Malcolm Rivera
The Founding Fathers of the United States Constitution were a group of 55 delegates who assembled in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the existing government. They were wary of centralised power, having just escaped a monarchy, and wanted to avoid the divisions that had ripped England apart during the civil wars of the 17th century. The Founding Fathers feared that political factions would tear the nation apart, and that foreign influence would corrupt the young democracy. They also feared that the government would be used for private gains, and that the country was on the brink of collapse due to disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Centralized power | The founding fathers were wary of centralized power, having just escaped a monarchy. |
| Foreign influence | The founding fathers feared foreign influence, particularly from Europe, and built safeguards into the Constitution to protect against it. |
| Political factions | The founding fathers feared that political factions would cause divisions and tear the nation apart. |
| Government debt | Thomas Jefferson believed that the government should not be able to borrow money to prevent debt, inflation, and taxes from oppressing the common people. |
| Slavery | Some founding fathers opposed slavery, but slaves and slavery are mentioned indirectly in the Constitution. |
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What You'll Learn
Foreign influence and corruption
The Founding Fathers of the United States Constitution were wary of centralised power and loyal to their states. They had recently broken free from the British monarchy and were concerned about the possibility of foreign influence and corruption.
The Founding Fathers represented a confederacy of Atlantic states that had recently gained independence from British rule. They were aware that their new republic was vulnerable to the influence of deep-pocketed interests and old alliances from Europe. The Founding Fathers, having just freed themselves from one empire, feared that another might try to exert control over them.
To address these concerns, the Founding Fathers included safeguards against foreign influence in the Constitution. They viewed federalism, or the separation of powers between state and federal governments, as a way to protect against foreign corruption. They also included the emoluments clause and congressional impeachment powers in the Constitution, believing that these measures provided a two-pronged defence against foreign influence.
Gouverneur Morris, the author of the Preamble to the Constitution, initially did not see the need for impeachment until he considered the potential for foreign corruption. He acknowledged the possibility of the Executive being bribed by foreign interests and recognised that impeachment was necessary to remove a corrupt leader.
In his 1796 farewell address, George Washington, the first President of the United States, warned against the insidious influence of foreign governments on the young nation. He urged Americans to remain vigilant against foreign influence, which he believed was one of the most dangerous threats to a republican form of government.
The Founding Fathers' fears about foreign influence and corruption shaped the Constitution and the early years of the American republic. They sought to protect their new nation from external threats and ensure its independence and stability.
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Political factions and division
The Founding Fathers of the United States Constitution feared that political factions and divisions would tear the nation apart. They were wary of centralised power and loyal to their individual states, so they crafted a powerful central government that represented a compromise between wildly differing interests and views.
The Founding Fathers had just broken free from the British monarchy and did not want to replace it with a government that was susceptible to the same issues. They saw political parties as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system, which they wanted to discard in favour of a truly democratic government. The bitter divisions between the Democratic-Republicans and Federalists during George Washington's presidency exemplified the very issues they wanted to avoid.
The Founding Fathers were also concerned about the influence of foreign powers on the young democracy. They knew they had to insulate their new republic from deep-pocketed interests and old alliances from Europe. They included the emoluments clause and congressional impeachment powers in the Constitution as safeguards against foreign influence.
The Founding Fathers also debated whether to list the powers or limitations of the federal government. They decided to define the powers, as they feared they might forget some crucial restrictions. They wanted to ensure that the national government only had clearly specified powers, as they had just escaped a monarchy with general powers.
The Founding Fathers wanted to avoid political factions and divisions that could threaten the stability of the nation. They sought to create a democratic government that was free from foreign influence and had clearly defined powers.
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Centralised power
The Founding Fathers of the United States Constitution were wary of centralised power. They had just fought a war to break free from the tyranny of Britain's top-down centralised government. They knew that a government with strong powers was a threat to the freedom of ordinary people.
The first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, vested almost all power in individual state legislatures and practically nothing in the national government. This led to political chaos and crippling debt, threatening to tear the young country apart. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade were constant sources of tension.
