Jonah Patel
The American government was founded in 1787, when 38 delegates convened in Philadelphia to sign the Constitution. The Constitutional Convention was held in secret, with the windows and doors of the convention hall shut tight to prevent the press from eavesdropping. The founding fathers wanted to protect themselves from the licentious publications of their proceedings and outside influence, which may have included improper influence from those still loyal to England. The rule of secrecy was taken seriously, and the delegates' identities were kept confidential.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of individuals appointed to the Constitutional Convention | 70 |
| Number of delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention | 55 |
| Number of delegates who signed the Constitution | 38 or 39 |
| Age range of delegates | 26 to 81 |
| Date of the Constitutional Convention | May 1787 |
| Location of the Constitutional Convention | Philadelphia |
| Date the Constitution was signed | 17 September 1787 |
| Number of articles condensed into seven by the Committee of Style and Arrangement | 23 |
| Number of delegates who agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person | 38 or 39 |
| Date until which the delegates agreed the slave trade could continue | 1808 |
| Founding Fathers who were members of the Committee of Five | John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin |
| Founding Fathers who negotiated the 1783 Treaty of Paris | Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay |
| Founding Fathers who wrote The Federalist Papers | Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay |
| Commander-in-chief of the Continental Army | George Washington |
| Founding Father who served as the first secretary of war under the U.S. Constitution | Henry Knox |
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What You'll Learn
- The Founding Fathers' differing beliefs and opinions about the future of the United States
- The Federalists' support for a strong central government
- The Anti-Federalists' opposition to the Constitution
- The role of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington in influencing the Constitutional Congress
- The separation of powers and the system of checks and balances
The Founding Fathers' differing beliefs and opinions about the future of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, established the United States of America, and crafted a framework of government for the new nation. The Founding Fathers include those who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States.
The Founding Fathers are often viewed as largely in agreement and are often referred to as a single entity that worked together to create one American nation. However, this is an oversimplification of history and the complexities of the development of the United States. In reality, the Founding Fathers had extremely different views and opinions on a variety of issues, including the role of the federal government, the issue of slavery, and how radical or moderate the American Revolution should be. These differences of opinion destroyed friendships and threatened to pull the country apart.
One of the fiercest arguments was over congressional representation—whether it should be based on population or divided equally among the states. The framers compromised by giving each state one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. They agreed to count enslaved Africans as three-fifths of a person. Slavery itself was a thorny question that threatened to derail the Union. It was temporarily resolved when the delegates agreed that the slave trade could continue until 1808.
The Founding Fathers also disagreed on the ideal future of the United States, with conflicting ideas about the economic and social future of the country. Thomas Jefferson, for instance, hoped that the economic future of the country would be in agriculture, not manufacturing. He argued that an economy that promoted manufacturing over agriculture did so only out of necessity, using Europe as an example. Alexander Hamilton, on the other hand, saw manufacturing as quite productive and having the potential to become more productive. He also focused more on the economic factors of the manufacturing vs. agriculture debate, whereas Jefferson focused more on the social factors.
The Founding Fathers also had differing beliefs about the role of religion in the new nation. While some were anti-clerical, notably Jefferson, others deliberately avoided public discussion of their faith. Historian Gregg L. Frazer argues that the leading founders (John Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Wilson, Morris, Madison, Hamilton, and Washington) were neither Christians nor Deists, but rather supporters of a hybrid "theistic rationalism". Jefferson was the architect for separation of Church and State, which opposed the use of public funds to support any established religion and believed it was unwise to link civil rights to religious doctrine. The United States Constitution, ratified in 1788, states in Article VI that "no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States". Freedom of religion and freedom of speech were further affirmed as the nation's law in the Bill of Rights.
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The Federalists' support for a strong central government
The Federalists, supporters of the proposed Constitution, believed in the need for a strong central government to address the nation's challenges. They were well-organised, well-funded, and made effective use of the printed word, with most newspapers backing their political agenda. The Federalists saw the greatest threat to the future of the United States not in the abuse of central power, but in the excesses of democracy, such as Shays' Rebellion and pro-debtor state policies. They aimed to constrain democracy in favour of a stronger central government.
Alexander Hamilton, a key figure among the Federalists, played a crucial role in convincing Congress to organise a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise the Articles of Confederation. The Federalists believed that the Constitution was required to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had brought about. They saw the weaknesses of the central government created by the Articles of Confederation as the root cause of the country's problems in the 1780s.
The Federalists' belief in a strong central government was reflected in their stance on congressional representation. They compromised by agreeing to a mixed system, with each state having one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. Additionally, they did not want a Bill of Rights, considering the Constitution sufficient without one.
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The Anti-Federalists' opposition to the Constitution
The Anti-Federalists were a political movement that opposed the creation of a stronger US federal government and the ratification of the 1787 Constitution. They believed that the new Constitution consolidated too much power in the hands of Congress, at the expense of the states. They also believed that the unitary executive eerily resembled a monarch, and that this resemblance would eventually produce courts of intrigue in the nation's capital.
