In the early years, after winning independence from Great Britain, the American colonies set up their government in accordance with their first constitution, the Articles of Confederation. This means that the majority of the power laid in the hands of the states and Congress, “the only institution of national authority” (Brinkley 151) at that time, had very little power. This distribution of authority was the manifestation of the American’s fear of a strong, central government. However, as time passed, more and more people came to agree that the national government was too weak and needed to be strengthened.
“The different governments will each control each other at the same time that each will be controlled by itself.” (Doc A, Madison,James, Federalist Paper 51, 1788). Each part of the government had there own jobs to do, for example the central government has the power to regulate trade, conduct foreign relations, provide an army and navy, while the state government set up local governments, holds elections,
These authorities that the national government should have, were all up to the states to decide under the Articles. With the taking away some of the states rights in the Constitution, Anti-federalists feared that this would leave the states too weak, resulting in more problems. Under the new Constitution, many powers that were now in the government 's hands are: the power to levy and collect taxes, the power to regulate interstate commerce, the government set up a national court system consisting of district, circuit, and a supreme court, the government could enforce laws, there was now a house based on population, and a senate based on equal representation (two votes per state), to amend the Constitution, a ⅔ vote of Congress was needed, and a ¾ vote of the states were needed, and a majority rule was needed to pass bills. These new powers and abilities of the national government helped to create a strong, new
The United States Constitution was created to define the powers and limitations of the government. It replaced the Articles of the Confederation, and was ratified by all 13 states in 1787 (American Government, n.d.). The ratification of the Constitution was not without opposition, and the government was split into two groups: federalists, and anti-federalists. The federalist group believed that a national governing body, ruled by the elite class was necessary. Antifederalists, on the other hand, believed that state governments should have more say, and that the government should be run by ordinary people (American Government, n.d.).
US History Name: Professor: Class: Date Introduction American’s first government was under the Articles of Confederation. The articles proved insufficient to form a stable government, as the central government was weak. Delegates in charge of the task of reforming the government met at the Philadelphia Convention in an attempt to resolve the same. They decided to enact an entirely new government by forming a constitution.
Before the Constitution, the United States had the Articles of Confederation. This pre-constitutional government was based off the experiences the colonists had with the King of England. Because of the tyrant nature of the king, the colonists built a government with Strong states, but a weak central government. This resulted in numerous flaws throughout the nation, for example, the government could tax the people or raise an army. Theses flaws also created a rift within the nation forming two parties: the Federalists and the Anti Federalist.
The Articles of confederation were the first form of government in the united states, but were too weak and
After the American Revolution, the colonies needed to reconstruct a new, fresh government. America, however, was extremely restrictive with giving the central government any forms of power after the hardships the colonies faced being under the British government and Parliament. The colonies did not want to undergo another period of unfair taxation and regulated systems. Thus, America’s first government, The Articles of Confederation, gave the central government immensely few granted powers. After an eight year period, the majority of America knew that they needed a new form of government.
Many people today believe that the federal government has too much power, but can you imagine living in a time where the national government had too little power? The United States claimed its independence from Great Britain in July, 1776. And so it was up to the now free colonists to create their new nation’s government. In fear of living under another tyrant, the Americans wanted to set up a government that would be equally just to all citizens. The Articles of Confederation became our first national constitution in November, 1777.
With the state governments having more power, there was no order in the country. Every state had different laws, taxes, court systems, and currencies, so it was like each state was its own individual country. When the national government had more power, the country was more organized and unified because everyone followed the same laws, had most of the same taxes, had one national court system, and all had the same type of currency. The country was also somewhat more equal because each state had an equal number of representatives in the government. Federalists were happy with the decision to pass the Constitution because they supported it, while the anti-federalists were unhappy because they were against it.
Over 200 years ago, the foundation of the United States government was established through the Constitution. Some believed this new prospect as valuable and necessary, while others believed it to be irrational and unnecessary. Although the states were called the United States, their views and opinions did not coincide with one another. Recently defeating the powerful British Parliament in 1783, Americans desired a government that guaranteed their liberties and promised freedom. Many states ratified the Constitution almost immediately, but others debated vigorously over accepting it.
The Constitution united the states in a more structured and governed body, while allowing the states to have some individually, and protected all rights of people specified in the Bill of Rights. The main fear in the constitution was that the central governing power in federal government would create a tyrant, something the colonists feared from their experience as being part of the British empire. Because of this, the founding fathers divided all the powers in the federal government into branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. Each branch is in check with the others, and makes it extremely hard for the country to fall into
Indeed, the first written form of government was a great idea for the colonies, but due to the weak central government, the states were granted almost every power; as if every state was their own country. Defense, general welfare,
This country was founded with the attempt to separate the federal government and the state government, known as federalism. The goal of federalism is to divide the power of state and federal governments, protect the rights of the state, and prevent tyranny of the majority. Throughout the years, federalism turned into dual federalism where the state and federal government were completely independent of each other and only shared a dependency on the Constitution. The united states suppressing now to cooperative federalism, the national government has assumed even more power, overruling the states with Supreme Court decisions and actions, and executive Orders. Furthermore, the Federal government should grant their state governments more power, due to the connection the state governments hold with their local people.
Unit Three Freakonomics Response Chapter 5 of the book Freakonomics addresses what the possible reasons that make a child do well on standardized testing. The options are, what a parent does for a child or what a parent is. The answers are somewhat surprising. They also make me feel a little better.
