Constitutional Framers

During the Constitutional Convention, when the framers took up the charge of creating the document that would see the newly formed nation into an ambiguous future they were met with a lengthy list of challenges. If the document they created was not definitive and resilient it would not endure. It had to be more than just a guide to the way Americans should behave towards one another, it also had ensure that one’s chosen to lead could not abuse the authority given to them at the expense of the people. For the purposes of this paper we will focus on representation, excessive democracy and governmental oversight.

One of the problems the framers were tasked to resolve included the distribution of political power. More specifically fair representation considering the differences between the large and small states. The framers had to wrestle with controversial proposals. The first was called the Virginia plan (large states) and the other was called the New Jersey plan (small states). The Virginia plan argued for a two-house legislature while the New Jersey plan thought a single house was better. Larger states lobbied for representation based on a state’s population, while the smaller states thought it better for equal …show more content…
While they wanted to create a democratic form of government, their experiences with various elements of a true democracy would be difficult and could lead to an excessive democracy. So the framers essentially created a Republic where the people could select or elect representatives to make and enforce laws on their behalf. This solution allowed protects the government from the passion of the people, while protecting them from each other. It also helped ensure the government could not be used as an agent of oppression. However, this too was flawed because it can most certainly be argued that slavery which was legal, thus being enforced by the