Simone Lawson
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with one delegate signing for an absent delegate, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The Constitution was created to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for the people and their posterity. The Constitution created a powerful central government, bypassing state legislatures, and was ratified by 9 of the 13 states. The Constitution addressed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which had created a weak central government, leading to divisions among the states and local rebellions that threatened to tear the country apart. The Constitution's creation and ratification united the states under a stronger national government, with the power to regulate commerce, print money, and address the states' disputes over territory, war pensions, and taxation.
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What You'll Learn
The need for a stronger national government
The United States Constitution was created to establish a stronger national government, addressing the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation, adopted in 1777, established a loose confederation of states with a weak central government, granting significant power to state governments. However, the Articles lacked enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, and did not provide for a national power of taxation or a standard currency. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening the country's stability.
James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, among other nationalists, recognized the need for a stronger national government to address these issues and prevent the young country from collapsing. They worked towards strengthening the federal government and revising the Articles of Confederation. Madison and Washington, as early as 1785, discussed ways to create a stronger national government, believing that a "meeting of Politico-Commercial Commissioners from all states" would be necessary to address the issues.
The weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation became even more apparent after the Revolutionary War, as the states' divisions and local rebellions, such as Shays' Rebellion, threatened to undo the achievements of the Revolution. The nationalists successfully persuaded members that any new constitution should be ratified by the people and not by Congress or state legislatures, as they believed it would be scuttled in the legislatures, where state political leaders stood to lose power.
The Constitution created a more powerful central government, with the ability to regulate commerce, print money, and address the issues facing the nation. It established a federal system with a balance of powers between the national government and the states, providing for a stronger national government while also protecting states' rights. The Constitution also included provisions for a bill of rights to ensure individual liberties, addressing concerns raised by Anti-Federalists.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing diverse interests and views, crafted compromises to form a unified nation. The Constitution has endured as one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions globally, demonstrating the success of their endeavour to create a stronger national government.
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The ratification process
The founders set the terms for ratifying the Constitution, bypassing the state legislatures. They understood that members of the legislatures would be reluctant to cede power to a national government. Instead, they called for special ratifying conventions in each state. This decision aligned with the nationalists' preference for bringing the issue before "the people," recognising that ratification by the legislatures was unlikely.
The ratification campaign was a closely contested affair. The Federalists, who advocated for a strong central government, needed to secure at least three states. On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists vehemently opposed the Constitution due to their concerns about centralised power and the absence of a bill of rights. The tide turned in Massachusetts, where the "vote now, amend later" compromise helped secure victory, eventually leading to success in the final holdout states.
Ratification by 9 of the 13 states was required to enact the new government. The process took nearly four years, with Maryland being the last state to ratify the Constitution on March 1, 1781. The delegates' compromise and collaboration resulted in one of the most enduring and influential constitutions globally, solidifying the United States as a unified nation.
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The creation of a powerful central government
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with George Read signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware. The delegates were tasked with revising the existing government but ended up creating a new one. The founders crafted a powerful central government, despite their wariness about centralized power and their loyalty to their individual states.
Nationalists, led by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, recognized the need for a stronger national government. They believed that a strong central government was necessary to address the nation's challenges and prevent its collapse. Madison and his allies worked towards strengthening the federal government and ensuring that the new Constitution would be ratified through conventions of the people rather than by Congress or state legislatures.
The Constitution established a federal government with specific powers and responsibilities. It provided for a Congress consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives, with legislative powers vested in this legislative branch. The Constitution also outlined the office, qualifications, and duties of the President as the head of the executive branch, the nation's head of state, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. The Supreme Court was established with specific jurisdictions, including cases involving ambassadors, ministers, and consuls, and those under federal jurisdiction, such as international maritime law and conflicts between states.
The Constitution also addressed other aspects of governance, such as the power to declare war, make rules concerning captures on land and water, raise and support armies, and define and punish piracies and offenses against the Law of Nations. It provided for the establishment of inferior tribunals to the Supreme Court and outlined the process for amending the Constitution. Additionally, it included provisions for admitting new states into the Union and making rules regarding territories.
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The Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
The Federalists and Anti-Federalists were two opposing political factions in the United States during the formative years of the nation, particularly active in the late 18th century. The Federalists believed in a strong central government and played a key role in shaping the US Constitution in 1787. They considered a robust national government to be essential for the country's success and believed that the wealthiest and most educated individuals should lead. John Adams and Alexander Hamilton were prominent Federalists.
On the other hand, the Anti-Federalists were concerned about the potential threat a strong central government posed to individual freedoms. They opposed the ratification of the US Constitution, arguing that it did not adequately protect individual liberties. Thomas Jefferson and Samuel Adams were well-known Anti-Federalists. The Anti-Federalists failed to organize effectively across all thirteen states and thus had to contest the ratification at each state convention.
The Federalists ultimately won the ratification debate when the new Constitution became the official governing document in 1788. However, the Anti-Federalists achieved a significant victory in 1791 with the ratification of the Bill of Rights, which included ten amendments that safeguarded individual liberties. This was due in part to the efforts of Anti-Federalists like Mercy Otis Warren, who published "Observations on the New Constitution, and on the Federal and State Conventions," arguing that the Constitution endangered individual freedoms.
The differences between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists were indeed complex and far-reaching, shaping the early political landscape of the United States and influencing how the new government would function. The Constitution, as a product of these debates, helped unify the nation by providing a framework for governance that balanced the powers of the central government with the rights and liberties of the states and the people.
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The Articles of Confederation
By the late 1780s, the Articles of Confederation had become inadequate for the needs of the growing nation. The central government was weak and had insufficient power to regulate commerce, tax, or set commercial policy. It also could not effectively support a war effort. The states were on the brink of economic disaster, and the central government had little power to settle quarrels between states. As a result, the Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation and create a new constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
The main purpose of the US Constitution was to form a more perfect union, establishing justice, ensuring domestic tranquility, providing for the common defence, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty.
America’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, couldn’t regulate commerce, or print money. The states’ disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
The Federalists, who believed that a strong central government was necessary to face the nation’s challenges, were in opposition to the Anti-Federalists, who fought against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the one they had just overthrown, and it lacked a bill of rights.
