Founding Fathers: Constitution Creation Story

The Founding Fathers of the United States created the Constitution to establish a fair and balanced government, with the core of popular sovereignty being free and fair elections, and the peaceful transition of power. The Constitution was designed to limit government and establish rules for each part of it, with the first part, the Preamble, outlining the intentions of the Founding Fathers. The Founding Fathers were not champions of democracy, but they were eager to shed the monarchical system that had existed for hundreds of years. They wanted to prevent the misuse of power, so they divided the power into three branches and created a system of checks and balances. The Constitution was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, and it has since become one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.

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The Articles of Confederation

The Articles were drafted by John Dickinson of Delaware and established a unicameral legislature with limited powers. Each state retained "every Power... which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States", and each state had one vote in Congress, regardless of population size. Ratification by all 13 states was necessary to set the Confederation into motion.

The Articles were ratified by 12 states by February 1779, 14 months into the process. Maryland was the lone holdout, refusing to ratify until the landed states, especially Virginia, ceded their claims to lands west of the Ohio River. Maryland finally ratified the Articles on February 2, 1781, and Congress was informed on March 1, officially proclaiming the Articles of Confederation to be the law of the land.

The Grand Convention

The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, had established a weak central government that lacked the power to effectively manage trade, print currency, or pass and enforce laws that all states would agree to. This had resulted in disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young nation apart. Recognizing the need for change, Alexander Hamilton played a key role in convincing Congress to organize the Grand Convention.

The delegates who attended the Grand Convention came from diverse backgrounds, including merchants, lawyers, and plantation owners. While most were wealthy, not all of them owned slaves. Despite their differences, they shared a common goal of creating a better nation. The convention witnessed vigorous debates about the form of government the new nation should adopt. The Founding Fathers were wary of centralized power and loyal to their respective states, so they crafted compromises to create a powerful central government that would work for all the people.

A powerful central government

The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of delegates who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution. They were military personnel who fought in the Revolutionary War, as well as others who contributed to the nation's formation. The Founding Fathers wanted to set up a fair and balanced government, but they were wary of centralised power and loyal to their states. They also feared direct democracy, which they saw as "mob rule".

The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, 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. This led to disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart.

The Founding Fathers wanted to prevent the misuse of power, so they divided power into three branches: the legislature (Congress), the executive, and the judiciary. They also created a system of checks and balances to encourage the three branches to work together.

The Federalists among the Founding Fathers believed that a strong central government was necessary to face the nation's challenges. They wanted to revise the existing government and create a powerful central government. Alexander Hamilton, a key figure among the Founding Fathers, played a role in convincing Congress to organise a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise the Articles of Confederation.

The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, with 55 delegates in attendance. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, crafted compromises and created a powerful central government. The proposed Constitution was adopted by the convention on September 17, 1787, and then submitted to the Confederation Congress. On September 28, 1787, Congress approved sending the proposed Constitution to the thirteen states for ratification. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states enacted the new government.

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Checks and balances

The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of delegates or statesmen who worked together to create the country's government. They include those who wrote and signed the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States, as well as certain military personnel who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and others who greatly assisted in the nation's formation.

The Founding Fathers wanted to set up a fair and balanced government, and prevent the misuse of power. To achieve this, they divided power into three separate branches, with a system of checks and balances to encourage the three branches to work together.

The first branch, the legislature, is called "Congress" in the United States. Congress is made up of two separate groups: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Together, they have the power to create laws, declare war, raise money for the military, establish post offices, admit new states to the Union, and investigate and oversee the executive branch.

The second branch is the executive branch, which carries out the laws created by the legislature. This branch includes the President of the United States, as well as the Departments of State, Defense, and others.

The third branch is the judiciary, which interprets the laws and ensures that they are applied fairly and equally to all citizens. The Supreme Court is the highest court in the United States and has the final say in interpreting the laws.

The checks and balances system ensures that no one branch of government becomes too powerful. For example, the legislature can pass laws, but the executive branch can veto those laws, and the judiciary can declare them unconstitutional. Similarly, the executive branch can nominate judges, but the legislature must confirm them, and the judiciary can strike down laws that it believes are unconstitutional.

The Founding Fathers also included a way to change the Constitution, known as "amendments". It is difficult to amend the Constitution, requiring a two-thirds majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or two-thirds of the states to approve the change. The first ten amendments are called the "Bill of Rights" and outline the fundamental rights enjoyed by citizens, including freedom of speech, religion, and press, the right to a jury trial, and the right to keep and bear arms.

Amendments

The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of delegates who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States. The Founding Fathers also include certain military personnel who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and others who greatly assisted in the nation's formation.

The Constitution was created by 55 delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia between May and September 1787. These delegates were a diverse group of men from different walks of life with various ideas and goals. They included merchants, lawyers, and plantation owners. Some owned slaves, while many did not.

The Founding Fathers understood that the Constitution should be able to change and grow over time, so they included a way to change it through amendments. Amendments are changes to the Constitution that can be made when two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or two-thirds of the states, approve the change. The Constitution has been amended 27 times in over 200 years.

The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights, which defines citizens' and states' rights in relation to the government. These amendments include fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, religion, and press. The Bill of Rights also includes the right to a jury trial and the right to keep and bear arms.

In addition to the Bill of Rights, there are other important amendments to the Constitution. For example, the Eighth Amendment guarantees humane treatment and protects Americans from a harsh and overly ambitious government during the criminal justice process. The Ninth Amendment reserves for the people all rights not expressly granted to the government, and the Tenth Amendment reserves for the states all rights not granted to the national government by the Constitution, guaranteeing a federalist type of administration.

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