Founding Fathers' Intent: Constitutional Convention's Original Purpose

The Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 14 to September 17, 1787. The convention was called to address the issues with the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation, which had caused problems in conducting foreign policy and managing economic troubles. The convention's objective was to revise the Articles of Confederation and create a new government with more specific powers, including those related to foreign affairs. The convention was attended by delegates from all states except Rhode Island, and it resulted in the drafting of the United States Constitution, which established a centralized federal government with a series of checks and balances between the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches.

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The Annapolis Convention

Twelve delegates from five U.S. states (New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Virginia) gathered to discuss and develop a consensus on reversing the protectionist trade barriers that each state had erected. At the time, under the Articles of Confederation, each state was largely independent from the others, and the national government had no authority to regulate trade between and among the states.

The convention also related to George Washington's plans concerning the waterways connecting the Potomac and the Ohio River. Most of the delegates to the meeting were tasked only with taking up the issue of trade among the states, but New Jersey's delegates were authorized to discuss a broader scope of reforms. The group realized that the issue of trade touched upon many other aspects of the Confederation and that a future meeting with a broader scope would be necessary to adequately address the problems.

The final report of the convention was adopted unanimously and sent to the Congress of the Confederation and to the states. Its main author was Alexander Hamilton. The report sought support for a broader constitutional convention to be held the following May in Philadelphia. It expressed the hope that more states would be represented and that their delegates or deputies would be authorized to examine areas broader than trade alone.

A weak central government

The Constitutional Convention, also known as the Philadelphia Convention, the Federal Convention, or the Grand Convention at Philadelphia, met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 14 to September 17, 1787. The convention was called to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. At the time, the United States was facing a financial crisis, and there was a threat of disorder from dissatisfied farmers in western Massachusetts. These issues prompted a group of "nationalist" politicians to propose a "general convention" in Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation and create a stronger central government.

The convention was attended by delegates from all states except Rhode Island and included many leading figures of the period, such as George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. The delegates debated various issues, including the nature of the American presidency, the representation in Congress, and the institution of slavery. They also discussed the need for a stronger federal government and the protection of individual rights.

One of the main goals of the convention was to establish a central government with more specific powers, including the power to conduct relations with foreign governments. The delegates created a model of government that divided federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. They gave the executive branch authority over foreign affairs, while important powers such as treaty ratification remained with the legislative branch. The convention also enumerated the powers of the federal executive and judiciary, and the Constitution was declared to be the "supreme law of the land."

The convention adopted the Connecticut Compromise, also known as the Great Compromise, which proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the lower house and equal representation of the states in the upper house. The compromise also addressed the counting of slaves in the population for representation and taxation purposes, as well as the controversy over the abolition of the importation of slaves. The convention's work was approved by a majority of the states, and the Constitution came into effect in 1789, creating a centralized federal government.

Checks and balances

The system of checks and balances in government was developed to ensure that no one branch of government would become too powerful. The framers of the U.S. Constitution, influenced by the work of Greek philosopher Aristotle, Greek statesman and historian Polybius, Montesquieu, William Blackstone, John Locke, and other philosophers and political scientists, built a system that divides power between the three branches of the U.S. government: the legislative, executive, and judicial.

The legislative branch makes laws, the executive branch enforces them, and the judicial branch interprets them. The legislative branch is made up of Congress, which includes the House of Representatives and the Senate. The executive branch is made up of the President, who may check Congress by vetoing bills. Congress may then override the President's veto with a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and the Senate. The judicial branch is made up of the Supreme Court, which can declare a law unconstitutional, thus checking both the legislative and executive branches. However, the Supreme Court is checked by the fact that the President and Senate appoint and approve its members.

The system of checks and balances is designed to induce the separate branches to share power and prevent any one branch from grabbing too much power. This system encourages constant tension and conflict between the branches, which can be beneficial as it prevents the accumulation of power in one place. The Founding Fathers were well-acquainted with the idea that the accumulation of power by a single person or body of government is the greatest threat to liberty. As James Madison wrote in the Federalist Papers, "If men were angels, no government would be necessary... Ambition, if properly harnessed by good judgment and rooted in an appreciation for the benefits of constitutional republicanism, could work to advance the public good."

In addition to the three branches of government, there are other checks and balances that have evolved from custom and Constitutional conventions, including the congressional committee system and investigative powers, the role of political parties, and presidential influence in initiating legislation. The system of checks and balances has been tested numerous times throughout the centuries since the Constitution was ratified, particularly with the expansion of the executive branch's power since the 19th century.

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The bill of rights

The Constitutional Convention, held in Philadelphia between May and September 1787, was convened with the original intent "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation". The convention aimed to address the weaknesses of the central government under the Articles of Confederation, particularly in conducting foreign relations. The delegates created a new model of government with a stronger executive branch and a division of powers between the Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches.

Now, onto the Bill of Rights.

The absence of a bill of rights was a significant argument against the ratification of the Constitution by the anti-Federalists. George Mason of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts proposed that the Constitution should be "prefaced with a bill of rights" to guarantee the rights of citizens. However, this proposal was initially rejected by the delegates, who believed that the states already protected individual rights and that the Constitution did not authorise the national government to take away those rights.

Despite the opposition, pressure from the states forced James Madison, a key supporter of the Constitution, to propose amendments to the Constitution in the form of a Bill of Rights. Madison introduced a list of amendments on June 8, 1789, and worked diligently to secure their passage. The House passed a joint resolution containing 17 amendments, which the Senate amended to 12 amendments. These amendments were then sent to the states for ratification.

By December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had ratified 10 of the proposed amendments, which became known as the Bill of Rights. These first ten amendments to the Constitution gave citizens more confidence in the new government and enshrined many of the freedoms valued by Americans today. The Bill of Rights includes protections such as the right to keep and bear arms, freedom of speech and religion, the right to a speedy trial, and protections against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The inclusion of the Bill of Rights was crucial in securing the ratification of the Constitution and preventing more drastic changes from being demanded by its opponents.

The Connecticut Compromise

The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met between May and September 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The convention's original intent was "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation". However, the idea of amending the Articles was discarded, and the assembly set about drawing up a new scheme of government.

The compromise was offered by Connecticut delegates Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth to solve the dispute between small and large states over representation in the new federal government. The compromise provided for a bicameral federal legislature that used a dual system of representation: the upper house would have equal representation from each state, while the lower house would have proportional representation based on a state’s population. All revenue measures would originate in the lower house.

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