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The constitutional convention of 1787 conflict and compromise
The effects of the constitutional convention
The effects of the constitutional convention
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The National government initiated in 1789 by the United States Constitution in it early stages faced a numerous amount of threats for a multifarious reasons. The Hartford Convention in 1814-1815 and the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794 show the variety of obstacles the government was forced to conquer. The motives differ from fear for trade,high taxes,the actions from armed rebellion to review of the constitution. A multitude of people would have liked the government to have faltered. The Constitution of the United States led to an increase in power.
In May of 1787, fifty-five delegates from eleven of the thirteen American states came together in Philadelphia. The goal that they had was to fix and improve the current government created by the Articles of Confederation, which had been occurring since the year of 1781. The Articles created a weak alliance among the states. There was nothing that the national government could do about the taxes or regulate commerce. The delegates whom attended the Philadelphia convention had came to agreement that there were issues in the Articles of Confederation that needed to be fixed.
Later on, people realized that they were in urgent need for a government reformation. This supported the federalists demand for creating a powerful government. The articles of confederation were a plan established in 1781, and were a limited government that gave most of its power to the states. The articles of confederation were too weak
In May 25, 1787, a convention was called in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to express the purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation. However, the intention from many delegates was to draft a new constitution; create a new government rather than fix the existing one. Rhode Island was the only one of the 13 original states to refuse to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention. At the Convention, the first issues they had to address was the representation in Congress.
It seemed like a great idea at first, shifting power to different areas so as not to give a certain state or person too much power. Little did they know, however, that there were many flaws with the document. It not only limited Congress' power regarding several aspects of the government, but it also caused an economic depression for everyone by causing tax and trade issues amongst the states and foreign countries, as well as, it also prevented Congress from pressuring people to pay taxes. After two serious incidents occurred and numerous complaints from Congress, a constitutional convention occurred in 1787 at Independence Hall. During this time, delegates debated which plans, the Virginia Plan or the New Jersey Plan, should be used a basis for their new government.
Due to the pathetic turnout of only 6 representatives it became clear that the limitations of the Articles of Confederation were crippling the development of the new country. In 1787 delegates gathered in Philadelphia in hopes to revise the Articles of Confederation. What ended up happening were not minor revisions or tweaks, a completely new charter of the government was drafted, now known as the Constitution. These changes brought fear to some, such as Rawlin Lowndes. He debated the adoption of the federal constitution, suggesting “Would it not be better to add strength to the old Confederation, instead of hastily adopting another” (Doc H).
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
he Constitutional Convention was composed of men of strong principal; men with firm opinions and the education to support those views. Their patriotism and analytical prowess fueled the Convention and its countless debates, resulting in months of writing and perfecting the document that serves as our nation’s foundation. The delegates’ intensity caused them to continue haggling over details up until just days before the Constitution was completed. Such was the case on September 14th, 1787, a mere three days before the Constitution was sent off for ratification. Several issues were raised for discussion that day, including that of impeachment, the publication of all the proceedings of the lower house of Congress, and the appointment of a national
In May of 1787, 55 delegates came to Philadelphia to have a Constitutional Convention. They had this meeting so they could make the U.S. Constitution. They wanted to make one because the articles of the Confederation were not working. They wanted to make a Constitution that would benefit the U.S. The Constitution also guarded against tyranny in 4 different ways, Federalism, Separation of powers, checks and balances and big State little State, compromise.
States started to print their own money behind the laws back, they participated in foreign trade negotiations, and they organized their own armed forces. All of these issues led to the Constitutional Convention. Delegates wanted to divide power in the federal government. They refused to let the powers be taken over by just one man or group. They were scared
These national "superstars" did not, however, include people from western parts of the country, nor did it include any artisans or tenant farmers. Indeed, there was only a single person of modest wealth whom we could consider a yeoman farmer. These were superstars and that meant that they did not reflect anything close to the full range of American society. Partly because the delegates had already served as national representatives, they shared a general commitment to a strong central government. Many were strong nationalists who thought the Articles of Confederation gave too much power to the states and were especially concerned about state governments' vulnerability to powerful local interests.
The constitution's adoption in 1787 was just one of several challenges the young country confronted. Financial instability was once a fresh phenomena due to a federal government that was severely indebted and lacked the actual revenue to pay it off. Additionally, the federal government lacked the power to levy taxes, which suggests that citizens were hesitant to do so, which posed a serious challenge for it. The new Republican leaders lacked political cohesion because of political differences. The federalist party, which supported a powerful central government, was led by Alexander Hamilton.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 also solved major two internal conflicts within the nation. One was between Federal Government and State Government while the other was among the branches within the federal government. Because the Framers feared the national authority would grow too powerful, they designed it to be divided into three branches, which check and balance the power of each other. The establishment of the Supreme Court was a protection of the minority while two other branches utilized power from the majority population. Therefore, this could reduce the growth in power of the federal government, keeping the state government safe.
The debated decision would take more than a few favored votes in signing a written document. The Articles of Confederation, being used to unite the new born country after the war, were deemed unfortunately insufficient by the representatives of the thirteen colonies. During this time, the young government was composed of one house that served as the Congress, containing no leader and no court system. This new government had miniscule power over the states, who governed themselves. (3) Consequently, this led the representatives of the 13 states to make a journey to Philadelphia, the capital, where they began to scrutinize possible options, and this meeting would become known as the Constitutional Convention.
In 1776 the Continental Congress called upon the colonies to draft new constitutions. The Continental Congress practically asked for colonies to summon themselves into being as new states. According to the theory of republicanism the state 's sovereignty would lie on the authority of the people. The documents the states drafted were contracts that defined the powers of government, as did the old colonial charters, but these new contracts drew their authority form the people, not from the royal seal of the king of Britain. The documents were mean to represent a fundamental law, above to the normal unexplained changes of mind of the ordinary legislations.
