Once the American Revolution had ended, America required a new form of government to happen. November of 1777, the Continental Congress accepted the first American Constitution known as the Articles of Confederation. Shortly after the Articles were confirmed by the states in 1781, multiple problems started to arise that provided the United States with an ineffective government from 1781 all the way to 1789. They were not able to address any of the problems dealing with the American Nation due to the lacking features of the government under the Articles. Moreover, the Articles presented each state with too much power that lead to a loose confederation creating a limited power to the central government.
In the years 1787 and 1788 right after the Constitutional Convention, many people argued over the context of the constitution. The ratification started when the Congress turned the Constitution over to the state legislatures. Because most of the framers had already decided to discard the Articles of Confederation when drafting the Constitution, the lack of people following the articles made the legislatures feel that an unanimous vote was unnecessary. The delegates agreed that approval from only 9 of the 13 states would be adequate to ratify the United States Constitution. However, the process to ratifying the constitution was difficult including groups of people and regions who supported or opposed the ratification.
September 17, 1787, the new founded Constitution was approved by the convention and was ready to be sent to each of the states for ratification. It was time vote on the new formed constitution, and each state had an equal number of votes. The voting results came back with thirty-nine out of fifty-five delegates approved of the new constitution, which was barely enough to win. The Untied States finally had a constitution and a strong national
In the late 1700’s, it was America’s goal to create a republic that had a representative government that was based upon the approval of the people. Unfortunately, the people feared a strong central government because of the previous trouble the colonies had when they were ruled by Britain. They were always being unfairly taxed and had very few rights. In order to avoid this, a very weak government was developed that seemed to satisfy the people, but would not satisfy the well being of the country. It wasn’t until Shay’s rebellion which brought light to the fact that the Articles of Confederation were not going to cut it, so the Constitutional Convention was created and convened to find an alternative solution which was the creation of the Constitution.
1. The Constitution of 1787 attempted to resolve agreements on regulating trade, taxing, protecting private property, and several other weaknesses the Articles of Confederation did not fixate on. Another controversial topic in the Constitutional Convention was the question on representation. Two different plans were presented: the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan. The Virginia Plan wanted representation to depend on the population within a state, a national government with three branches, and one house that would elect the people in a second house.
The debate over the Constitution created much tension throughout the new country. From problems with the Articles of Confederation, western expansion, Shay’s rebellion, problem’s at the Constitutional Convention, slave trade, and the start of the War of 1812 all created tensions over the Constitution but nothing that the greats minds of the time couldn’t handle. Initially, the Articles of Confederation were the first written constitution of the United States, drafted in 1777 and ratified four years later by Congress (Lecture). The Articles of Confederation provided for a government by a national legislature but left the crucial power of monies, as well as all final power to make and execute laws, entirely to the states (US: A Narrative History,
The Constitution of the United States was written in 1787, but there was a grapple for its ratification that went on until about two decades after the ratification. Members of Congress believed that the first government of the United States or the Articles of Confederation, needed to be adjusted while others did not want anything to change. After the Revolutionary War, the people did not want a strong central government, because it reminded them too much of what they were trying to escape from. Under the Articles, each state had their own laws, and the need for a new Constitution was desired by many. The Constitution of 1787 created huge debates, arguments and splits in the nation that lasted for several year after its ratification between people who
The debate between the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists significantly impacted the ratification of the Constitution. In the 1780’s, there were two opposing groups: the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists. The Anti-Federalists were concerned about the potential for a strong central government and the lack of individual rights. On the other hand, Federalists believed in a strong federal government to maintain order and protect the nation. Both these arguments and discussions led to the addition of the Bill of Rights, which addressed the Anti-Federalists' concerns.
Following the end of the American Revolution marked a new set of problems for the United States. As impending war debts were threatening to crush the new nation, America knew they needed to address the flaws of the Articles of Confederation through a Constitutional Convention. The United States Constitution of 1787 was created in hopes of developing a stronger and more effective governing body while still upholding America’s virtues of freedom. Unfortunately, with change, comes opposition, and many people feared that the Constitution would be oppressive and undermine the autonomy of the individual states through its strong central government. Because of this, the issues that sparked the greatest controversies during the ratification of the
After Congress approved to create the US Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation, the battle for ratification was heated, which created to two- party system: Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
After the Revolutionary War, the 13 colonies found themselves in a bind. With a weak national government and no way to impose taxes under the Articles of Confederation, the burden of war debt seemed insurmountable. For the four years between the end of the war and the ratification of the Constitution in 1788, debate raged on between the Anti-Federalists, who supported the Articles of Confederation, and the Federalists, who desired to create a stronger federal government under the Constitution. Many subjects were hotly debated between the two groups, but two of the most important issues debated were the rights of the national and state governments and the Bill of Rights. While compromise on these issues eventually led to the ratification of
In May 1787 55 delegates met in Philadelphia to amend the Articles Of Confederation. They debated about the New Jersey plan and Virginia plan. The states also ratified on how they need the bill of rights. Then they argued about slavery. Many things helped shape the Articles Of Confederation such as how they talked about representation, The states ratification, and slavery.
There was no regulation of trade and each state printed its own currency. This resulted in an un-stable and inconsistent economy. In 1787 55 delegates from the states met with the purpose of amending the Articles of Confederation. What actually took place that day was the creation of something that would remain our governments foundation for many years. The question facing the delegates was what should the new government be based on? There were two plans that were considered, the New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan.
Why was the Constitution a controversial document even as it was being written? Established in 1787 The Constitution was a controversial document because it was a document that could both solve the nation’s hardships and warped the Republican foundation. The Constitution on one hand would give the people a voice and the other would control the nation through a monarchy system. One of the controversies that arose from the creation of the Constitution was the question of management of commerce.
A meeting was called up, number of delegates have met in Philadelphia to discuss/construct a new form of government. Here is where George Washington became America’s first president and a new government was formed. George Washington was a leader of integrity and respected all his people and their rights, he lead by the land of the law (the Constitution). The system had been very successful, the national government had an increase in power in which the civilians were no longer allowed to do as they please. It had created boundaries between the two.
