Eleanor Finch
The U.S. Constitution, beginning with the words We the People, is composed of the Preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791. Since then, the Constitution has undergone several amendments to include provisions that were not originally part of the document. For example, the Thirteenth Amendment (1865) abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth Amendment (1868) granted citizenship to former slaves and all persons under U.S. jurisdiction. Additionally, the Eighth Amendment (1791) protects individuals from excessive bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishment, while the Ninth Amendment (1791) recognizes individuals' fundamental rights beyond those explicitly stated in the Constitution. These amendments, along with others, have shaped the nation's government and legal framework by addressing issues not initially covered in the original Constitution.
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What You'll Learn
No enforcement powers
America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states. However, it lacked enforcement powers, which meant that it could not compel compliance with its decisions. This, along with its inability to regulate commerce or print money, led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart.
The Articles of Confederation provided the Confederation Congress with the authority to make rules and request funds from the states. However, without the ability to enforce these rules or decisions, the Congress's power was limited. This meant that the individual states did not have to abide by the decisions or rules set by the Confederation Congress, leading to a lack of cohesion and unity within the country.
The lack of enforcement powers in the original constitution created challenges in maintaining a unified country. Without a central authority to enforce compliance, the states often acted independently, pursuing their own interests and agendas. This resulted in conflicts and disagreements over various issues, including territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade.
The disputes between the states highlighted the need for a stronger central government with the power to enforce its decisions. This led to the convening of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787, where delegates worked on revising the Articles of Confederation. The result was the creation of a new constitution, which established a more powerful central government with the ability to enforce its laws and maintain order.
The delegates at the Constitutional Convention were aware of the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation and sought to create a more effective and unified form of government. By granting enforcement powers to the federal government, they aimed to resolve disputes between states and ensure a more stable and cohesive nation. This crucial addition to the original constitution helped lay the foundation for a stronger and more unified United States of America.
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No ability to regulate commerce
The United States Constitution, originally intended as a revision of the Articles of Confederation, was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. It is composed of a preamble, seven articles, and 27 amendments. The first ten amendments, ratified in 1791, are known as the Bill of Rights.
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 lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, and the ability to print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, fearing the country was on the brink of collapse, helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention, representing wildly different interests and views, crafted compromises to create a powerful central government. The Constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. Without it, the American experiment might have ended as quickly as it had begun.
The ability to regulate commerce was not part of the original Constitution but was added as part of the revisions to the Articles of Confederation. This power was given to the Confederation Congress, which had the authority to make rules and request funds from the states. However, the lack of enforcement powers and the inability to regulate commerce and print money led to disputes among the states that threatened the country's stability.
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No power to print money
The United States Constitution is one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world. It was established after the Revolutionary War, when James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that their young country was on the brink of collapse. America'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.
The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart. As a result, Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to work on revising the Articles of Confederation. The delegates came up with a completely new government, creating a powerful central government to address the issues.
The new Constitution gave the federal government the exclusive power to coin money and regulate its value. Article I, Section 10, Clause 1 of the Constitution prohibits the states from coining money. The Supreme Court has interpreted this to mean that Congress has the sole power to coin money and regulate the value of currency. This includes the power to charter banks and endow them with the right to issue circulating notes, as well as the power to restrain the circulation of notes not issued under its authority.
The Constitution also gives Congress the power to make Treasury notes legal tender and to maintain the coinage as a medium of exchange within the country. Additionally, Congress has the authority to abrogate clauses in private contracts calling for payment in gold coin or allowing bondholders to elect to be paid in foreign currencies. However, the Supreme Court has held that such an abrogation of obligations of the United States is an unconstitutional use of the coinage power, as it would render the country's obligations illusory.
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No bill of rights
The United States Constitution, originally signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788, did not include a Bill of Rights. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, were ratified later, on December 15, 1791.
The absence of a Bill of Rights in the original Constitution was a significant point of contention during the ratification process. The Anti-Federalists, who opposed the Constitution, argued that it created a powerful central government that reminded them of the monarchy they had recently overthrown. They also criticized the lack of explicit protections for individual liberties and rights.
The Federalists, on the other hand, believed that a strong central government was necessary to address the nation's challenges. They advocated for ratification of the Constitution, intending to add amendments later to address concerns about individual rights. This compromise, known as "vote now, amend later," was crucial in securing victory in several states, including Massachusetts, and ultimately led to the adoption of the Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, which outline specific protections for individual liberties and rights. These amendments were designed to address the concerns raised by the Anti-Federalists and to provide explicit guarantees for various freedoms and rights, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, the right to bear arms, and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The process of adding amendments to the Constitution, as outlined in Article Five, involves proposing amendments by a two-thirds vote of both houses of Congress or by a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state legislatures. Ratification of a proposed amendment requires approval by three-fourths of the states, either through their legislatures or ratifying conventions, depending on the method chosen by Congress. This process ensures that any changes or additions to the Constitution reflect the consensus of a significant majority of the states.
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No unanimous support
The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified on June 21, 1788. It was not amended until December 15, 1791, when the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were added. The Constitution has since been amended 27 times.
The Constitution was not passed with unanimous support. While the advocates of the Constitution sought unanimous support from all twelve states, only eleven state delegations and the lone remaining delegate from New York, Alexander Hamilton, agreed to the proposal. The Federalists, who believed that a strong central government was necessary, needed to convert at least three states. The Anti-Federalists fought against the Constitution because it created a powerful central government and lacked a bill of rights.
The Constitution was intended as a revision of the Articles of Confederation, which was America'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, or print money. The states’ disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart.
The Constitution's opening words, "We the People," represented a new thought: the idea that the people and not the states were the source of the government's legitimacy. This phrase was coined by Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania, who chaired the convention's Committee of Style. The phrase is considered an improvement on the original draft, which followed "We the People" with a list of the 13 states. Morris substituted "of the United States" for the list of states and then listed the Constitution's six goals, none of which were mentioned in the original draft.
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Frequently asked questions
A proposed amendment becomes an operative part of the Constitution as soon as it is ratified by three-fourths of the States (38 out of 50). Once ratified, the amendment becomes part of the nation's frame of government.
The Constitution acted like a merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. It united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people.
The original Constitution did not include the six goals outlined in the preamble: to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.
There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution, beginning with the Bill of Rights, which includes the first 10 amendments.
The Bill of Rights constitutes Amendments 1-10 of the Constitution.
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