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The Pros And Cons Of Ratification Of The Constitution

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History is written by the victors, is a common saying used to describe the inequality of information available from different viewpoints of an issue. This idea holds true when it comes to the United State’s Constitution. For years, American students are taught all the positives of the document with little attention to the negatives. But those against the ratification of the Constitution, the Anti-federalists, had valid issues with the Constitution, some of which are still relevant almost 230 years in the future. The Constitution, legally speaking, shouldn’t even have been created. The delegates of the meeting now know as the Constitutional Committee had absolutely no power to create a new system of government, only to alter the current one. The Anti-Federalists had serious issues with the document without even glancing at the text of the Constitution. Which doesn’t mean there aren’t issues within the document. At the time of its drafting, the Constitution had no Bill of Rights. It outlined a government that gave more power to the federal government instead of the states’. Even the ratification process was changed with only nine …show more content…

merely for vesting in Congress the power to regulate trade.”(Lee, 790) Not as a committee organized to create a new system unlike one the country, or even the world had seen before. The states didn’t agree to form a new government and Congress did not either. Not even all the chosen delegates of the committee wanted to create a constitution. “Some of those who opposed their going so far beyond their powers, retired, hopeless, from the convention.” (Findley, Whitehill, and Smilie, 792) Quite frankly, whether you support the Constitution or not, you have to admit that it shouldn’t exist. The delegates of the Constitutional committee had more power than perhaps any other group of people in American history, and they were never supposed to have

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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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Lectures Lecture 14 “Questions to Consider #1”: Why did the Anti Federalists object so strongly to the Preamble to the Constitution? The Anti-Federalists objected so strongly to Preamble to the Constitution due to the fact the Preamble establishes powers for the three branches of government, states’ relations, mode of amendment, debts, national supremacy, oath of office, and amendment ratification. This group felts as though when the federalists wanting to create a strong central government would not be strong enough if the Preamble was not put into place. Lecture 14 states, “Anti-federalists suspicious of central power fought the new Constitution tenaciously…..

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The establishment of the Constitution after the failed Articles of Confederation remains a source of controversy among American citizens even in modern times. In his essay “The Hope of the Framers to Recruit Citizens to Enter Public Life,” Jack N. Rakove accurately argues that the Constitution was meant to be an avenue for the people to enter into and be involved in politics, and for the government to be involved in the peoples’ lives in order to ensure a non-autocratic future for the new nation. An element of the Constitution through which the Framers ensured the freedom and political participation of American citizens was the Bill of Rights. “The principal result of the ratification debates was the acceptance of an idea that the framers

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When the Constitution was first drafted in Philadelphia, 1787, there was strong opposition to it from the supporters of the Articles of Confederation, America’s first governing document. One of the starkest Anti-Federalists, Patrick Henry, believed the Constitution was a gateway to power for tyrants, similarly, Thomas Jefferson strongly opposed the Constitution’s ratification, believing the Constitution would strip Americans of their freedoms and liberties. Despite their efforts, the Constitution was signed into law, and is now contrarily viewed as that which protects Americans’ rights. The US Constitution is a more democratic document than the Articles of Confederation because under the Articles there was no proportional representation, Americans did not directly vote for any representatives in Congress under the Articles, and the Constitution implemented federal income taxes were able to fund a government that could effectively protect the rights of American citizens.

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The document essentially split the nation into two camps. On one hand, there was a group who welcomed the document, seeing it as necessary for progress. On the other hand, there was a camp which opposed the document, arguing that it represented an unwelcome change. The fact that it ushered a new form of governance where authority would be shared between the federal government and state authorities is one of the factors that made the constitution a controversial document (U.S National Archives and Records Administration, n.d). There are those who felt that the constitution took away authority from the state governments and therefore robbed them of their autonomy.

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As it was definitely difficult to do so, the Constitution was ratified in

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“Richard Henry Lee’s Objection to the Constitution” and James Madison’s “The Federalist No. 51” contend about the positive and negative effects of the Constitution. Both essays are important documents for early American history, and both contain valid points. James Madison, however, presents the better argument with his diplomatic, content, and logical approach. “The Federalist No. 51” begins with a question about how America can properly divide government power (Madison 1). Madison believes the Constitution is the answer because it gives the foundations and tools to keeping the power of the government for the people.

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During the time period of the late eighteenth century the United States were seeking a new governing platform that would support the ideals present in the American Revolution. Principles such as freedom, independence and natural rights were among the driving forces in shaping the constitution. Throughout the creation of the document many disputes occurred, the Federalists wanted a strong central government with unchallenged authority while the Anti Federalists fought for personal freedoms and decisions to be made at a state level. Correspondingly once the Constitution was completed The Anti Federalist opposed to it. They complained that the new system threatened liberties, and failed to protect individual rights in addition to their claim

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The Federalist Papers: Taxation The Federalist papers provided the reasons to support the (then) new plan of government characterized in the Constitution and replied to all critiques of the plan. The Federalist papers were analyzed on how creating a strong government would be harmful to liberty. What the critiquers were not understanding was that an active government is necessary to the survival of liberty. The Articles of Confederations plan did not completely protect these human liberties. The plan did not act significantly on the people and could not enforce its laws.

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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

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Author Boyer et al. writes, “They had become convinced that unless the national government was freed of control of the state legislatures, the country would disintegrate” (Boyer, et al.). The purpose of meeting for a Constitutional Convention was to begin to place these wishes into writing and avoid this suggested national

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In the year of 1781 no-one knew that in just a few hundred years the US would become the most powerful country in the world. Back in 1781 we did the ratification to put in place a system of checks and balances therefore we would have an oppressive government. George Hamilton assured the people everywhere that the constitution had created the “perfect balance between liberty and power” Us as Americans strive to prosper economically and achieve the social freedoms that fought for so diligently. We broke away from England to come to a new land, we addressed the issue of slavery, and fought wars against others countries to achieve the independence we have today. When it comes to the constitution being ratified it should have not been ratified for as it would be an insult to the revolutionaries who fought so hard for our freedom.

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The Constitution DBQ The Constitution of United States is regarded by many as an important document, for it gave the common people the power to form a government the way they want. Yet, despite all the benefits that it brought to the American people at the time, people also had some concerns about the Constitution such as: it is creating a Central government that is too powerful, only white men that owns property are allowed to vote, not everyone in the nation are treated equally, etc. When the Constitution was first being drafted, Representatives from each state hoped to add terms that would benefit their own states—this lead to a heated debate on how the Constitution should be formed.

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The controversies over the ratification of the Constitution was taxation, too much power to the President, trading, and the lack of Bill of Rights. There were people who agreed to ratify the Constitution the way it is, which were called federalists. Federalists reasoned that Americans should ratify the Constitution because Americans are allowed to ask for additional amendments after they ratify the Constitution. The ability to be able to request additional amendments after supported the Federalist’s point of view because the Anti-federalists may ask for further amendments after which could happen after they ratify the Constitution.

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The Constitution—the foundation of the American government—has been quintessential for the lives of the American people for over 200 years. Without this document America today would not have basic human rights, such as those stated in the Bill of Rights, which includes freedom of speech and religion. To some, the Constitution was an embodiment of the American Revolution, yet others believe that it was a betrayal of the Revolution. I personally believe that the Constitution did betray the Revolution because it did not live up to the ideals of the Revolution, and the views of the Anti-Federalists most closely embodied the “Spirit of ‘76.” During the midst of the American Revolution, authors and politicians of important documents, pamphlets, and slogans spread the basis for Revolutionary ideals and defined what is known as the “Spirit of ‘76”.

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