Simone Lawson
The original complaint about the US Constitution of 1787 was that it did not adequately serve the interests of the American people. The Constitutional Convention of 1787 was held in Philadelphia to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The convention was convened to revise the league of states and devise the first system of federal government. The final design of the Constitution had to be ratified by hundreds of thousands of citizens. The Constitution was produced through a collective process that was conflict-ridden from beginning to end, reflecting an individualist-hierarchical corrective to the egalitarianism of the post-Revolutionary constitutional arrangement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Aim of the convention | To revise the league of states and devise the first system of federal government under the Articles of Confederation |
| Outcome of the convention | A new frame of government rather than a revision of the existing one |
| Number of delegates | 55 |
| Number of delegates who signed the Constitution | 39 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Number of words | 4,500 |
| Number of amendments since | 17 |
| Number of words in the current version | 8,000 |
| Original intent | To create a government of limited powers with requisite "energy" to fulfill the promises in the preamble |
| Concerns | How to elect the president, balancing state and national powers, economic interests, and individual rights |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation were too egalitarian
The Articles of Confederation were drafted in 1776 and ratified in 1781. They established a decentralised federal government, with each state having one vote, and they were designed to ensure domestic tranquility and protect individual liberties. However, the Articles of Confederation were also designed to protect the interests of the states, which often conflicted with the interests of the nation as a whole. This led to a weak central government that was ineffective in conducting foreign policy and unable to pass or enforce laws that affected individual states.
The Articles of Confederation also established a unicameral legislature, which gave more power to the state legislatures and made it difficult to pass laws that were in the best interest of the nation as a whole. This was a concern for many upper-class Americans, who complained that state constitutions were too democratic. As a result, legislators were more concerned with maintaining popular approval than doing what was best for the nation. For example, in response to calls for economic relief, state legislatures issued paper currency and made it easier to defer tax and debt payments. These policies favored debtors at the expense of creditors, and it was proposed that Congress be given the power to prevent such populist laws.
The Articles of Confederation also failed to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes between the states, which led to conflicts over issues such as trade and borders. This further weakened the central government and made it difficult to establish a sense of national unity. Additionally, the Articles of Confederation did not provide a clear system for taxing and regulating interstate commerce, which led to economic disparities between the states and made it difficult to fund the central government.
Overall, while the Articles of Confederation were designed to create a more egalitarian form of government, they ultimately led to a system that was ineffective, inefficient, and unable to protect the rights and interests of all citizens. This led to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which sought to create a stronger central government and a more balanced approach to protecting the rights and interests of the states and the nation as a whole.
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The central government was too weak
One of the main criticisms of the US Constitution of 1787 was that the central government, or the federal government, was too weak and lacked sufficient power to
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The presidency was too weak
The Constitution of 1787 was produced through a collective process that was conflict-ridden from beginning to end. The final product does not reflect the interests or ideas of any single individual. One of the main complaints about the original Constitution of 1787 was that the presidency, as conceived by the framers, was too weak. The framers of the Constitution had originally imagined a weak presidency and a strong legislature divided into a House of Representatives and the Senate. Under the Articles of Confederation, considerable minor paperwork had bogged down important business enough that legislators decided to establish an executive branch to deal with routine paperwork.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention created a model of government that relied upon a series of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the Legislative, the Judicial, and the Executive branches of government. The framers expected the Senate to handle important issues, particularly the ratification of treaties, while the Executive would attend to matters of lesser consequence. The presidency was designed to be a largely administrative role, with the power to execute federal law vested in the President, but the power to make laws remaining with Congress.
The framers' difficulty in deciding how to elect the president was the result of their misgivings about democracy and their fear that the people of the nation could not be trusted to make a wise choice for their chief executive. James Wilson proposed a compromise whereby the President would be elected by a group of "electors" chosen either by the state legislatures or by the people of their individual states. This proposal was voted down, along with the idea of direct popular election, on numerous occasions between early June and early September 1787. The delegates only agreed to the version contained in the modern Constitution (modified slightly by the Twelfth Amendment) grudgingly and out of a sense of desperation.
The Constitution of 1787 established a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to conducting relations with foreign governments. Under the reformed federal system, many of the responsibilities for foreign affairs fell under the authority of an executive branch, although important powers, such as treaty ratification, remained the responsibility of the legislative branch. The framers of the Constitution sought to create a government of limited powers while still having the "energy" to fulfil the promises in the Constitution's preamble.
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The legislative branch was too strong
One of the original complaints about the Constitution of 1787 was that it granted too much power to the legislative branch, particularly in comparison to the executive and judicial branches. This concern was raised by various individuals and groups, including Anti-Federalists, who argued that the legislative branch, as outlined in the Constitution, had the
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State constitutions were too democratic
The Constitution of 1787 was a source of great debate and contention, with a range of opinions and criticisms levelled against it. One of the key complaints was that the state constitutions were too democratic. This concern stemmed from a fear that direct democracy could lead to mob rule and a threat to
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Frequently asked questions
The 1787 Constitution was intended to revise the league of states and devise the first system of federal government under the Articles of Confederation.
Many upper-class Americans believed state constitutions were too democratic, causing legislators to focus on maintaining popular approval rather than doing what was best for the nation. There were also issues surrounding the payment of debts from the Revolutionary War, and a weak central government.
The 1787 Constitution established a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to foreign governments. It also divided federal authority between the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches of government.
The 1787 Constitution was produced through a collective process and was conflict-ridden from start to finish. It was influenced by the ideas and interests of many people, including James Madison of Virginia, Alexander Hamilton of New York, and George Washington of Virginia.
