Jonah Patel
Many Americans were wary of drafting a constitution due to concerns about centralized power and loyalty to their individual states. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention, who crafted the US Constitution, were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a powerful central government. This centralization of power was met with opposition from those who feared it would usurp state sovereignty and lead to a government controlled by the wealthy and culturally refined, undermining the interests of the common working people. The delegates faced the challenge of establishing a form of government that balanced governmental power with personal liberty, and their efforts resulted in one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.
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What You'll Learn
Fear of a powerful central government
The United States Constitution, drafted in 1787, was a remarkable achievement by the 55 delegates who assembled in Philadelphia. However, many Americans were wary of drafting a constitution due to fears of a powerful central government. This concern was particularly salient among state politicians who were fearful of losing power and those who believed that a centralized government would be insensitive to local interests.
The Articles of Confederation, the first constitution of the United States, established a weak central government with limited powers. The Confederation Congress could make rules and request funds from the states, but it lacked enforcement powers, the ability to regulate commerce, or print money. This resulted in disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young nation apart.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 aimed to revise the Articles of Confederation and address the weaknesses of the central government. However, some Americans feared that the new constitution would create a powerful central government that could infringe on state sovereignty and individual liberties. Anti-Federalists, those who opposed the Constitution, believed that the new government would become controlled by the wealthy and culturally refined, subjugating the common working people to the will of a remote and inaccessible authority.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention created a model of government with a system of checks and balances, dividing federal authority among the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. This separation of powers ensured that no single branch dominated the others. The Constitution also provided for proportional representation and a national legislative veto over state laws, addressing concerns about the concentration of power in a central government.
In conclusion, the fear of a powerful central government was a significant concern among many Americans during the drafting of the Constitution. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention worked to address these fears by creating a balanced government with checks and balances on power, ensuring that the rights and interests of the states and individuals were protected.
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Loss of state sovereignty
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, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money. This led to states' disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787, including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton, were tasked with revising the existing government. Wary of centralized power and loyal to their states, they created a powerful central government. They bypassed the state legislatures, calling for special ratifying conventions in each state.
The new constitution provided for the separation of powers, ensuring governmental functions were divided between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. This system of checks and balances prevented any one branch from dominating the others. For example, the president could veto laws passed by Congress, but Congress could override the veto with a two-thirds vote.
However, this shift in power dynamics caused concern among state politicians fearful of losing power and those who believed a centralized government would be insensitive to local interests. They believed that the new government would become one controlled by the wealthy established families and the culturally refined, subjugating the common working people to the will of an all-powerful, inaccessible authority.
The southern states, exporters of raw materials, rice, indigo, and tobacco, were also fearful that a New England-dominated Congress might severely damage the South's economy through export taxes. Thus, the creation of a more powerful central government under the new constitution was seen as a loss of state sovereignty and a potential threat to the interests of individual states.
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Lack of a bill of rights
The absence of a bill of rights guaranteeing individual liberties was a significant concern for many Americans who were wary of drafting a new constitution. They feared the sweeping power of the central government and the usurpation of state sovereignty, believing that a bill of rights was necessary to protect freedoms such as freedom of speech and religion.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were tasked with revising the existing government under the Articles of Confederation, but they ended up creating a powerful central government with a completely new structure. This shift towards centralization of power raised concerns among those loyal to their states and fearful of losing power to a national government.
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 lacked enforcement powers, could not regulate commerce, and could not print money. This led to disputes among the states over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade, threatening to tear the young country apart.
The Constitutional Convention of 1787 aimed to address these issues and strengthen the federal government. However, the creation of a powerful central government sparked worries about the potential infringement of individual liberties. Anti-Federalists, who opposed the Constitution, believed that the new government would become controlled by the wealthy and culturally refined, subjugating the common working people to the will of a remote and inaccessible authority.
The lack of a bill of rights in the initial Constitution highlighted the need for explicit protections of individual freedoms within the new governmental structure. This concern was eventually addressed, and the United States Constitution has since been amended multiple times, including the addition of the original bill of rights, to advance notions of equality and protect the rights of its citizens.
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Taxation
Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government had no power to tax individuals directly. It could only request funds from the states, which often failed to meet these requisitions. This meant the government had no effective way of raising money. The Articles of Confederation had stated that the 'common treasury... shall be supplied by the several States, in proportion to the value of all land within each State'. However, there were no sanctions if a state failed to comply.
The colonists had long opposed the idea of 'taxation without representation'. They believed that as they were not represented in the British Parliament, any taxes it imposed on them were unconstitutional and denied their rights as Englishmen. This belief had led to the Stamp Act Congress in 1765, where 27 delegates declared that the English Crown had no right to tax Americans who lacked representation in British Parliament. The Stamp Act was repealed the following year, but Parliament then passed the Declaratory Act, stating its right to tax the colonies as it saw fit.
The Framers of the US Constitution decided that Congress must have the power 'to lay and collect Taxes... to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States'. This was listed as the first clause of Article I, Section 8, to emphasise its importance. The delegates agreed that direct taxation should be according to representation, and that the representation of the lower house should be based on the white inhabitants and three-fifths of the 'other people'.
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Losing power to a national government
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, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money. The states’ disputes over territory, war pensions, taxation, and trade threatened to tear the young country apart. This led to calls for a new constitution, but many Americans were wary of drafting one, fearing the loss of power to a national government.
The delegates who assembled in Philadelphia in May 1787 were loyal to their states and wary of centralized power. They bypassed the state legislatures, reasoning that their members would be reluctant to give up power to a national government. Instead, they called for special ratifying conventions in each state. The delegates crafted a powerful central government, creating a model of government that relied on a series of checks and balances by dividing federal authority between the legislative, judicial, and executive branches.
The southern states, exporters of raw materials, rice, indigo, and tobacco, were fearful that a New England-dominated Congress might, through export taxes, severely damage the South's economy. The large-state plan, or Virginia Plan, proposed by James Madison, called for a bicameral legislature empowered to make laws and levy taxes, with representation in both houses based on population. This plan gave considerable power to large states like Virginia and New York, and members of the lower house would be elected by voters in each state.
The New Jersey Plan, or small-state plan, was a less radical departure from the Articles of Confederation. It kept the one-house legislature of the Confederation Congress but expanded its powers to include raising revenue and regulating commerce. The members were chosen by the state legislatures, and each state was given one vote. A multi-person executive elected by the legislature was proposed, with the power to compel obedience to the law.
The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were tasked with revising the existing government, but they ended up creating a completely new one. The Constitution they drafted provided for the separation of powers and a system of checks and balances to ensure that no one branch dominated the others. The delegates' willingness to compromise and create a powerful central government resulted in one of the longest-lived and most emulated constitutions in the world.
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Frequently asked questions
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, couldn't regulate commerce, or print money. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were wary about centralised power and loyal to their states, so they created a powerful central government.
The delegates represented wildly different interests and views, and the convention was focused on revising the existing government rather than creating a new one. Many Americans believed that the Articles of Confederation were inadequate, and there was opposition from influential men in the convention and state politicians fearful of losing power.
Divisions among the states and local rebellions threatened to destroy the fruits of the American Revolution. The federal government faced challenges in conducting foreign policy, and the country was on the brink of collapse.
