Eleanor Finch
The US Constitution was needed to replace the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution and gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, and couldn't print money. The Constitution was also needed to establish a federal government with three separate branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. Finally, the Constitution was needed to outline the rights and responsibilities of state governments and their relationship to the federal government.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purpose of the Federal Government | To establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty. |
| Main Principles | Inherent rights, or rights that anyone living in America has. |
| Articles of Confederation | 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. |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation were inadequate
Secondly, the Articles did not regulate trade among states. In September 1786, representatives from New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia, and Pennsylvania met in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss the trade barriers that had been set up among the states. The Articles' failure to regulate interstate trade was a significant issue that needed to be addressed.
Thirdly, the Articles were unable to address the issue of slavery. The question of how to count slaves for representation and taxation was a critical and controversial issue. Southern slaveowners wanted slaves to be fully counted to increase their political power in Congress, while others viewed slaves as property and did not want them counted at all. The delegates at the Constitutional Convention agreed to the Three-Fifths Compromise, where each slave was counted as three-fifths of a person, but this was only a temporary resolution as the slave trade was allowed to continue until 1808.
Finally, the Articles did not provide a strong central government that could effectively face the nation's challenges. The Founding Fathers established three main principles for the government: inherent rights, the establishment of justice, and the provision of domestic tranquility, common defence, and general welfare. The Articles, as the nation's first constitution, were inadequate in establishing a government that could fulfil these principles and secure the blessings of liberty for its citizens.
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The US Constitution established justice
The US Constitution was established to form a more perfect union, with justice as one of its five key objectives. The Founding Fathers set out three main principles for the government, including inherent rights for all Americans. The Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, which lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, and the ability to print money.
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).
Article III, which establishes the judicial branch, is a key component of the Constitution's goal to "establish Justice". This article ensures an independent judiciary, with the Supreme Court at its head, tasked with interpreting the law and ensuring justice is served. The Constitution also outlines the right to a speedy trial, which is crucial for ensuring a fair trial and preventing criminal defendants from being held indefinitely without a resolution.
The Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, further expanded the protections of the Constitution by granting US citizenship to former slaves and limiting state power. It ensured that states could not violate a citizen's privileges or immunities, deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, and guaranteed equal protection under the law.
The Constitution's establishment of justice was a significant improvement upon the previous system under the Articles of Confederation, providing a framework for a more effective and just government.
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The US Constitution ensured domestic tranquility
The US Constitution was established to "insure domestic tranquility", along with establishing justice, providing for the common defence, promoting the general welfare, and securing the blessings of liberty. The US Constitution ensured domestic tranquility by creating a federal government that superseded the Articles of Confederation, which had provided little guidance to the states and lacked enforcement powers.
The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, gave the Confederation Congress the authority to make rules and request funds from the states, but it could not enforce these rules, regulate commerce, or print money. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young nation apart.
The US Constitution addressed these issues by establishing a federal government with three branches: the legislative, consisting of a 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 provided a framework for governing the states and ensuring domestic tranquility.
The Constitution also included concepts of federalism, outlining the rights and responsibilities of state governments and their relationship to the federal government. The ratification process further ensured domestic tranquility by bypassing state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state, allowing for the establishment of a strong central government.
The US Constitution's establishment of a federal government with defined powers and its ratification process helped to ensure domestic tranquility by providing a framework for governing the states and resolving disputes, thus addressing the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation.
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The US Constitution provided for the common defence
The US Constitution was established to "provide for the common defence". This was one of the five key objectives outlined in the preamble, which was authored by Jacob Shallus and forms an introduction to the Constitution. The preamble sets out the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document, though it does not define government powers or individual rights.
The US Constitution superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. 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, and couldn't print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart.
The US 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).
The US Constitution also establishes the procedure for future amendments. Under Article Five, a proposal for an amendment must be adopted by two-thirds of both houses of Congress or by a national convention requested by two-thirds of the state legislatures. Once the proposal has passed, Congress must decide on the method of ratification, which requires the consent of three-fourths of the states.
The US Constitution has been amended several times to expand the protections it affords to citizens. For example, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship to former slaves and imposed new limits on state power, including the requirement to guarantee equal protection under the law.
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The US Constitution promoted general welfare
The US Constitution was established to "promote the general welfare". This is one of the five key objectives outlined in the Preamble to the Constitution, which sets out the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. The Preamble emphasises that the nation is to be ruled by the people, with the first three words being "We the People".
The US 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 had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, and couldn't print money. This led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart.
The US Constitution aimed to address these issues by establishing a federal government with 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 intended to promote stability and effective governance.
The Constitution also established inherent rights, or rights that anyone living in America has. These rights included the right to a speedy trial, which is considered one of the most important rights in the Constitution. This right ensures that criminal defendants cannot be held indefinitely without a trial and helps to assure a fair trial by preventing witnesses from dying or leaving the area, memories from fading, and physical evidence from being lost.
The process of ratifying the Constitution was challenging, as it required bypassing state legislatures, which were reluctant to give up power to a national government. The Federalists, who believed in a strong central government, had to work to convince enough states to enact the new government. The Anti-Federalists opposed the Constitution due to its creation of a powerful central government and its lack of a bill of rights. Despite these challenges, the Constitution was eventually ratified by 9 of the 13 states, with the "vote now, amend later" compromise playing a crucial role in securing victory.
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