The Founding Fathers wanted to avoid any form of centralised authority that could infringe on personal liberty. They deliberately left the specific justifications for impeachment vague, allowing their successors to protect themselves from ambitious and unprincipled men who might try to usurp power and destroy democracy.
To guard against presidential corruption, the Founding Fathers built two key provisions into the Constitution: the "emoluments clause" and the power to impeach a president. They recognised that people's private ambitions and thirst for power or money could be powerful motivators, and so created redundant structures to protect against this.
The Federalists believed that a strong central government was necessary to face the nation's challenges, but the Anti-Federalists fought against the Constitution, as it reminded them of the centralised power they had just overthrown. The Founding Fathers ultimately chose a federalist form of government, with a separation of powers between state and federal government, as a compromise to balance centralised and local authority.
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Government for private gain
The Founding Fathers of the United States Constitution were wary of centralised power and loyal to their individual states. They were also concerned about the possibility of a corruptible American president. The Constitution does not give specifically listed and enumerated powers; instead, it gives a broad overview of what the Founding Fathers thought the government could and should do.
The Founding Fathers feared government being used for private gains – as opposed to common gains. They believed that if the government instituted policies aimed at the general population and not to promote one private group over another, then it fell within proper governmental authority.
The Founding Fathers were concerned about the possibility of foreign influence on the American government. They had just broken free from the British Empire, and the idea that another foreign power could influence their young democracy was a source of anxiety. They included both the emoluments clause and congressional impeachment powers in the Constitution, believing they had a two-pronged attack against foreign influence.
The Founding Fathers also feared political factions, which they saw as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system. They wanted to avoid the divisions that had ripped England apart in the 17th century. Thomas Jefferson, who was serving a diplomatic post in France during the Constitutional Convention, believed it was a mistake not to provide for different political parties in the new government. He wrote, "Men by their constitutions are naturally divided into two parties".
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Slavery
The Founding Fathers were not unified on the issue of slavery. Some were morally opposed to it, and some attempted to end it in several of the colonies. Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush founded America's first anti-slavery society in 1774, and John Jay was president of a similar society in New York. Other prominent Founding Fathers who were members of societies for ending slavery included Richard Bassett, James Monroe, Charles Carroll, and many more.
Despite their efforts, slavery remained protected in the new nation. The Founding Fathers' commitment to private property rights, principles of limited government, and intersectional harmony prevented them from making a bold move against slavery. Additionally, the considerable investment of Southern Founders in slave-based staple agriculture, combined with their deep-seated racial prejudice, posed obstacles to emancipation.
The word "slave" does not appear in the Constitution, but slavery received important protections. The framers of the Constitution believed that concessions on slavery were necessary to gain the support of southern delegates for a strong central government. They were convinced that if the Constitution restricted the slave trade, southern states like South Carolina and Georgia would refuse to join the Union. By sidestepping the issue, the framers laid the groundwork for future conflict.
During and after the Revolutionary War, several Northern states passed legislation to abolish slavery within their borders. Pennsylvania was the first state to begin this process in 1780, followed by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. These states did not rely on slave labor for their agriculture, but their economies were tied to exports from Southern states that did rely on slave labor.
Despite the complexities and challenges, many of the Founding Fathers expressed a desire to see slavery gradually abolished. Thomas Jefferson, for example, wrote that he believed slavery to be a political and moral evil, but he felt powerless to change the situation. While the Founding Fathers were unable to eradicate slavery, their efforts laid the groundwork for future generations to continue the struggle for emancipation and equality.
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Frequently asked questions
The Founding Fathers feared that the government would be used for private gains instead of common gains. They also feared that the federal government would become too powerful and that political factions would tear the nation apart.
The Founding Fathers feared foreign influence, particularly from Europe, as they had just broken free from the British Empire. They also feared that the country was on the brink of collapse due to issues with America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation.
The Founding Fathers wanted to avoid the divisions caused by factions or political parties, which they saw as corrupt relics of the monarchical British system. Thomas Jefferson, however, believed it was a mistake not to provide for different political parties in the new government.
The Founding Fathers made efforts to contain slavery, and some opposed it. However, many of them were wealthy slave owners, and slaves are mentioned indirectly in the 1787 Constitution.
