ipl-logo

Crafters Of 1787

1482 Words6 Pages

What was the process involved in crafting the Constitution of 1787? The United States Constitution is a testament to the law. That was supposed to be the vision of a more perfect union. Which started with the Constitutional Convention of 1787. These were the blueprints for governance that would profoundly shape the future of a nation. This paper will argue that the crafters of the Constitution of 1787 needed to contend with multiple complicated issues. The crafters of the 1787 Constitution were faced with a mass of complex issues. Their challenge was not only to create a document that reflected the ideals of democracy and governance, but also to devise a system that could endure the test of time and adapt to future challenges. An example of …show more content…

They could not regard it as a valid contract.” Thus, Garrison viewed the constitution as a social contract that represented the intentions of both the framers and the adopters. However, they believed that this contract excluded black people and was initially designed to protect slavery. Many saw the Constitution as both a violation of natural rights and natural law, and because of these violations, many did not consider the Constitution to be a valid contract. Which was a big issue that the crafters dealt with. Another example of slavery that piggybacks off of the example prior also deals with the compromises that the framers had to deal with, which was either known as the three-fifths compromise or the three-fifths cause, which was part of the Constitution that basically stated that enslaved people would be represented as three-fifths of a person for tax purposes. It was supposed to help settle the disagreements between the states on how they should count enslaved individuals. (Lawson 1997, 293, 297) Another major issue that the crafters dealt with was economic, political, and the amount of power they could give the central …show more content…

It focused on the importance of limited power and checks and balances in order to have a functioning democracy. Otherwise, meaning that without these principles, the constitution would lose its initial meaning. (Sheffer 1991, 471) The final example that further examines the many issues that the crafters dealt with is “The provisions of the Constitution are not mathematical formulas having their essence in their form; they are organic, living institutions transplanted from English soil. The significance is vital, not formal; it is to be gathered not simply by taking the words and a dictionary, but by considering their origin and the line of their growth.” This example means that the Constitution is not just a set of inflexible rules, but rather a dynamic and evolving system. The true meaning isn’t found within the words and definitions of the Constitution, but in the understanding of its historical context and how it has further developed over

Show More
Related
765 Words | 4 Pages

David O. Stewart’s The Summer of 1787: the Men Who Wrote the Constitution provides an un-biased historical account on how the constitution came to be. The book begins in post-revolutionary war America under the failed Articles of Confederation to the constitutional convention and through the ratification process of the constitution. It provides the readers with an in depth look at the hard ball the founding fathers played to create a government that could deal with a violent rebellion, mass debt, and the states conflicting goals. The goal of The Summer of 1787 the Men Who Wrote the Constitution is to enlighten readers on how the constitution came to be by illustrating how the founding fathers personalities affected the process by providing a deeper look into these key figures personal life’s and how their experiences shaped their political views.

Read More
338 Words | 2 Pages

Final draft constitution DBQ Essay The constitution was made in 1787 by George Washington. They created the constitution to help our country, because it does not let any branch of government get too powerful. They created it by America's government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens.

Read More
934 Words | 4 Pages

In his article “The Federal Constitution and the Defects of The Confederation”, Max Farrand delves back into the 1700s in order to examine the creation of the Constitution and even moreso the reasons behind its inception. The Constitutional Convention was a very interesting event that has always had some historical mystery and even some common ignorance around what happened at the convention. As a way to inform the people reading this articles of the intentions of the convention, Farrand formulates his thesis around this idea of how and why the Constitution was made. On the first page of his article, he states, “That the Constitution was framed because of the defects in the Articles of Confederation is universally accepted, but it does not

Read More
1497 Words | 6 Pages

The Summer of 1787 was written by David O. Stewart as a historical, non-fiction recount of the events leading to the Constitutions adoption hundreds of years ago. David O. Stewart is extremely qualified to put together such a book. Mr. Stewart is a prolific author in matters of politics and history. In addition, Mr. Stewart studied law at Yale, a highly praised institution. From his studies in modern law to reading all 500 pages of James Madison’s notes from the constitutional convention, Mr. Stewart has the motivation and intelligence to effectively narrate the time before the constitutions implementation.

Read More
867 Words | 4 Pages

In the late 1700’s, it was America’s goal to create a republic that had a representative government that was based upon the approval of the people. Unfortunately, the people feared a strong central government because of the previous trouble the colonies had when they were ruled by Britain. They were always being unfairly taxed and had very few rights. In order to avoid this, a very weak government was developed that seemed to satisfy the people, but would not satisfy the well being of the country. It wasn’t until Shay’s rebellion which brought light to the fact that the Articles of Confederation were not going to cut it, so the Constitutional Convention was created and convened to find an alternative solution which was the creation of the Constitution.

