution between 1777 and 1789, leading to the creation of a stronger and more centralized federal government. This transition from a weak and decentralized government to a more powerful federal authority was a direct response to the challenges and shortcomings experienced under the Articles of Confederation. The period from 1777 to 1789 was marked by the aftermath of the American Revolution and the formation of a new nation. The Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1777, established a decentralized government with limited powers given to the central authority. However, this system of government faced numerous challenges, including economic instability, lack of national defense, and difficulties in implementing policies.

Read More
633 Words | 3 Pages

It was the heat of the Revolutionary war and The Thirteen Colonies were preparing to declare their independence from Britain, yet before they do so, they needed to establish a form of self-government. Through the Articles of Confederation in 1776, the colonies had established their first independent government, although with it followed many problems. These problems, although numerous, did not come without some, yet very little, success and perhaps one of the best outcomes of the Articles of Confederation is how they paved the way for the much sturdier Constitution. The Articles of Confederation had been created in a rush and by were no means a permanent form of government for the colonies.

Read More
646 Words | 3 Pages

In both the McCulloch v. Maryland and Gibbons v. Ogden cases, John Marshall asserted the power of judicial review, and legitimatized the Supreme Court within the national government. The Marshall Court, over the span of thirty years, managed to influence the life of every American by aiding in the development of the judicial branch and establishing a boundary between the state and national government. John Marshall’s Supreme Court cases shaped how the government is organized today. He strongly believed in Federalism, and that the national government should be sovereign, rather than the states. The Supreme Court under John

Read More
569 Words | 3 Pages

After the American Revolution, the colonies needed to reconstruct a new, fresh government. America, however, was extremely restrictive with giving the central government any forms of power after the hardships the colonies faced being under the British government and Parliament. The colonies did not want to undergo another period of unfair taxation and regulated systems. Thus, America’s first government, The Articles of Confederation, gave the central government immensely few granted powers. After an eight year period, the majority of America knew that they needed a new form of government.

Read More
141 Words | 1 Pages

The Articles of Confederation were the first document created after the American Revolution. The Articles of Confederation were problematic for the nation because they gave to much power to the states. For instance, the articles did not include a central banking system, no executive, legislative, nor judicial branch of federal government. Therefore, the power of the country resided in the states, and this lead to an ambiguous nation with no stability. For example, some states were creating their own money and negotiated deals with other countries that did not include all the other states.

Read More
65 Words | 1 Pages

The anarchy that manifested from the imbalanced of power and liberty by the Articles of Confederation and the dysfunctional nature of the military caused mistrust between Americans and their Continental army. As a new country, the mistrust shed the light on how America, in the midst of a revolution, needed an adamant central government in the event that there is another war or national

Read More
504 Words | 3 Pages

The founding father’s idea when they created the Constitution was to prevent a centralized government. As expressed by James Madison in Federalist No. 51, they believe that the power surrendered by people would be divided between the federal and state governments, creating balance of power that would enable both governments to control each other. Over time, the balance of power between the federal and state governments has shifted in favor of the federal government and this has taken place with the help of the Constitution and by enactments of Congress. The role that Chief Justice John Marshall played in defining the power of the federal and state governments during the early 19th century is important to mention because he shaped the nation.

Read More
1146 Words | 5 Pages

There is no denying that the Articles of Confederation, the first written form of government in the United States, was an important aspect of this nations history. The articles were ratified on March 1, 1781 and they served as the basis for the formation of the Constitution and provided some, but not enough framework for adequate organization of United States. Although, it accomplished and lead to multiple advances in the U.S government, it’s ability to act as an effective government failed. Under the Articles of Confederation there was one house body of delegates with each state having only one vote no matter the size or population.

Read More
1910 Words | 8 Pages

The reign of the Articles of Confederation was brief.” The colonists at the time were angry at the British and their form of government that gave the central structure significant power. As the Articles called for a confederacy, it was an immensely favorable idea to the colonists as it would provide them with strong local, state governments and not another strong national government. Thus, the Articles were, in short, an overcorrection on how the British had formerly

Read More
946 Words | 4 Pages

After a fiercely fought revolution, the newly independent American nation struggled to establish a concrete government amidst an influx of opposing ideologies. Loosely tied together by the Articles of Confederation, the thirteen sovereign states were far from united. As growing schisms in American society became apparent, an array of esteemed, prominent American men united in 1787 to form the basis of the United States government: the Constitution. Among the most eminent members of this convention were Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. These men, held to an almost godly stature, defined the future of the nation; but were their intentions as honest as they seemed?

Read More
1267 Words | 6 Pages

After their triumph in the American Revolution, colonists came together as one to forge the United States of America and to reorganize the colonies after the war. The Articles of the Confederation were America’s first form of self-government. During the time period in which they were in use, there effectiveness were tested through events dealing with foreign relations, economic conditions and the settlement of western lands. Although the Articles experienced some success in dealing with western land, the general effectiveness of the Articles was poor and created potential problems for the young nation. Under the Articles of Confederation its powers included conducting foreign relations, settling disputes between states, controlling maritime

Read More
494 Words | 2 Pages

The Articles of Confederation were a document seen as the “first” constitution of the United States. This document granted the new national government power to control the military, declare war, and create treaties between the states. However, the Articles had holes in it considering the government did not have the power to tax, create laws without at least nine states’ approval, or change the Articles of Confederation without a unanimous vote. This means that the country soon fell into debt and petty arguments between state, the new government had no control. It was time for a change.

Read More
705 Words | 3 Pages

William Novak presents an argument on how the history of American government has been told upside-down for many years now. Novak depicts a mighty American state, capable of a great deal and responsible for some of the most important narratives in American history. However, there were many people, of whom had great interest in the founding fathers, were irritated by Novak’s argument. The main group of people being referred to here were people from the Tea Party political movement.

Read More

More about Analysis Of The Quartet: Orchestrating The Second American Revolution

Related Topics

Open Document