APUSH
APUSH Broadside Theory
Our nation is dealing with tumultuous times; our people are losing their farms and homes and our government is unable to pay back its bills. Congress’ inability to properly govern threatens us domestically and internationally. If we are unable to fix this, we possibly could divide into thirteen small republics or have a state of rebellion similar to the recent crisis in Massachusetts. In an attempt to fix the government, we sent delegates from every state to Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, radical delegates quickly ignored the original intent of the conference, usurped the Articles of Confederation and replaced it with …show more content…
Within the legislative branch, the House of Representatives and Senate would only be sixty – five representatives and 26 senators respectively, which is smaller than many of our state legislatures. A nation as large as our own cannot be properly represented by such a small amount of representatives. This means that these representatives will be disconnected from their constituents and will not represent their interests, or needs. More importantly, the larger the Congress, the more opportunity for the common people have to successfully run for office. A small Congress will lead to only the rich and affluent being senators and representatives, clouding the common people’s voice in the federal government. Melancton Smith (a fellow Antifederalist) best explains the effect of a small Congress on the voice of the common people by saying, “If the number of representatives is small, the position will be too competitive. Ordinary people will not attempt to run for office. A middle-class yeoman (farmer) will never be chosen. So, the government will fall into the hands of the few and the rich. ” Needless to say, when rich congressmen are elected they will not look out for the common man, and will only promote policies which benefit themselves. Another issue lies with the unrestrained ability for …show more content…
Our beautiful nation has nearly four million people spread from the Eastern seaboard to the Mississippi River. Do you think it is truly possibly to centrally govern such a large land, without the sacrifice of someone’s liberty? The Congress when governing on interstate relations, will lack the understanding of the sociopolitical issues of each state. Simply said, does a man from Georgia understand the issues of New York City or does a New Yorker understand the problems of a man living in the Northwest Territory? This new nation needs to be united yet we differ in the ways we live, so power should remain at the state and local level to accurately represent the citizens’ issues. This new federal government would attempt to make national policies which would affect each state differently on an economic and social level. Having more representatives in the North than in the South could lead to unfair tariffs on trade which would benefit the industrious North but kill the economy of the agrarian South. Another issue lies with the federal court system, local connections to the state/local court system would soon be absorbed by far - away federal courts. The distance and remoteness of the court system would put the common people at a disadvantage as they would need to leave their farms and work to attend their court