The Making of the Constitution
The Constitution of the United States, the fundamental law of the United States of America. Drafted by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pa., between May 25 and Sept. 17, 1787, it is the world's oldest written constitution still in effect. The document presents a set of general principles out of which implementing statutes and codes have emerged. As such, it embodies the essence of constitutionality--that government must be confined by the rule of law. The House of Representatives, Congress, The President and Vice President were executive powers outlined in key sections within the Constitution. These people represented all of the colonies together as
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Following this request the Constitutional Congress authorizes a convention for the explicit purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation, on February 21, 1787. [ii]
Then on May 25, 1787, The Constitutional Convention begins with a quorum of 29 delegates from seven states. Robert Morris of Philadelphia nominates George Washington as president of the convention. The convention delegates agreed that a new constitution was needed. However, many controversies had to be resolved before one could be drafted. A basic issue was the extent of powers to be granted to the national government, and a major obstacle was the conflicting interests of large and small states.[iii]
On May 28, 1787, Pierce Butler of South Carolina proposes that deliberations be in secret, so delegates can speak without fear of public pressure. The secrecy rule is kept for the nearly four months of deliberations. The following day May 29, 1787, The Virginia Plan, conceived largely by James Madison, is proposed. It favors the big states, calling for a bicameral legislature with representatives
On March 1, 1781, the first written constitution called the articles of confederation became a disaster after the American Revolution. The need for a revision took place at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia 1787. Meanwhile, the convention was aggressively debated by fifty-five delegates from thirteen states; within consideration of ratifying the new constitution. However, the new constitution is better than the articles of confederation when fixing the problems airing in national debt and their feeble federal government. The requirements for a stronger federal government became more prominent for the U.S. and the constitution convention was the solution to their problems.
Virginia plan was the first and large plan drafted by James Madison and presented by Edmund Randolph to the Constitutional
During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, representatives were sent from each state, excluding Rhode Island, to create a new constitution for the soon to be the United States. This new Constitution guards against tyranny by setting into place certain policies and principles to separate power such as, the separation of powers, checks and balances between those, and a bicameral legislature that gives fair representation.
In May of 1789, the Constitutional Convention was held in to Philadelphia to get rid of the Articles of Confederation and make a new constitution. Since the Articles Of Confederation was weak and did not have enough power to have the national functioning well. The delegates want the new constitution to have a strong central government and be able to hold the nation together. The hardest part in creating a new constitution for the delegates was to prevent any type of tyranny that let any person or group of people or branch or level of government to have too much power. Eventually when the constitution was finished, it managed to guard tyranny by dividing
When the Framers of the Constitution met in Philadelphia, they came together with one common purpose in mind. They needed to form a fair and solid system of government that would stand the test of time; one that was both fair for the people and would not involve a monarchy. Each of these men had their own ideas on what would constitute this system, however, so many compromises had to be made. Together, the men gathered in Philadelphia created a federal system of government and drafted a constitution outlining this government. They took care in developing three branches of federal government with a system of checks and balances so that no one branch would gain too much power, thus avoiding any
The United States Constitution of 1787 was drafted at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, which addressed the problems of The Articles of Confederation. The U.S Constitution of 1787 was a document that was used to establish the organization, function, and the power of the government which later replaced The Articles of Confederation. The U.S Constitution suggested that the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land and that it was designed to centralize and increase the government power. On the other hand, Texas Constitution was ratified in 1876, demonstrating a decentralized in the government power.
In May 1787, the Founding Fathers, who were made up of 55 delegates from one of the 13 states besides Rhode Island, met in Philadelphia for what would come to be called the Constitutional Convention [BRE]. When they met they intended to fix the consitution that was already in place, which was called the Articles of Confederation. This document had many weaknesses which ultimatly led to its downfall: it only had a legislative branch, so it could not hold trials or enforce laws, it could not raise taxes (it was able to raise money, however to do this the legislative branch had to ask the states for funds), it could not draft an army, so the federal government would have to use state militia, it could not control interstate or foreign commmerce,
The Virginia Plan sparked debate over its legislative representative proposals. The plan proposed representation of the states by population. This proposition favored the larger states. The Jersey Plan also known as the smaller state plan rallied for equal representation for all states. A compromise was finally reached. One house of the legislature would consist of two representatives from each state. This satisfied the small states. The second house of the legislature would consist of representatives based on population, thus satisfying the larger states. The establishment of a fair measure to apply taxation and representation in the legislature was described in the Federalist Papers: The Apportionment of Members among the States. The government would conduct a census that would prevent the states from understating their population for taxation and overstating their population for representation. The “Great Compromise” resolving the issue of representation did not mean that the federalists and anti-federalists had come to agreement on the Constitution.
In the hot, humid summer of 1787 state delegates met for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and drafted a new frame of government for the United States: the United States Constitution. A new federal system of government was set forth which distributed powers between the state and federal government and created three branches of government as checks and balances for each other. The new Constitution also gave the new government the power to both tax and regulate commerce.
55 delegates of twelve states wrote the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787 and in 1788 the states ratified it. That gathering at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall brought nearly all of the nation’s most prominent men together, including Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison and George Washington. Several of the men appointed had records of service in the army and in the courts and others were experienced in colonial and state government. When Thomas Jefferson found out who had been appointed he wrote “It is really an assembly of demigods” to John Adams. That summer in Philadelphia, the men, drew out a document defining the distinct powers for the the president, the federal courts and the Congress. This division of authority that was established is known as the principle of separation of powers, and it ensures that none of the branches of government can overstep their boundaries.
When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution in 1787, the United States just had 13 states. The Founding Fathers believed that more states would want to join the Union in the future. They saw that it would be significant for new states to have the same form of government as the original states had. Since then there are now over 50 states that have similar characteristics which were developed centuries ago; although, resembling the creation of new ideas and inventions, current state government had many problems from being the way it is today, it also has many important features that benefit many people, as well as plays an important role in how American democracy and government works.
The Constitution was originally called the Virgina Plan and was wrote by James Madison. It then went to the Constitutional convention and was modified by fifty-five delegates ordered by George Washington. The Constitution was first signed by William Jackson, and there was thirty-nine more people who followed in Jackson's steps. There were twelve states that sent people to the convention. Rhode Island did not send anyone to the convention.
Professor Larry Sabato is the founder of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia presents 23 proposals to revitalize our Constitution and Make America a Fairer Country. His book provides insight for a hard fought debate. Whether you like his suggestions or not or you agree with him or not, you have to respect anyone that can outwardly state that the United States Constitution as it has been handed down is “outdated.” This quest for reform I’m sure would anger many political conservatives who believe that the Constitution that we know today, is not in need of any reform, and is just the true document that is has always been and should remain.
A constitution is a written document that sets forth the fundamental rules by which a society is governed. Throughout the course of history the United States has lived under two Constitutions since the British-American colonies declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776. First in line was the Articles of Confederation (1789-1789) followed by the Constitution of United States of America (1789-present). The Articles of Confederation was the first formal written Constitution of America that specified how the national government was to operate. Unfortunately, the Articles did not last long. Under the words of the Article’s power was limited; Congress could make decisions, but had no power to enforce them. Also the articles stated
In 1789, when the U.S. constitution came into effectiveness, America’s government, laws, and citizen rights were established. The constitution, known as the supreme law of the United States of America, is comprised of various philosophical foundations. These foundations of the constitution have shaped America’s society and government, and continue to affect it daily. So, in this paper, these philosophical foundations and their impact on America will be discussed. Popular sovereignty is one critical foundation of the Constitution.