Constitution Consensus: What Delegates Agreed Upon

The United States Constitution was signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, with one additional signature by George Reed on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatories to 39. The delegates, representing different interests and views, crafted compromises to create a powerful central government with a system of checks and balances. The Constitution established a federal government with more specific powers, including the ability to conduct foreign relations. While not all delegates agreed with the final product, the convention is considered one of the most significant events in American history, setting the terms for ratifying the Constitution and creating a model of government that has endured and been emulated worldwide.

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A national government

The Constitution of the United States of America was crafted during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, and in it, the delegates agreed on a national government with a federal structure, divided powers

Bicameral legislature

The delegates of the Constitutional Convention, also known as the Federal Convention, the Philadelphia Convention, or the Grand Convention, assembled in Philadelphia in May of 1787. The convention was called to revise the Articles of Confederation, which established the first national government of the United States. However, by mid-June, the delegates had decided to completely redesign the government.

One of the critical decisions leading to the Convention's successful completion was the adoption of bicameralism, or a bicameral legislature, which provided for a House of Representatives apportioned on population and a Senate in which the states were equally represented. This enabled a composite National and Federal Government and a further separation and diffusion of powers.

The idea of a bicameral legislature was not new, as ten of the original 13 states had established bicameral legislatures with an upper house, identified as either a council or a senate. The British Parliament, for example, had an elected House of Commons and a hereditary House of Lords. The framers of the Constitution drew on these ideas, as well as the recent experiences of crafting new state governments, and believed that a bicameral legislature was crucial to creating and maintaining a stable republic.

James Madison, in his Vices of the Political System of the United States, written in 1787 before the Constitutional Convention, criticized the calibre of individuals serving in state legislatures, accusing them of passing "vicious legislation". At the North Carolina Ratifying Convention on July 24, 1788, William R. Davie spoke of the advantages of a bicameral legislature, stating that "steadiness and wisdom are better insured when there is a second branch, to balance and check the first". Similarly, future Supreme Court Justice James Iredell articulated the importance of a bicameral legislature for diffusing factional power, arguing that "the legislative body should be divided into two branches, in order that the people might have a double security".

Landholders' government involvement

The delegates of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, were tasked with revising the existing government under the Articles of Confederation. However, they ended up drafting a new constitution that created a powerful central government. This was due to the concerns of leaders such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, who feared that the young nation was on the brink of collapse due to economic crisis and inter-state quarrels.

One of the key issues debated by the delegates was the structure of Congress and the selection of its members. James Madison, a strong nationalist, proposed the Virginia Plan, which called for a supreme national government and was supported by the Virginia and Pennsylvania delegates. The plan lacked a system of checks and balances, which would become central to the US Constitution.

During the convention, the delegates also discussed the role of landholders in government. James Madison, as recorded by Robert Yates, argued that landholders ought to have a share in the government to protect the interests of the opulent minority against the majority. He proposed that the Senate should be the body to fulfil this purpose, with permanency and stability. This proposal reflected the concerns of the time regarding the representation of landholders and the wealthy in the government.

The delegates agreed that each house of Congress should be able to originate bills, reflecting their commitment to ensuring the involvement of different interests and perspectives in the legislative process. They also agreed on a bicameral legislative branch, which provided equal representation to each state in the Senate and representation based on population in the House of Representatives. This compromise, known as the Connecticut Compromise or the Great Compromise, aimed to balance the power between large and small states.

The final Constitution, signed by 38 delegates on September 17, 1787, established a federal government with expanded powers, including the ability to conduct foreign relations. The delegates' decision to create a powerful central government and their efforts to balance the representation of different states and interests, including landholders, shaped the foundation of the United States government that continues to this day.

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Checks and balances

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention agreed to a system of checks and balances that divides federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government. This system was designed to prevent any one branch from becoming too powerful and to ensure that power is shared.

The legislative branch makes laws, but the President in the executive branch can veto those laws. Similarly, the legislative branch can override vetoes and impeach the President. The judicial branch can declare laws made by the legislative branch unconstitutional and can also be impeached by Congress.

The framers of the Constitution were influenced by the ideas of political philosophers and historians such as Polybius, Montesquieu, William Blackstone, and John Locke. In his analysis of the government of Ancient Rome, Polybius identified it as a "mixed" regime with three branches: monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. These concepts greatly influenced later ideas about the separation of powers and the importance of checks and balances.

The system of checks and balances has been tested and challenged throughout history, particularly with the expansion of the executive branch's power since the 19th century. Presidential vetoes and congressional overrides of those vetoes, for example, have often fueled controversy. The checks and balances system has also been influenced by the creation of executive orders, which are official directives issued to federal agencies by the President that do not require congressional approval.

Overall, the checks and balances system established by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention has been an important feature of the US government, ensuring that power is divided and shared among the three branches and preventing tyranny by any one branch.

Ratification

The ratification of the United States Constitution was a significant event in American history, and the process was not without its challenges. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 were tasked with revising the existing government under the Articles of Confederation. However, they ended up drafting a new constitution, creating a powerful central government with a system of checks and balances.

The convention was convened due to concerns about the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which had established the first national government. The Articles lacked enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce or print money, and failed to empower the central government to conduct essential functions effectively. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, among others, sought to address these issues and create a stronger national government.

The delegates debated for months over the content of the Constitution. They discussed the structure of Congress, the division of the legislature into an upper and lower house, and the selection of its members. The convention also addressed issues of political representation, commerce, and slavery, which divided the Northern and Southern states. The delegates ultimately agreed to the "Great Compromise," or the Connecticut Compromise, which prescribed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal state representation in the Senate.

The ratification process itself was nail-biting, with Federalists and Anti-Federalists battling over the Constitution's creation of a powerful central government. The Anti-Federalists, dubbed "Anti-Federalists" due to their preference for the decentralised nature of the Articles of Confederation, fought against the Constitution. The Federalists, on the other hand, believed in a strong central government to face the nation's challenges. The Constitution was eventually ratified by the requisite nine out of thirteen states, and it came into effect in 1789, marking a significant shift in the American government's structure and powers.

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