As the authors of the American Constitution came together in Philadelphia in 1787, they sought to appeal to a divided nation. They faced the daunting task of bridging the gap between local and national control, allowing Americans to overcome their fear of central power by leading citizens away from smaller state sovereignty and toward a common goal of one united nation. In this document, the founding fathers appealed to the political viewpoints of both Federalists and Antifederalists with the goal of establishing a common ground from which to govern.
The document was important to the time period because it was the first time that the established colonies were coming together to form a united nation, rather than thirteen separate colonies. In the midst of the formation of the United States, the founding fathers made it a priority not to turn back to another monarchy and feared the strong central government that once ruled over them for so long. Having fought hard for freedom in the Revolutionary War, Americans were ready for a more decentralized government to put power in the hands of the people, yet provide just enough national presence to protect the new nation. This
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This document specifically made known Dual Federalism, where both the state and national governments are equal and sovereign. One of the few elements of Federalism is a written constitution that cannot be changed. The document would forever lay the foundation the American government and establish a common ground from which to govern. Though the United States has since switched to New Federalism, the basics of the system have stayed the same because the government has the written Constitution to look back on and base any political changes according to the document. The influence of the document is an over two-decade long government that has more or less peacefully ruled its