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Ratification Of Constitution

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The ratification of the Constitution was written in time of opposition and argument, ranging from majority rule to checks and balances. This paper will explore how the conflict between federal versus national represents the central problem in the ratification of the Constitution. The views of the Federalists are expressed in Federalist Papers 39, 45 and 46. In Federalist Paper 39, Madison discusses the characteristics and implementation of a republican form of government. He argues that a republican form of government is the only form of government “reconcilable with the genius of the people of America” (Federalist Paper 39). The republican form of government is one in which representatives derive their power from individuals who vote them …show more content…

Some offices, such as senators and the President, may be chosen by indirect appointment. Of course, this idea faced opposition from the Antifederalists. Even though the Constitution is national in nature, it still has federal points and allows states to retain certain rights. In conclusion, Madison states that “the proposed Constitution is neither a national nor a federal Constitution, but a composition of both” (Federalist Paper 39). Federalist Paper 45 supports the idea of the Constitution being both a national and federal document. The Articles of Confederation gave more powers to the states and left the federal government weak. Madison argues that the Constitution does not give the central government more powers, but rather seeks to protect the government from the numerous state governments. In addition, Madison notes how a union is only created when state and federal government rely on another. Lastly, in Federalist 46, Madison writes that both governments are subject to the judgement of the people. In addition, even with Constitution in place, the states still have key advantages over their federal counterparts. State authorities are more involved in the life …show more content…

Specially, the paper discusses the appointment of senators. Under the new Constitution, the state legislatures were given the power to appoint senators. However, they lacked the ability to control senators after their appointment. The paper argues that the exercise of sovereignty lies in “in the power of dismissing, impeaching, or the like, those to whom authority is delegated” (Antifederalist 39). This allows the senators to make decisions that may not be in the best interest of their respective state. In addition, the Senate has the power to control elections and dictate when and what manner they are to be held. The paper moves on to highlight the futility which accompany the rights provided to the states. The rights given to the states, such as appointing and training the military, do not allow the states to protect their own citizens or “enable a State to exist within itself if the general government should cease” (Antifederalist 39). The biggest grievance against the states is the loss of revenue. Under the new Constitution, states do not have sole control over property. Instead, any revenue earned by the states must go to the central government. In addition, the general government has the right to repel any taxation policy that hinders the taxation policy of the central government. The federal government also reserves the right to cease these building projects, even if

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According to my point of view the anti-federalists played upon these sentiments in the ratification tradition in Massachusetts. By this point, five of the states had sanctioned the Constitution without any difficulty, however the Massachusetts tradition was significantly all the more sharp and hostile. At last, after long open

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" The proponents’ main arguments for repealing the 17th amendment is the fact that the federal government can influence the election. Taking away the states’ right to pick their senators which worries

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It stated that giving states this right would be, “1st Blending together legislative and judicial powers. 2nd Hazarding an interruption of the peace of the states by civil discord, in case of a diversity of opinions among the state legislature. 3rd

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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

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The federal government does not have full, complete power of the government, due to the fact the federal government has to power to tax, regulate commerce, and put laws into place if and only if laws are so called “necessary and proper.” Another thing was for each branch of government to have their own separation of powers and check and balance other branches of government. Either though, the Federalists and Anti-Federalists did not agree on ideas, the Constitution is a document of the general compromise between the two political parties. The weakness of the Articles of the Confederation was resolved through the compromise of the Federalists and Anti-federalists political

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Assessment Question #1: In Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republican, by Richard Lee, Lee declares that the states had more power so that they could prevent “usurpation [illegal grab of power, authority or sovereignty]”(746) from the national government. Before the Articles, the colonies were ruled by the British crown where the national government had all the power and its power did not have to be justified. At first, the articles appeared very attractive to the Framers because of this change in polarity- from extreme monarch to extreme state independence. However, years after the system took off, the framers realized that this system of government was not working because the national government had very little, if any, power.

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For instance, to quote from James Madison’s letter to George Washington in Document 1, “the national government should be armed with compleat [complete] authority in all cares which require uniformity… right of taxings… terms and forms of naturalizations.” What this means is that we should only let the government do the professional work and so we need to give them more power. If there happened to be some pettifoggers or farmers that somehow made it into the state government, would you really want them designing the process for citizenship or would you want ace lawyers that really know what they’re doing to do it? The federal government should be controlling the tax amounts put on each export and import, because as shown during the time of the Articles of Confederation, when the states did it, everything went horribly wrong as the country couldn’t pay for battle funds or debts. Also, everyone from the states might not agree on fair taxing amounts so they might have different taxes or processes in each state, which is a raw deal for those that have to pay more or go through a lot more to become a citizen.

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Prior to the ratification of the United States Constitution, a series of eighty-five essays, later compiled and published as The Federalist Papers, were written under the joint pseudonym “Publius” by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. In these essays, the three men expressed support for ratification by explaining the meaning and virtues of the Constitution (Brinkley, 139). Although, it did not receive such fame until the early twentieth-century, Madison’s Federalist No. 10 has since been regarded as one of the more prominent Federalist papers (Adair, 48). In it, Madison presents the argument that the new republican government under the Constitution would be better able to deal with the problems that arise from factions. This paper

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Throughout United States history there have been numerous issues, constitutional and civic, that Americans have debated. One of these constitutional issues that Americans debated, is the ratification of the Constitution. Federalists and Anti-federalists debated over the Constitution’s ratification for years. As a result of these debates, efforts by individuals, government, and groups, such as the Federalist Party, and James Madison, were made to address this issue. These efforts were very successful.

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Numerous thoughts were proposed amid the drafting of the constitution however maybe none as vital as that of balanced governance. This thought is exemplified in James Madison's The Federalist. He additionally does this by demonstrating that the legislature must have fundamental measures to control itself. Both of the thoughts he bolsters in his paper show that he was an extraordinary supporter of the endorsement of

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This has produced measurable consequences like a disproportionate flow of federal funds and resources to under populated states. By allocating an equal number of votes between small and large states, the Constitution has allowed for an undemocratic distribution of resources. Moreover, because of the loose constraints placed on the presidential veto, some ague that an era of ‘imperial presidency’ is looming over us. Though this view is a bit extreme, it does stress the likely dangers that might arise if the president goes unchecked and is allowed to consolidate legislative and executive power into one branch. In practice, the use of checks and balances in legislation has diminished, and it might just be the case that the founders’ system of checks and balance is on the brink of

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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.

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