Malcolm Rivera
The Founding Fathers of the United States created the Constitution to establish a fair and balanced government, setting out to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty. The Constitution was designed to limit government and establish rules for each part of the government, dividing power into three separate branches to prevent the misuse of power and to encourage the different branches to work together. The Founding Fathers also wanted to ensure that power could not be concentrated by an individual or even a few people, creating a system of checks and balances to prevent tyranny.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| To set up a fair and balanced government | Separation of powers |
| To limit government and establish rules for each part of the government | Checks and balances |
| To prevent misuse of power | Three branches of government |
| To prevent tyranny | |
| To establish a more perfect union | Amendments |
| To establish justice | |
| To insure domestic tranquility | |
| To provide for the common defense | |
| To promote the general welfare | |
| To secure the blessings of liberty | |
| To establish a powerful central government | |
| To establish a representative democracy | |
| To establish free and fair elections |
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What You'll Learn
To prevent misuse of power
The U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest of all the written national constitutions. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, including George Washington, and is considered the "Supreme Law of the Land". The Founding Fathers wanted to set up a fair and balanced government, and to prevent the misuse of power.
The Founding Fathers were wary of centralised power and loyal to their states. They had differing beliefs and opinions about what the future United States should look like, but they all wanted a better nation. They were also wary of direct democracy, with some fearing "mob rule". They debated vigorously about how the new government should be structured, and crafted compromises.
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. These amendments list the fundamental rights enjoyed by citizens today, such as freedom of speech, religion, and press. The first 10 amendments are called the "Bill of Rights".
To prevent the misuse of power, the Founding Fathers divided power into three separate branches: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. They also created a system of checks and balances to encourage the three branches to work together and ensure the government works for all the people. This separation of powers prevents any one branch from accumulating more power than the others. For example, the president has the authority to nominate federal judges and other executive branch officials, but they cannot simply "hire" them—they must go through a thorough vetting process in the Senate.
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To establish rules for each part of the government
The US Constitution is the oldest and shortest written national constitution in the world. It was signed on September 17, 1787, by 38 delegates, with George Reed signing on behalf of John Dickinson of Delaware, bringing the total number of signatures to 39. The Founding Fathers of the United States created the Constitution to establish rules for each part of the government, among other reasons.
The Founding Fathers wanted to establish a fair and balanced government. They wanted to make it difficult for one person, party, or group to get control of the government. They also wanted to prevent the misuse of power and tyranny. To achieve this, they divided the government's power into three separate branches: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. The legislature makes laws, the executive enforces laws, and the judiciary interprets laws.
The legislature, called Congress, is made up of two separate groups: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Together, they have the power to create laws, declare war, raise money for the military, establish post offices, admit new states to the union, investigate and oversee the executive branch, and more. The number of members of the House of Representatives was determined by the population of the states, while each state had the same number of senators, two, chosen by the state legislatures.
The Founding Fathers also created a system of checks and balances to encourage the three branches of government to work together and prevent the accumulation of power by any one branch. For example, the president has the authority to nominate federal judges and other executive branch officials, but these nominees must go through a thorough vetting process in the Senate before being confirmed.
The Constitution also established the rights of citizens and states in relation to the government. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights, which lists the fundamental rights enjoyed by citizens, including freedom of speech, religion, and press, the right to a jury trial, and the right to keep and bear arms. The Ninth Amendment reserves for the people all rights not expressly granted to the government, and the Tenth Amendment reserves for the states all rights not granted to the national government.
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To set up a fair and balanced government
The Founding Fathers of the United States created the Constitution to establish a fair and balanced government, which would protect the rights of each American citizen. The Constitution is the oldest and shortest written national constitution in the world.
The Founding Fathers wanted to set up a government that was fair and balanced, and they were wary of centralised power, having just fought for independence from Great Britain. They were also aware that the new nation was on the brink of collapse, with the Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, creating a weak central government that lacked the power to manage trade, print money, or pass and enforce laws that all the states would agree to.
The Founding Fathers were opposed to a direct democracy, where the electorate determines policy, and instead opted for a representative democracy, where elected officials make decisions on behalf of the people. They also wanted to ensure that power could not be concentrated by an individual or small group, so they divided power into three separate branches: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. These branches were given specific roles, with the legislature (Congress) tasked with writing laws, and the executive and judiciary given the power to enforce and interpret those laws, respectively.
To further ensure a fair and balanced government, the Founding Fathers created a system of checks and balances, so that the three branches of government would work together and prevent the misuse of power. They also included a way to change the Constitution through amendments, which has allowed for the evolution of the document over time. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, outline the fundamental rights of citizens, including freedom of speech, religion, and press, as well as the right to a jury trial and the right to keep and bear arms.
The Founding Fathers' vision for a fair and balanced government has been a guiding principle in American politics, with each branch of government playing a crucial role in upholding the Constitution and protecting the rights and liberties of the American people.
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To avoid a monarchy or mob rule
The Founding Fathers of the United States were among the wealthiest people in the colonies when they drafted and signed the Constitution. They were eager to shed a monarchical system that dated back hundreds of years, but they were also wary of democracy, or what they saw as "mob rule".
The Founders believed that liberty was essential to human progress and that people had inherent rights to make decisions about themselves and their property—rights that not even a king could take away. They also believed that the government's authority needed to come from the people. Under the reign of King George III, the colonists believed they were deprived of their opportunity to consent to be governed by Parliament through representatives, and thus the British could not force their laws upon the colonies. The Founding Fathers ensured that this right was upheld in the American Constitution.
The Founding Fathers were responsible for more than just the Declaration of Independence; they also created safeguards against foreign influence as a corrupting force, which were built into the Constitution. They had just broken free from the British Empire, and the idea that some other empire would swallow them up was a constant source of fear. The Constitution bars American presidents, ambassadors, and elected representatives from even the appearance of quid pro quo.
The Founding Fathers also wanted to avoid the pitfalls of past governments, including monarchy and mob rule. They believed that a pure democracy could devolve into anarchy, and that democratic majorities often end up behaving like tyrants, abusing minorities, starting wars, and running up huge debts. They settled on a constitutional republic, or a representative democracy, as a middle ground between absolutism and popular sovereignty.
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To create a powerful central government
The founding fathers of the United States Constitution wanted to create a powerful central government to replace the weak system of the Articles of Confederation, which had nearly caused the country to collapse. 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 had no enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, print money, or manage trade. This led to disputes between the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade.
The founding fathers, an elite class, were wary of centralised power and loyal to their states, but they wanted to create a fair and balanced government. They wanted to make it difficult for one person, party, or group to get control of the government. They also wanted to prevent "mob rule", which is why they opted for a representative democracy, where the right of election is secured and regulated, and the legislative, executive, and judiciary authorities are chosen by the people.
The founding fathers divided power into three separate branches: the legislative, executive, and judicial. They also created a system of checks and balances to encourage the three branches to work together and prevent tyranny. The legislative branch, or Congress, makes laws; the executive branch enforces laws; and the judicial branch interprets laws.
The founding fathers also included a way to change the Constitution with amendments. The first ten amendments are called the Bill of Rights, which defines citizens' and states' rights in relation to the government.
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