Isabella Carter
The US Constitution was written in 1787, a few years after the Revolutionary War, as America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, had no enforcement powers, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money, and disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the country apart. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May of 1787, and the delegates ultimately decided to redesign the government. The Constitution was written to address these issues and to put governance in the hands of the people, establishing the federal government's structures and branches. The Six Big Ideas of the Constitution, which are still debated today, include limited government, republicanism, checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, and popular sovereignty.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| To form a more perfect union | To unite the states more effectively |
| Establish justice | To ensure fairness and equal treatment under the law |
| Insure domestic tranquility | To maintain peace and order within the country |
| Provide for the common defence | To protect the nation from threats and external dangers |
| Promote the general welfare | To improve the well-being and prosperity of the people |
| Secure the blessings of liberty | To guarantee freedom and individual rights |
| Create a stronger national government | To establish a more powerful and effective central authority |
| Separation of powers | To divide governmental powers among different branches |
| Checks and balances | To prevent the abuse of power and protect individual liberties |
| Federalism | To establish a system of divided sovereignty between national and state governments |
| Protection of individual rights | To safeguard the freedoms and rights of citizens |
| Ratification by the states | To gain approval from the people and state legislatures |
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What You'll Learn
The Articles of Confederation were inadequate
The Articles of Confederation, America's first constitution, gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules and request funds from the states. However, it had no enforcement powers, leaving it unable to regulate commerce or print money. This created a weak central government, with most of the power remaining with state governments. As a result, disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young nation apart.
The Articles of Confederation were also inadequate in addressing the rights and liberties of the people. The lack of a bill of rights was a significant concern for the Anti-Federalists, who demanded explicit protections against tyranny and a clear outline of the people's rights and limitations of government power. The absence of such provisions led to criticism that the document was vague and inferior.
The Articles' shortcomings became increasingly apparent after the Revolutionary War, as the rationale of wartime necessity faded. The divisions among the states and local rebellions threatened to undo the gains of the Revolution. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, fearing their country was on the brink of collapse, worked towards strengthening the federal government and revising the Articles.
The inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation led to the call for a constitutional convention in Philadelphia in 1787. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, crafted a powerful central government with a strong federal structure. They bypassed state legislatures and called for special ratifying conventions in each state, demonstrating their commitment to creating a more unified and effective national government.
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Fear of a young country collapsing
A few years after the Revolutionary War, 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 authority to make rules and request funds from the states, but it had no enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, and could not print money. The states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. Divisions among the states and even local rebellions threatened to destroy the fruits of the Revolution.
Nationalists, led by Madison, Washington, Hamilton, John Jay, and James Wilson, began working towards strengthening the federal government. In 1785, Madison and Washington were in the midst of a written conversation about creating a stronger national government. They believed that a "meeting of Politico-Commercial Commissioners from all states" would be necessary to achieve this goal, and such a meeting occurred in Philadelphia two years later. In September 1786, delegates from five states met in Annapolis, Maryland, to discuss barriers to trade under the Articles of Confederation.
Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Grand Convention of state delegates to revise the Articles of Confederation. The Constitutional Convention assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787, and the Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. The delegates came up with a completely new form of government, creating a powerful central government while also representing wildly different interests and views and crafting compromises. The Constitution was a federal one, influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, both ancient and modern. The Due Process Clause of the Constitution was partly based on common law and the Magna Carta, which had become a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power.
The idea of the separation of powers in the Constitution was inspired by eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke. Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson had reservations about the existing forms of European government, with Jefferson asserting that most European governments were autocratic monarchies incompatible with the egalitarian character of the American people. Instead, they looked to ancient history and modern states for models of government, with Franklin stating:
> We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined different forms of those Republics [...] And we have viewed modern States all round Europe but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.
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Influence of European Enlightenment thinkers
The US Constitution was written and signed in 1787 in Philadelphia, during the Constitutional Convention, which took place from May 25 to September 17. The document was a charter of government that was later ratified by the states, and it continues to be the supreme law of the land.
The ideas of unalienable rights, the separation of powers, and the structure of the Constitution were largely influenced by European Enlightenment thinkers. The political philosophers most frequently referred to before and during the framing and signing of the Constitution included Blackstone, Hume, Locke, and Montesquieu. Historian Herbert W. Schneider asserted that the Scottish Enlightenment was the "most potent single tradition in the American Enlightenment" and the advancement of personal liberties.
