Eleanor Finch
The US Constitution is the oldest and shortest written national constitution, and it is the fundamental framework of America's system of government. It was created in 1787 by a group of Founding Fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who sought to form a more perfect union. The Constitution was designed to unite a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures under a single national government. It also aimed to establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, and provide for the common defence, general welfare, and liberty of the American people. The Founding Fathers wanted to prevent the misuse of power by dividing the government into three branches—the legislative, executive, and judicial—and implementing a system of checks and balances.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| To form a more perfect union | Uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures |
| To establish justice | To establish justice and secure the blessings of liberty |
| To provide for the common defence | To promote the general welfare |
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What You'll Learn
To form a more perfect union
The US Constitution was created "to form a more perfect union" between the states, which had previously been acting as separate entities with different interests, laws, and cultures. The Constitution aimed to unite citizens as members of a whole, giving the power to the people.
The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, which was the nation's first constitution. The Articles of Confederation gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers and could not regulate commerce or print money. This led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the country apart.
The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, the delegates ultimately decided to completely redesign the government, creating a powerful central government. They crafted compromises to balance the interests and views of the different states, including a compromise on congressional representation. Each state was given one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate, with enslaved Africans counted as three-fifths of a person.
The Constitution's first three articles embody the doctrine of the separation of powers, dividing the federal government into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress (Article I); the executive, consisting of the President and subordinate officers (Article II); and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts (Article III). This separation of powers helped to form a more perfect union by distributing power and ensuring that no one branch had too much control.
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Establish justice
The US Constitution was established to "form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity". Here, we will focus on the second of these objectives: "establish Justice".
The US Constitution aimed to establish justice by creating a federal government with three branches: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The legislative branch, consisting of a bicameral Congress, was designed to represent the people of the United States, with each state having one representative for every 30,000 people in the House of Representatives and two representatives in the Senate. The executive branch, consisting of the President and subordinate officers, was tasked with executing the laws and administering the government. The judicial branch, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts, was responsible for interpreting the laws and ensuring justice was upheld.
The separation of powers between these three branches provided a system of checks and balances, preventing any one branch from having too much power and protecting the rights of citizens. The Constitution also established the procedures for appointing and removing federal judges, ensuring that the judicial system was independent and impartial.
In addition to establishing the federal government, the Constitution also delineated the rights and responsibilities of state governments and their relationship to the federal government. This included the process of constitutional amendment, which required the approval of three-fourths of the states, ensuring that any changes to the Constitution reflected the will of the majority of the country.
The establishment of justice was a key priority for the framers of the Constitution, who were concerned about the weaknesses of the previous system, the Articles of Confederation, which had given the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but had lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. The Constitution aimed to address these issues and create a more effective and just system of government.
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Insure domestic tranquility
The US Constitution was created, in part, to "insure domestic tranquility". This phrase is part of the preamble to the Constitution, which sets out the intentions and purpose of the document.
The phrase "insure domestic tranquility" refers to the aim of establishing peace and order within the United States. At the time of the Constitution's creation, the country was facing several challenges that threatened to tear it apart. These included disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade. The Articles of Confederation, which was the country's first constitution, had no enforcement powers and could not effectively resolve these disputes.
The Constitution addressed these issues by creating a powerful central government with the ability to enforce laws and regulations. It established a federal system with a separation of powers, dividing the government into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the President and subordinate officers; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. This system provided a framework for resolving disputes and managing the country's affairs effectively, thereby helping to ensure domestic tranquility.
The Constitution also included compromises on issues such as slavery and congressional representation, which helped to unify the country and prevent further discord. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention, representing a wide range of interests and views, worked to craft a document that balanced the powers of the central government and the states, ensuring that the rights and interests of all citizens were protected.
By creating a stronger and more unified government, the Constitution provided a foundation for peace and order within the United States, fulfilling the goal of insuring domestic tranquility. This aspect of the Constitution has been crucial to the country's stability and longevity, allowing it to overcome internal challenges and maintain a functioning democracy.
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Provide for the common defence
The US Constitution was created, in part, to "provide for the common defence". This phrase is one of the five objectives outlined in the preamble to the Constitution, which was drafted in Philadelphia in 1787.
The preamble sets the stage for the Constitution, communicating the intentions of its framers and the purpose of the document. The "common defence" refers to the need for a strong central government that could provide for the defence and security of the newly formed United States as a whole.
At the time, the United States was governed by the Articles of Confederation, its first constitution. The Articles established the Confederation Congress, which had the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but lacked enforcement powers and the ability to regulate commerce or print money. This created disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the country apart.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was convened to revise the Articles of Confederation, but the delegates ultimately decided to create a new government. They crafted a powerful central government, uniting the states under a single union and vesting the power of the union in the people. This new government, established by the Constitution, provided for the common defence by creating a federal government with the authority and capabilities needed to protect the nation and its citizens.
One of the key ways in which the Constitution provided for the common defence was through the establishment of a strong executive branch, consisting of the President and subordinate officers. This branch was tasked with executing the laws of the land and had the power to use force when necessary to defend the nation. The Constitution also established a standing army and navy, giving the federal government the ability to protect its citizens and respond to external threats.
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Promote general welfare
The US Constitution was created, in part, to "promote the general welfare". This phrase, found in the preamble to the Constitution, is one of the key objectives outlined by the framers of the Constitution during the hot Philadelphia summer of 1787.
The framers of the Constitution were tasked with revising the existing government under the Articles of Confederation, but they ultimately decided to create a new form of government. The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, had no enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, and could not print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart. The Constitution aimed to address these issues and promote the general welfare of the country by creating a powerful central government with the ability to regulate commerce, enforce laws, and manage the country's finances.
One of the ways the Constitution promoted general welfare was by uniting the states under a single national government. The Articles of Confederation had allowed the states to act together only for specific purposes, but the Constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. This helped to resolve disputes between the states and created a sense of common purpose and identity.
The Constitution also promoted general welfare by establishing a system of checks and balances, separating the powers of the government into three branches: the legislative, consisting of the bicameral Congress; the executive, consisting of the president and subordinate officers; and the judicial, consisting of the Supreme Court and other federal courts. This separation of powers was designed to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful and to protect the rights and liberties of the people.
Additionally, the Constitution addressed issues of congressional representation, which had been a point of contention during the Constitutional Convention. 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, ensuring that larger states had more representation but that smaller states still had a voice.
Overall, the framers of the Constitution sought to promote the general welfare of the country by creating a strong central government with the power to resolve disputes, regulate commerce, and protect the rights and liberties of its citizens.
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