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The US Constitution: The Government We Have Forgotten

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The U.S. Constitution: The Government We Have Forgotten When the Continental Congress met not long after the Revolutionary War, they came with the goal to fix the Articles of Confederation, the first form of government they themselves had implemented. But James Madison, a representative from Virginia had a different plan: To form a new and unprecedented form of government. Madison took the best parts of several different types of government and devised what today we call a democratic republic. The delegates, comprised of many of our Founding Fathers, were taken back by Madison's ambitious idea. But after debating over the issue of government all through the summer of 1787, the delegates agreed on the Connecticut Compromise, which used …show more content…

After more debate and compromise, the Constitutional Congress authorized the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. They established a government with three branches of government, each with different purposes: The executive, to enforce the law; the legislative, to make the law; and the judicial, to ensure the laws were in accordance with the Constitution. The beauty of this government was not the organization, but the checks and balances of each branch to provide a balance of power. Some of the more famous checks are the executive's power to veto and the legislature's power to impeach. The underlying theme of the U.S. Constitution is limiting national government. Our Founding Fathers gave the majority of power to the states. While the national government was given the power to tax, print currency, and conduct international affairs, the remainder of government obligations and abilities was given to the individual states. As a result, the national government was the figurehead of the nation with some …show more content…

A quick look at our government today reveals a political system that has twisted and corrupted the principles set down by the Constitution. The national government has slowly over the course of 200 or so years, wrested the power of the state government away and consolidated government power in the national government. Furthermore, the system of checks and balances has also been abused as the executive branch in particular has reached beyond its constitutional boundaries to accomplish its goals. Some of these power shifts have been done in the name of the greater good, and some of its effects have been positive. But each change takes our nation further from the country our Founding Fathers envisioned in the Constitution and closer to the brink of total ruin, whether anarchy or dictatorship. The lives of ordinary every-day US citizens have been affected by our changing government. Our Founding Fathers are rolling over in their graves because of the institution of the Affordable Care Act. This dangerous precedent, unless repealed by our new administration, will only be repeated in other areas of the lives of the citizens. Our Founding Fathers wanted to preserve the rights of the individual, not weigh them down with excessive restrictions and take away their right to make their own choices. Our Founding Fathers made a democratic republic, not a socialist nation.

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