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Why Hamilton And Madison Called For A Constitutional Convention In 1787

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Essay topic: Explain why Hamilton and Madison called for a Constitutional Convention in 1787 and discuss the proposed plans. Discuss and describe the struggles and the many compromises that were reflected in the final version of the U.S. Constitution. How and why does the Constitution divide government power among three branches? America needed a new organization to keep it from falling apart, however America also feared a strong controlling government. Each state was so independent that they all had their own constitutions ,consisting of a bill of rights guaranteeing certain freedoms and legal protections to the state’s citizens, and their own currency. Each state's’ money was valued differently from state to state, and the money was often …show more content…

The Articles of Confederation was America’s first constitution and at the time it seemed like a great alternative for a government. These Articles of Confederation put the Congress at the highest power in the nation. The Congress had the power to conduct foreign affairs, maintain armed forces, borrow money, issue currency, and establish a postal system. However, the lack of power given to the Congress, to avoid too much power, made it hard to do their place in government. The Congress has no power to tax, which meant that it had to rely on the states to collect and forward taxes, which the states were reluctant to do, leaving the central government short on money. The Congress had the power to pass laws however not unless nine states voted in favor of it. Any attempt to change the Articles required a unanimous vote of all 13 states. These strict voting requirements made it difficult for the Congress to accomplish much, and even when the Congress managed to pass laws, it could not enforce them. Unlike the state constitutions, the Articles did not provide for a chief executive or for courts. If a state decided to ignore a law, the Congress could do nothing. There was also no executive branch which resulted that it was almost impossible to coordinate the work of the national government. The congress also could not force the states to meet military quotas, which resulted in no standing army. It became clear that the Articles had some serious flaws and actions would be

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