Following the American Revolution, the Articles of Confederation, the United States’ first written constitution, was ratified in 1781. The Articles of Confederation was designed to give the central government limited powers. American politicians feared that a strong central government could lead to tyranny similar to Great Britain’s government. Essentially, the Articles created a nation of sovereign states. Sovereignty status allowed states to govern themselves and interact with foreigners without the involvement of the central government. The central government’s lack of great power and authority under the Articles of Confederation, the demand for the protection of the rights of citizens, and the need for the separation of powers led to
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The Federalists believed that “the Constitution was required in order to safeguard the liberty independence that the American Revolution had created.” The Federalists were organized and had many celebrity support and they advertised their agenda to the public. The Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, were formulated to encourage New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution. The Federalists insisted that the greatest threat to the United States’ future was the surplus of democracy that triggered Shay’s Rebellion among other major disturbances and they supported the abandonment of the Articles of Confederation. The main detractors of the Constitution are the Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists sought a weak central government that was completely different form Britain’s tyranny, insisted that the Constitution could lead the country to political corruption, and believed that the three branches of government gave too much power to the central government. The Anti-Federalists’ main issue with the Constitution was that it did not discuss personal liberties, such as those described during the enlightenment period. James Madison proposed twelve amendments of which ten were approved. The ten amendments were named the Bill of Rights. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, influenced the Bill of Rights by promoting the natural rights of the people and that the …show more content…
The Virginia plan, supported by the more populous states, proposed the three-branch system consisting of a bicameral legislative based on the population of the states, an executive and a judiciary, while the New Jersey plan, supported by the less populous states, proposed a unicameral legislature with equal representation. The Virginia and New Jersey plans were then combined to appease both sides in what is known as the Great Compromise. The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate, two representatives for every state, and the House of Representatives based on population. The Separation of Powers was “designed to do one primary thing: to prevent the majority from ruling with an iron fist.” In other words, the founding fathers did not want one single branch of the government to have too much power over the others. Separation of Powers allows for Checks and Balances. The legislative branch is responsible for passing laws that the executive can enact or veto. The Judiciary can review whether or not a bill, or a law is lawful under the Constitution. Moreover, Congress could remove the president if he or she is not doing his or her job properly. The sharing of power in the government has helped the Constitution gain support and allowed
The Federalists believed that “the Constitution was required in order to safeguard the liberty independence that the American Revolution had created.” The Federalists were organized and had many celebrity support and they advertised their agenda to the public. The Federalist Papers, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, were formulated to encourage New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution. The Federalists insisted that the greatest threat to the United States’ future was the surplus of democracy that triggered Shay’s Rebellion among other major disturbances and they supported the abandonment of the Articles of Confederation. The main detractors of the Constitution are the Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists sought a weak central government that was completely different form Britain’s tyranny, insisted that the Constitution could lead the country to political corruption, and believed that the three branches of government gave too much power to the central government. The Anti-Federalists’ main issue with the Constitution was that it did not discuss personal liberties, such as those described during the enlightenment period. James Madison proposed twelve amendments of which ten were approved. The ten amendments were named the Bill of Rights. The Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, influenced the Bill of Rights by promoting the natural rights of the people and that the …show more content…
The Virginia plan, supported by the more populous states, proposed the three-branch system consisting of a bicameral legislative based on the population of the states, an executive and a judiciary, while the New Jersey plan, supported by the less populous states, proposed a unicameral legislature with equal representation. The Virginia and New Jersey plans were then combined to appease both sides in what is known as the Great Compromise. The Great Compromise created a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate, two representatives for every state, and the House of Representatives based on population. The Separation of Powers was “designed to do one primary thing: to prevent the majority from ruling with an iron fist.” In other words, the founding fathers did not want one single branch of the government to have too much power over the others. Separation of Powers allows for Checks and Balances. The legislative branch is responsible for passing laws that the executive can enact or veto. The Judiciary can review whether or not a bill, or a law is lawful under the Constitution. Moreover, Congress could remove the president if he or she is not doing his or her job properly. The sharing of power in the government has helped the Constitution gain support and allowed