The History of the Constitutional Convention
In 1787, Congress realized that states governing themselves would leave the nation powerless when faced with another war. The United States had adopted the Articles of Confederation a decade prior, but the system wasn’t working. Each state was able to govern itself, and they didn’t have to abide by any regulations set by the federal government. The United States has a federalist government, meaning that the citizens are held to the laws of the state and the nation, but the federal government was left nearly powerless to enforce any type of authority. Congress had no way of being able to regulate commerce and no authority to emplace taxes. Without Congress having a way to appropriate funds, the …show more content…
The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia between May and September of 1787. There were 74 delegates that had been elected by state legislatures to attend, but the convention had issues with attendance. The convention began on May 14, 1787, but it wasn’t until May 25th that the minimum number of 7 states needed for the meetings to proceed, or quorum, had been met. Only 55 delegates actually attended the convention, and of them only 39 signed the Constitution. The priority of the convention was to find a way to regulate how much power the states could have and to strengthen the government. One of the first issues that was faced in the convention was how the states would represented in the legislature. James Madison drafted the Virginia Plan as a proposal to address this. The Virginia Plan was put before the convention by Edmund Randolph and proposed the government to be made into three different branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Of these branches, the people would vote in the members of the two legislative branches, and then the cabinet members of the legislative branches …show more content…
Some things that Congress has the power to do are: Collect taxes, print and borrow money, declare war, set up federal courts, propose amendments to the Constitution, control commerce, and accept or reject foreign treaties. Congress also has the power to do a pocket veto, which means that if they send a bill to the President he either has 10 days to return it to them vetoed or it is as if it were signed. If the President does send a bill back that has been vetoed, Congress has the power to override the veto with a 2/3 vote. Congress however cannot: Pass ex post facto law, Pass bill of attainder, grant titles of nobility, or suspend writ of habeas corpus which protects citizens from illegal
In 1787, Congress realized that states governing themselves would leave the nation powerless when faced with another war. The United States had adopted the Articles of Confederation a decade prior, but the system wasn’t working. Each state was able to govern itself, and they didn’t have to abide by any regulations set by the federal government. The United States has a federalist government, meaning that the citizens are held to the laws of the state and the nation, but the federal government was left nearly powerless to enforce any type of authority. Congress had no way of being able to regulate commerce and no authority to emplace taxes. Without Congress having a way to appropriate funds, the …show more content…
The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia between May and September of 1787. There were 74 delegates that had been elected by state legislatures to attend, but the convention had issues with attendance. The convention began on May 14, 1787, but it wasn’t until May 25th that the minimum number of 7 states needed for the meetings to proceed, or quorum, had been met. Only 55 delegates actually attended the convention, and of them only 39 signed the Constitution. The priority of the convention was to find a way to regulate how much power the states could have and to strengthen the government. One of the first issues that was faced in the convention was how the states would represented in the legislature. James Madison drafted the Virginia Plan as a proposal to address this. The Virginia Plan was put before the convention by Edmund Randolph and proposed the government to be made into three different branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Of these branches, the people would vote in the members of the two legislative branches, and then the cabinet members of the legislative branches …show more content…
Some things that Congress has the power to do are: Collect taxes, print and borrow money, declare war, set up federal courts, propose amendments to the Constitution, control commerce, and accept or reject foreign treaties. Congress also has the power to do a pocket veto, which means that if they send a bill to the President he either has 10 days to return it to them vetoed or it is as if it were signed. If the President does send a bill back that has been vetoed, Congress has the power to override the veto with a 2/3 vote. Congress however cannot: Pass ex post facto law, Pass bill of attainder, grant titles of nobility, or suspend writ of habeas corpus which protects citizens from illegal