The Due Process Clause of the Constitution was partly based on common law and the Magna Carta (1215), which had become a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of the separation of powers in the Constitution was largely inspired by 18th-century Enlightenment philosophers, such as Montesquieu and John Locke.
In a speech at the Constitutional Convention, Franklin stated:
> We have gone back to ancient history for models of Government, and examined different forms of those Republics [...] And we have viewed modern States all round Europe but find none of their Constitutions suitable to our circumstances.
Franklin's plan for a united colonial confederation or American republic, submitted to the Continental Congress on July 21, 1775, initiated a national debate on the creation of an American republic. Thomas Jefferson, a fellow delegate, annotated his copy of Franklin's plan, although he maintained that most European governments were autocratic monarchies incompatible with the egalitarian character of the American people.
The anti-Federalists, led by Patrick Henry, attacked the proposed Constitution for its vagueness and lack of protection against tyranny. They demanded a more concise and unequivocal Constitution that explicitly laid out the rights of the people and the limitations of the government's power.
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A bill of rights was demanded
The United States Constitution was written a few years after the Revolutionary War, as America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was deemed inadequate. James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington feared that their young country was on the brink of collapse due to states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade. The Articles of Confederation 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, or print money.
The Constitution was also influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, both ancient and modern. The Due Process Clause of the Constitution, for example, was partly based on common law and the Magna Carta, which had become a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of the separation of powers in the Constitution was inspired by Enlightenment philosophers such as Montesquieu and John Locke.
The inclusion of a bill of rights in the Constitution was a highly debated topic. Anti-Federalists, including Patrick Henry, strongly advocated for a bill of rights to safeguard individual liberty and ensure specific protections against tyranny. They criticised the proposed Constitution for its vagueness and demanded a more concise and explicit document that outlined the rights of the people and the limitations of the government's power. Richard Henry Lee, for instance, lamented the lack of provisions to protect "those essential rights of mankind without which liberty cannot exist."
On the other hand, Federalists like James Madison, who was initially the most vocal opponent of the Bill of Rights, argued that a bill of rights was unnecessary because the government could only exert the powers specified by the Constitution. However, Madison eventually introduced a list of amendments to the Constitution on June 8, 1789, recognising the importance voters attached to these protections. He focused on rights-related amendments, ignoring suggestions that would have structurally changed the government. Madison's proposal included 17 amendments, which were reduced to 12 by the Senate. By December 15, 1791, three-fourths of the states had ratified 10 of these amendments, now known as the Bill of Rights.
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The need for a stronger national government
The United States Constitution was written in 1787, a few years after the Revolutionary War, as a charter of government that would continue to be ratified by the states. The founding fathers, including James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, believed that the young nation was on the brink of collapse due to the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, which was America's first constitution.
The Articles of Confederation had created a loose confederation of sovereign states, giving 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 authority to print money. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the country apart.
James Madison, in particular, played a crucial role in advocating for a stronger national government. In his correspondence with George Washington, Madison discussed the need for a "meeting of Politico-Commercial Commssrs. from all states" to create a stronger national government. He also warned Washington about the dangers posed by both temporizers and radicals and outlined his plans for a new federal government, including proposals for proportional representation and a national legislative veto over state laws.
The Constitutional Convention, which convened in Philadelphia in May 1787, was a result of these efforts. The delegates, representing diverse interests and views, crafted compromises and created a new form of government, bypassing the state legislatures and calling for special ratifying conventions in each state. The Constitution established a stronger central government, addressing the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and providing a framework for a more united and stable nation.
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Frequently asked questions
The US Constitution was written to replace the Articles of Confederation, which 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 US Constitution was influenced by the study of the Magna Carta and other federations, both ancient and extant. The Due Process Clause of the Constitution was partly based on common law and on the Magna Carta, which had become a foundation of English liberty against arbitrary power. The idea of Separation of Powers inherent in the Constitution was largely inspired by eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophers, such as Montesquieu, John Locke, Edward Coke, and William Blackstone.
The US Constitution has played an important role in American history and the spread of democratic ideals around the world. It is the world's shortest and oldest national constitution and has been emulated by many other nations.
