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The Constitution and Its Origins essay
Essay on American Constitution
Essay on American Constitution
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More handpicked essays just for you.
The Constitution and Its Origins essay
Essay on American Constitution
Essay on American Constitution
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
1a. Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress didn’t have the power to tax the colonies so their only option was to request the states for money, which often ended in rejection. Because Congress had so little money to regulate the army/navy and resolve crises, they sold off western lands and printed worthless print money in desperate attempts to do without money. The constitution solves this dilemma by giving Congress the power to make revenue through taxing and borrowing and also the power to appropriate funds.
After fighting for America’s independence the nation was faced with the situation of developing their own government; with that idea the Articles of Confederation were made as a way to define the government’s structure. With the articles came dysfunction, and a lack of authority. Consequently the dysfunction caused division in the nation, separating the people into two political parties, Federalist and anti-federalist. The parties developed over time and discord, with the development of the Constitution into the Federalist Party and the Democratic Republican Party. The two parties, the Federalist, and the Democratic Republicans, based on their backgrounds and means of income, opposed each other with differing political and economic views.
The articles of Confederation were drafted with an aim to succeed, but there were some allocations that were not considered. The first concern that was not considered was how powerful the federal government was supposed to be. The founding fathers knew that confederation was going to make the United States a unit, which means that decisions such as international relations, was to be controlled centrally. The congress and the executive were not given sufficient powers to engage military action. The congress had to borrow military empowerment from the states.
The Revolutionary War had ended and the colonies successfully signed a treaty of paris with England, proclaiming their independence from Britain and establishing other terms of the treaty. No longer were the colonies divided, they had now become the United States of America and consisted of states. Throughout the colonists' "road to recovery" from Britain, and their journey to becoming a successful and powerful nation, they were faced with numerous challenges including one large one - creating a country! They needed to establish a strong but restricted central government, create a set of fair rules, laws, and regulations, and elect political leaders to represent each state and the nation as a whole, thus, the Articles of Confederation
One negative thing about the constitution is that it is a large undertaking, and will require modifications as our nation progresses. It also will be difficult to come to an agreement on so many of these
he Constitutional Convention was composed of men of strong principal; men with firm opinions and the education to support those views. Their patriotism and analytical prowess fueled the Convention and its countless debates, resulting in months of writing and perfecting the document that serves as our nation’s foundation. The delegates’ intensity caused them to continue haggling over details up until just days before the Constitution was completed. Such was the case on September 14th, 1787, a mere three days before the Constitution was sent off for ratification. Several issues were raised for discussion that day, including that of impeachment, the publication of all the proceedings of the lower house of Congress, and the appointment of a national
The new America that was settled by the English who fled British tyranny and offered hope and freedom to the settlers sounded amazing. The reality was, however, that the Founding Fathers were not the beacon of a new Democratic Reform. They tried to sell the idea of a government run by the people and this wonderful democracy, but their main agenda was pushing their own ideals and keeping power in the wealthy. Modern day America still reflects this, although major improvements have happened since the late 1700s. Even though they were not as literal in the tyranny as England with monarchs and true classes, they still were a watered-down version of what they wished to escape.
The Articles of the Confederation was the first government constitution that the United States used, and, although there were strength like the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, there were major weaknesses of the Articles of the Confederation like the following: requiring 9 out of the 13 colonial votes from the representatives from different states to pass a law; having no executive and judicial branch; and the federal government being unable to impose tax revenue onto the states. Such flaws would eventually lead to the Constitution and the repeal of the articles, for the Constitution was a measure to fix the problems of the articles with a stronger government that allowed them to impose taxes and and implement new laws for a more effective government.
The Articles of Confederation was an agreement among the thirteen original states of the United States that served as the first constitution. The Articles had first been introduced by Richard Henry Lee in the Second Continental Congress. Although the Articles of Confederation has made its contributions throughout history, the Articles, however, did not last very long and had been proven inadequate from the very start. I agree with this statement based on the examples and analysis of the Constitution I will soon provide. The Articles of Confederation were written during a time when the American people feared a strong national government.
Throughout history America has had a lot of different adversities. America has a long line of history that has not always been absolutely perfect; but yet tries to perfect itself. The early foundations of America started off by pertaining to The British Empire. Being part of the Empire they had perks, but they also had disadvantages. Some Americans wanted more rights as citizens while others felt America would be better off standing as its own country.
The constitution may help the government run smoothly in the current day, but to reach agreements on it, founders first had to workout many conflicts at the Philadelphia Convention. The Philadelphia Convention, also known as the Constitutional Convention, resolved many conflicts based off of representation in parliament and a lack of a basic rights list in the constitution. These resolutions can be seen in many events or meetings throughout history, such as specific arguments between the founders. Resolutions to the Philadelphia convention also show up in our amendments and Bill of Rights. In addition to the resolutions staying current through the means of amendments, there are also many current events that support these results.
The “search for a national government” in the United States came at a time when the country was at it’s lowest. We had finally declared our independence from Europe, but the country was lost. After our forefathers had written the Declaration of Independence, the country began creating governments, however the governments they began creating were on the state level. No one thought about creating the national government. When they did begin creating the national government, the people that formed the state’s governments thought to make the national government Republic.
The American constitution is the result of compromise because it was designed to last. America’s constitution is the oldest written in the world where the system of government in the United States has always been a success giving all citizens a complete satisfaction with its context (Argosy University 2012). The United States Constitution was adopted in 1787, taking effect in 1789. It is still in force and is the oldest constitution in the world. The Constitution replaced the weak articles of the Confederation to form a union strong enough to survive the dangers of the world and simultaneously protect the freedom of the United States and citizens.
Numerous people argue that the articles of confederation were weak and unsuitable for the United States, but there are multiple advantages to this document. Such as having no single leader to rule over them and tell them what to do, each state had one vote in the congress, and the congress could settle in and deal with the western lands. The Articles of confederation could have been strong and suitable for the United States because it protected the states from earlier tyranny that they had experienced due to the British King George lll, and promised to prevent any tyrannical rule of the British. The articles of confederation also allowed each state one vote, regardless of the number of delegates each had, the size of their state, or the
The Articles of Confederation were ratified in 1781 and under these articles, the states remained sovereign, free, and independent. While each state has their freedom, Congress served as a last resort to appeal all disputes and differences that may arise between two or more states. In addition, Congress had the authority to make treaties and alliances, declare war, regulate money, appoint a committee, appoint military officers and manage affairs with the Indians. While it seems Congress had a fair share of powers, these articles caused problems due to a weak government.