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Why Is America's Constitution Relevant Today

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The United States’s Constitution has been this country’s constitution for two-hundred and thirty years on September 17. Before the Constitution there were the Articles of Confederation. This form of government that the states had, wasn’t working. The states were divided and Britain controlled their trade, making it impossible for them to get the products they needed for the price they arranged for. They needed a new form of government so that their new country could survive. James Madison wrote what we see as the Constitution today. He researched history to figure out the perfect form of government. The government he pictured completely abolished the Articles of Confederation and wanted the people to have complete say in this new government. He wanted it to be presented at the convention, where the states were planning on fixing the Articles of Confederation not abolishing the Articles. The reason why many of the states were …show more content…

The smaller states knew that they would not have a say in the vote or in this future Congress if they did not break this alliance. Connecticut decided to make an unlikely alliance, South Carolina. South Carolina was the leader in slave trade and Connecticut was abolishing slavery in their state, but they both depended on trade for their economy. This one factor helped them form their alliance. Eventually the states were able to compromise the representation in the Senate, later being called the Connecticut Compromise. The compromise stated that every state gets two Senators and each Senator gets one vote in the Senate. Through compromises and having the best interest for the country, the convention was able to vote on the Constitution of what was now the United States of America. The Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. This created the government that the United States of America now sees

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However, that only further benefited Slave states. Slavery was disputed again when Northern states wanted the government to have complete power over trade with the other nations. Southern states depended heavily on trade and feared that the North would get enough votes to interfere with their slave and agricultural

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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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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

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The Constitutional Convention of 1787 brought politicians from different states together in order to create a more complex and centralized form of government. The Virginia Plan was brought forward by James Madison, a representative of Virginia, who wanted to create a more centralized and powerful national government, that would benefit the larger states if it was implemented. The main political dilemma was to construct a central government that would provide the necessary national goods without interfering or endangering the power of the states. Some of the issues discussed at the Convention that were brought forward by the representatives were congressional representation, the appointment of House seats, the national assumption of state debts, the regulation of tariffs and the presidential powers, which were later on incorporated in what is known today as the Constitution.

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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.

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Previously, the colonists had problems with a faulty government and feared tyranny. When the colonists first had the opportunity to self-govern, The Articles of Confederation was formed and thus a poor example of government. The Articles of Confederation creating a weak, defenceless and powerless country. In the second attempt to create a more perfect government, the Constitution of the United States of America was formed. The colonists decided to place a guard against tyranny and thus, over 230 years after the writing of the Constitution of the United States, The Constitution in fact protects the states, the states rights and the citizens rights against tyranny.

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As a Federalist and one of the inventors of the Constitution, James Madison created the Federalist Papers with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. The Federalists Papers was composed of 85 essays of which supported the Constitution. The War of 1812 seemed to take its toll on James Madison. He feared that fighting a gigantic island such as Great Britain would end with many American casualties and the United States would never grow into the beneficial country he knew it could be.

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“When the framers of the Constitution met in 1787, they set out to establish a political system that would protect liberty and place limits on government.” (Ginsberg, 28). In 1777, the Continental Congress acquired the first written constitution, the Articles of Confederation, for the United States, only to be replaced by the Constitution around ten years later, due to the weaknesses found in the Articles. Although the Articles were required in 1777, they were not ratified at that year, “it was not ratified by all the states until 1781.”(Ginsberg, 35). Under the Articles of Confederation, the states had more power than the central government.

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What are the Historical Influences of United States Constitution? It is known that people all over the world have come to the United States, to create a better life for their families and themselves. The United States is known for having the best form of government for people to be included and have a say in their beliefs. What many people do not know is, what influenced the United States Constitution and the founding fathers in writing.

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Signed on September 17, 1787, the United States Constitution has remained as one of the most well-known documents in American history that is still heavily involved in many functions of our society today. And although many aspects of the document are still relevant in today’s terms, many Americans do not understand the historical context for it, and why it was necessary. Simply put, the Constitution came as a direct result of the Congress’ inability to tax the nation. The government at the time simply was not strong enough at that time to enforce such a rule, so with the aid of checks and balances, the United States was able to create a strong governmental system while preventing corruption.

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130 Words | 1 Pages

‘The Constitution reflects the time when it was written in a number of ways. Generally, these aspects of the Constitution show us how people at time were worried about different issues than we are today and that they had different sensibilities than we have. The authors of the constitution seemed to agree that no one wanted another monarch, but they had little idea how the government would actually make it without a king or an aristocrat. The constitution is called a "living document", meaning that it changes as the country changes. Through a system of checks and balances, amendments and Supreme Court rulings, the constitution has not been carved in stone, as it has been in time and in the environment.

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James Madison one of the elected members of the Continental Convention was one of the supporters for the independence of the American Colonies. As a member of the convention which was held in 1787 in Philadelphia, he made a draft for the convention which helped increase the size of the Constitution. The constitution became a known thing in 1789 and there were twelve states that were included by the delegates at the convention. At the time George Washington was the president of the United States, but it was Madison that caused the U.S Constitution to be created. He was able to make a serious impact to the approval of the Constitution by writing the Federalist essays with the help of Alexander Hamilton and John Jay.

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The United States Constitution means that I have a voice. It is there to protect my freedom by imposing law, in the form of objective and clear rules, on government officials. The first three word used in the constitution “We the People” confirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. The right to be free from dictatorship, taxation without representation, and most importantly, voicing one’s opinions and criticism of those in government, without fear of government retribution The Constitution is known to many citizens of the United States of America as the foundation of this country. Growing up just minutes away from the Mexico border, I’ve known many people who are trying to become U.S. Citizens and has made

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“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” These simple 52 words, and the other 4491 that go along with it, have not only changed the course of history, but have become a motto and way of life for millions of people, including myself. The United States Constitution is not merely a framework of policies for the nation, but instead a description of the American way. This “living text” adapts to each generation of Americans and the lives they lead. The Constitution has altered how I view fellow Americans, in addition to its trailblazing guarantee of inalienable rights.

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Our constitution is the most important document protecting civil rights. Our founding fathers ensured that the ideals of freedom of the people having inalienable civil rights in the United States of America. We are a country that prizes integrity. A strong sense of national integrity that is designed to ensure our government is peopled by those that honor ethical and moral standards through the voting process.

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