Omar Bennett
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, and established the United States of America. The Founding Fathers include those who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world, signed on September 17, 1787. The Founding Fathers understood that the Constitution should be able to change and grow with time, so they included a way to change the Constitution through amendments. The first 10 amendments are called the Bill of Rights, which defines citizens' fundamental rights, including freedom of speech, religion, and the press.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Separation of powers | To prevent tyranny and ensure no branch of government could accumulate more power than the others |
| System of checks and balances | To prevent tyranny and ensure power could not be concentrated by an individual or a few people |
| Supreme Law of the Land | To lay out the basic rules of the government and to be above all other laws |
| Amendments | To allow the Constitution to change and grow with time |
| Bill of Rights | To define the fundamental rights of citizens, including freedom of speech, religion, and press, the right to a jury trial, and the right to keep and bear arms |
| Restrict central power | To protect the rights of citizens and ensure the consent of the governed |
| Protect the rights of citizens | To ensure the consent of the governed |
| Ensure the consent of the governed | N/A |
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What You'll Learn
Separation of powers
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Britain, established the United States of America, and crafted a framework of government for the new nation. The Founding Fathers include those who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States.
The idea of separation of powers is a political doctrine originating in the writings of Charles de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu, in "The Spirit of the Laws." Montesquieu argued for a constitutional government with three separate branches, each of which would have defined authority to check the powers of the others. This philosophy heavily influenced the United States Constitution, which separates the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of the United States government to prevent the abuse of power.
The Founding Fathers were well-acquainted with the long-held belief that the accumulation of power by a single person or body of government is the greatest threat to liberty. As early as 350 B.C., Aristotle observed in "Politics" that every government, regardless of its form, performed three distinct functions: "the deliberative, the magisterial, and the judicative." In modern terminology, these activities correspond to the legislative (law-making), executive (law-enforcing), and judicial (law interpretation) functions of government.
The American form of separation of powers is associated with a system of checks and balances. James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers, theorized that as the Constitution grants each branch its power, an honorable ambition that ultimately serves the highest interests of the people could work to maintain the separation. Madison's assumption of legislative superiority has been questioned, and the executive and judicial branches have expanded their powers beyond the Founders' expectations over time. However, the system of checks and balances encourages constant tension and conflict between the branches, which can be beneficial in preventing the accumulation of power in any one branch.
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System of checks and balances
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Britain, and established the United States of America. They include those who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution of the United States divides the federal government into three branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. This separation of powers ensures that no individual or group will have too much power.
The system of checks and balances is an important part of the US Constitution, preventing any one branch from becoming too powerful and protecting against tyranny. It allows each branch to respond to the actions of the others. For example, the legislative branch makes laws, but the President in the executive branch can veto those laws. Similarly, the legislative branch makes laws, but the judicial branch can declare those laws unconstitutional.
The executive branch, through Federal agencies, is responsible for the day-to-day enforcement and administration of Federal laws. The President can nominate Federal judges and other executive branch officials, but they must go through a vetting process in the Senate to establish their qualifications for the job. The President can also be removed from office by Congress in exceptional circumstances.
Congress can also override a Presidential veto by a two-thirds vote, and it has the power to impeach the President and members of the judiciary. Congress is the only body that can appropriate funds, and each house serves as a check on the other.
The Founding Fathers wanted to ensure that the new government they established would not allow power to be concentrated in the hands of an individual or a few people. They were influenced by the Greek historian Polybius, who analysed the ancient Roman constitution under three main divisions: monarchy, aristocracy, and democracy. They also took inspiration from Montesquieu and William Blackstone.
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Protection of citizens' rights
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Britain, and established the United States of America. They include those who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States. The Founding Fathers also include certain military personnel who fought in the American Revolutionary War, and others who greatly assisted in the nation's formation.
The Founding Fathers sought to restrict central power, protect the rights of citizens, and ensure the consent of the governed. They worked to create a separation of powers, so no one branch of government could accumulate more power than the other two. A system of checks and balances was created to prevent tyranny.