The Anti-Federalists were composed of diverse elements, including those who opposed the Constitution because they thought a stronger government threatened the sovereignty and prestige of the states, localities, or individuals. Some saw in the proposed government a new centralized and "monarchic" power in disguise that would replicate the cast-off governance of Great Britain. They also feared that the new government threatened their personal liberties.
The Anti-Federalists also opposed the federal court system created by the proposed constitution. They believed that the liberties of the people were best protected when power resided in state governments, as opposed to a federal one. They wanted strong state governments, a weak central government, the direct election of government officials, short term limits for officeholders, accountability by officeholders to popular majorities, and the strengthening of individual liberties.
The Anti-Federalists played an important role in the ratification fight. In state legislatures across the country, they railed against the extensive powers the Constitution granted the federal government and its detraction from the republican governments of antiquity. They also mobilized against the Constitution in state legislatures across the country. Anti-Federalists in Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York, three crucial states, made ratification of the Constitution contingent on a Bill of Rights.
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The role of James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington in influencing the Constitutional Congress
The Constitutional Congress of 1787, also known as the Constitutional Convention, was kept a secret by the Founding Fathers. This was due to the fear of "improper influence" from those still loyal to England, as well as the potential for public access and outside influence to bring a multitude of opinions and pressures. James Madison, one of the key figures at the convention, voted in favor of secrecy, believing that it allowed delegates to consider issues and change their minds without the pressure of public opinion.
James Madison played a significant role in influencing the Constitutional Congress. He was an intellectual leader and a keeper of records during the convention, meticulously documenting the debates and discussions that took place. Madison's "Notes of Debates in the Continental Congress" served as a valuable source of information for understanding the activities of Congress in the years leading up to the American Revolution and the plans for a new federal Constitution. He also played a crucial role in pushing for 12 amendments to the Constitution, 10 of which were ratified as the Bill of Rights.
Alexander Hamilton, at just 30 years old, served as one of New York's delegates at the Constitutional Convention. He was selected due to his firsthand experience of the difficulties of governing a country with a weak central government during his time as an aide-de-camp in the Revolutionary War. Hamilton presented an 11-point plan to the convention, advocating for a strong centralized government with the power to tax and have a strong executive. While his plan was not adopted, he still played a role in creating the Constitution and was instrumental in its ratification and interpretation.
George Washington, the Presiding Officer of the Constitutional Congress, was initially hesitant to attend due to concerns about how it might be perceived by the citizens. However, he eventually agreed to participate and took the rule of secrecy seriously. Washington worked closely with Madison, using the latter's outline for a new government to create the "Virginia Plan of Government," which favored granting enormous power to a new federal government.
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The separation of powers and the system of checks and balances
The founding fathers kept the Constitutional Congress a secret. The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia in 1787, and the founding fathers believed that without secrecy, the convention may have been subject to improper influence from those still loyal to England.
Separation of Powers and System of Checks and Balances
The separation of powers is a principle that functionally differentiates several types of state power, such as law-making, adjudication, and execution. It requires these operations of government to be conceptually and institutionally distinguishable and articulated, thereby maintaining the integrity of each. The government is divided into structurally independent branches, each with specific functions and powers. The three branches are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch enforces them, and the judicial branch interprets them. The legislative branch also has the power to approve presidential nominations, control the budget, and impeach the president. The executive branch can declare executive orders, which have the force of law, but the judicial branch can declare these acts unconstitutional. The president in the executive branch can veto laws passed by the legislative branch, but Congress can override this veto with a two-thirds vote in both houses.
The system of checks and balances is designed to prevent any one branch from accumulating too much power. Each branch has the power to limit or check the other two, creating a balance between the three separate powers of the state. This system encourages constant tension and conflict between the branches, which can be beneficial as it prevents government abuses and protects the rights of the people.
The idea of checks and balances was first proposed by James Madison, who wrote in Federalist No. 51 that "you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself." Madison's model, also known as the "Madisonian Model," gave practical life to the vision of Montesquieu, who favoured a truly separated, tripartite system.
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Frequently asked questions
The Constitutional Convention was a meeting of state delegates in Philadelphia in 1787, assembled to revise the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution.
The Founding Fathers were a group of individuals who helped draft and negotiate the Declaration of Independence, and later, the Constitution. Some of the Founding Fathers include John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington.
The Founding Fathers had differing beliefs and opinions about the future of the United States, but they ultimately worked together to create a system of government that has lasted for over 200 years. They sought to establish a government where power was not concentrated in one individual or group, creating a system of checks and balances. They also wanted to secure the rights of American citizens, as outlined in the Constitution and its subsequent amendments, known as the Bill of Rights.
The Constitutional Convention resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution, which was signed by 38 or 39 delegates on September 17, 1787. The Constitution provided a framework for the Federal Government of the United States and addressed issues such as congressional representation and slavery.