Read More
1159 Words | 5 Pages

DBQ Essay The United States Constitution is a document that or founding fathers made in order to replace the failing Articles of Confederation (A of C). Under the Constitution, the current government and states don’t have the problems they faced when the A of C was in action. The Constitution was created in 1788, and held an idea that the whole nation was nervous about. This idea was a strong national government, and the Federalist assured the people that this new government would work. The framers of the Constitution decided to give more power to the Federal government rather than the state governments because the A of C had many problems, there was a need for the layout of new government, rights, and laws, and there was a need for the Federal

Read More
946 Words | 4 Pages

Never directly mentioned in the Constitution, and commonly refereed to as “others”, African Americans were often denied existence in the Constitutional Conventions. James Madison embodied the complacency of the average white American man. Ellis describes his thinking as “a kind of mysterious region where ideas entered going in one direction but then emerged headed the opposite way.” (114). The Southern founding fathers, Madison included, acknowledged the moral evils of the slave trade but many of them slave owners themselves, did not desire an end to it, admittedly for their own profit.

Read More
1004 Words | 5 Pages

Following the end of the American Revolution marked a new set of problems for the United States. As impending war debts were threatening to crush the new nation, America knew they needed to address the flaws of the Articles of Confederation through a Constitutional Convention. The United States Constitution of 1787 was created in hopes of developing a stronger and more effective governing body while still upholding America’s virtues of freedom. Unfortunately, with change, comes opposition, and many people feared that the Constitution would be oppressive and undermine the autonomy of the individual states through its strong central government. Because of this, the issues that sparked the greatest controversies during the ratification of the

Read More
171 Words | 1 Pages

The Constitution, a document written and signed in 1787 by the Philadelphia Convention, was created after many of the country's leaders at the time had become dissatisfied with the structure of government created by the Articles of Confederation. The intention of the Constitution was so it could withstand the drastic changes of the forever improving U.S. Government. Throughout Richard Stengel’s work, “One Document, Under Siege”, there is a common theme stating that the Constitution is a living document that could withstand conflict and opposition. For a start, Richard Stengel uses many examples throughout his work to prove his point, that the Constitution was a living, breathing document, and that it was the intentions of our Founders to

Read More
1839 Words | 8 Pages

There are moments in American that have a make a great impact not only on our history but on the lives of those that live within our borders. When one reflects on these points in time we can began to understand the fabric of how this nation began to form into the nation it is today. A crucial time in America’s history as a nation was when our leaders in Philadelphia were framing the Constitution, during those stifling hot and miserable days during the Philadelphia Convention in 1787. The leaders of this new country were attempting to come up with something that would guide this new country for many years to come, but had no idea what the future would hold.

Read More
632 Words | 3 Pages

The Constitution was a product of compromise and a reflection of fundamental ideals. The role of the Constitution in institutionalizing revolutionary principles, despite its initial shortcomings in delivering the promise of democracy to all

Read More
1154 Words | 5 Pages

In the time period of 1776 to 1852, slavery and slave labor was already widely practiced in states and countries across the Americas. Throughout this time period, however, Americans began realizing that there was a “moral evil” behind the idea of slave labor, and emancipation began taking place in many of the South American countries. Even though the abolishment of slavery had already taken place in most of the world, the United States (U.S) continued to use this practice until the late 1860’s. However, many events and ideas that transpired during the years 1776 through 1852 such as: The Second Great Awakening, The Abolishment Act, and Feminism sparked a growing opposition to slavery in the U.S. These major events and ideas were some of

Read More
1897 Words | 8 Pages

The idea of the Constitution was brought up after the failures of Articles of Confederation. The founding fathers had a meeting on what improvements should be made to the Articles of Confederation. But the meeting eventually ended up in creating the United States Constitution. This took place at Constitutional

Read More
542 Words | 3 Pages

On September 17, 1787, 39 of the colony’s brightest men convened to sign a document, consequently changing the course of the world. The Constitution of the United States of America set the newborn nation on course to become an economic powerhouse, an uncontested military force, and a global symbol of freedom. How did the founding fathers build a political frame in one document that would last through time and allow America to escalate at an unparalleled rate? The country’s framers recognized the unique opportunity presented to them to start a government from scratch. They wanted to raise up a country stable enough to withstand world wars, natural disasters, and political division.

Read More
494 Words | 2 Pages

The new constitution, a document granting the framework for a new democratic government, replacing the Articles of the Confederation. This new document gained approval from some of the citizens, but also raised questions and concerns from others. There was a constant back and forth between the two groups on whether or not the constitution should be ratified. This editorial provides historical background on the issue and expresses my opinion on which side I would’ve chosen.

Read More

More about Crafters Of 1787

Open Document