The Fourteenth Amendment, passed by Congress on June 13, 1866, and ratified on July 9, 1868, addresses many aspects of citizenship and the rights of citizens. It extended liberties and rights granted by the Bill of Rights to formerly enslaved people. The most commonly used phrase in the amendment is "equal protection of the laws", which has been used in landmark cases relating to racial discrimination, reproductive rights, election recounts, gender discrimination, and racial quotas in education. The Fourteenth Amendment states that no state shall make or enforce any law that abridges the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process.
Despite their accomplishments, the Founding Fathers were not without their shortcomings. They had differing beliefs and opinions about what the future United States should look like, and nearly half of them were slaveholders. While they created a form of government unlike any other in the world at the time, it would take almost 200 years to ensure that all Americans were provided with the same protections.
Foundational Principles of the Constitution
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Federalism
The Founding Fathers' goal was to create a separation of powers, so no one branch of government could accumulate more power than the others. A system of checks and balances was created to prevent tyranny. The Constitution contains the Supremacy Clause, which means that when federal government laws conflict with state government laws, federal law supersedes state law.
The Tenth Amendment reserves powers to the states, as long as those powers are not delegated to the federal government. While future amendments granted the national government new powers, the states retained substantial powers to promote the health, safety, and welfare of their residents.
Judges and scholars disagree on how the basic principles of federalism should be realized. A key point of controversy is whether the judiciary should enforce the interests of the states against the federal government or leave the resolution of such questions to the political process.
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Limitations on government
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, and established the United States of America. They crafted a framework of government for the new nation, which was unlike any other in the world at that time. The Founding Fathers include those who wrote and signed the United States Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States.
The Constitution, which was signed on September 17, 1787, is the oldest written national constitution in the world. It is called the "Supreme Law of the Land" because it lays out the basic rules of the US government, and no other law is above it. The Founding Fathers understood that the Constitution should be able to change and grow over time, so they included a way to change it through amendments. Amendments require approval from two-thirds of both the House of Representatives and the Senate, or two-thirds of the states, making it difficult to alter the Constitution.
The Founding Fathers wanted to set up a fair and balanced government, with limitations on government power to protect the rights of citizens and ensure the consent of the governed. They divided power into three separate branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. The legislative branch, or Congress, makes laws; the executive branch enforces laws; and the judicial branch interprets laws. This separation of powers was intended to prevent any one branch or individual from accumulating too much power.
To further balance the powers of the government, the Founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances. For example, while the president has the authority to nominate federal judges and other executive branch officials, they cannot directly hire them. Nominees must go through a thorough vetting process in the Senate, including a full committee hearing, before being confirmed by a vote of the senators.
The Founding Fathers also wanted to make it difficult for any one person, party, or group to gain control of the government. They sought to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of a few, as the colonists had come to America to escape tyrannical rule. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, further protect citizens' rights and limit government power by guaranteeing freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, as well as the right to a jury trial and the right to keep and bear arms.
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Frequently asked questions
The Founding Fathers of the United States were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, established the United States of America, and crafted a framework of government for the new nation.
The US Constitution is the oldest written constitution in the world and is considered the "Supreme Law of the Land". The Founding Fathers wanted to set up a fair and balanced government with a separation of powers, so no one branch of government could accumulate more power than the other two. They also wanted to establish rules for each part of the government and restrict central power to protect the rights of the citizens.
The Preamble of the US Constitution tells us what the Founding Fathers set out to do when creating the government: "We the People, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty, to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America".
The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. It defines the fundamental rights of citizens, including freedom of speech, religion, and press, the right to a jury trial, and the right to keep and bear arms.
Nearly half of the Founding Fathers were slaveholders, and all of them profited from the system of slavery in the United States. While they created a form of government that protected the rights of white, property-owning men, it took almost 200 years to ensure that all Americans were provided with the same protections.
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