When the Founding Fathers met at the Philadelphia convention in 1787, and wrote the constitution of the United States, they decided they wanted it to consist of 4 main points. A representative and accountable government, the separation of powers between 3 branches of government, a federal structure and a limited government. They wanted limited government, by which the government would do only what was essential, leaving the citizens’ rights and freedoms as untouched as possible. This framework of government was put in place by the Founding Fathers because of their fear of tyranny. They were influenced by the writings of the french political philosopher Montesquieu.
Of the Constitution, Alexander Hamilton, and the Art of the Sale The Constitution of the United States of America is often called the American Experiment by political powers outside our borders. From the time it was drafted it has been scrutinized by enemies as well as allies, each with their own political agenda on what it means to them both individually and collectively. Through the drafting of the Constitution the founding Fathers established a federal government that had more power over their sovereign states but cleverly policed itself from any one organized group within that federal body from gaining ultimate authority over all. This was accomplished by developing three branches of government to counter balance: Legislative, Executive
But people still need to recognise we have an institutional responsibility to do oversight on the President” Garry Bass, Congress. This quote supports my view on the Congress being a watchdog. If the Congress is a lapdog, the President can have a free ride on running the country how he wishes and not represent the people’s view. However that is not the case as the President cannot do everything which pleases him. However, looking at the statistics such as Bill Clintons presidency, in the first 2 years which was a united government, Congress exercised limited oversight, and when needed to, asked softball questions, however , when Republicans took over Congress, things got much harder as they seek to hold the President to account, and after a while, impeach.
The new Constitution sought to divide the powers of government among the different branches of government to provide a system of checks and balances of power. According to Fisher (2012) “The Constitution vests in Congress the power to regulate foreign commerce, an activity the Framers understood as closely related to the war power. Commercial conflicts between nations were often a cause of war. In 1824 in Gibbons v. Ogden, Chief Justice John Marshall said of the commerce power that "it may be, and often is, used as an instrument of war." Guided by history and republican principles, the framers placed that power and responsibility with Congress” (para
The only answer that can be given is, that as all these exterior provisions are found to be inadequate, the defect must be supplied, by so contriving the interior structure of the government as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places.” Here he sets the theme of his discussion creating the system of checks and balances that keep our country from becoming an anarchy. James Madison wrote 29 of the 85 Federalist Papers mostly dealing with the ratification of The Constitution. When The Constitution was ratified in 1788 James Mason became a member of the house of representatives and drafted 9 of the 10 amendments The Bill of Rights. He also had a large part in acquiring The Louisiana Purchase doubling the size of the nation at that time. Dolly Madison, and James were forced to flee the White house in The War of 1812, but she managed to save many national
As such, the Constitution underlies both the positive and negative functions of the separation of powers. For without some idea of what the branches' duties are, it is impossible to know when and how to defend their rights and their independence. This argument is not disproved by subsequent developments in American politics, in particular the rise of political parties. It is true that the Constitution of 1787 had to be amended to accommodate the practice of presidential and vice presidential candidates running for office on the same party ticket. The Twelfth Amendment, ratified in 1804, changed the method of voting in the Electoral College by requiring the electors to cast separate ballots for President and Vice President.
It all began with James Madison who was, “considered the “Father of the Constitution,” and believed that strict limits on federal power were best for liberty. Powers of the federal government which were not enumerated in the Constitution were forbidden” (“Constitutional” 1). This is how society should be today, where the federal government is restricted to enacting on the laws solely stated in the constitution. Now many presidents and high authority leaders began to follow this idea. With all other powers off limits to the federal government, they didn’t get too powerful.
George Karam A.P. History Mr. Vieira 10/19/12 DBQ Since the dawn of American politics, there were two political factions, the Federalists led by John Adams and Alexander Hamilton, and the Anti-Federalists or Democratic Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Since the American Constitution was established in 1789, each side had its own interpretations to how to govern the United States based on the Constitution and its founders. The Democratic-Republicans were usually characterized as strict constructionists, which meant they believed in interpreting the Constitution by the exact words presented by its framers, and refused to change anything about it. The Federalists were usually characterized as loose constructionists, which meant they focused more on the intent of the constitution and its framers, and believed that changes were necessary for the development of the nation.
Rights of Men is a philosophical work written by Tom Paine to answers Edmund Burke’s vituperative attack on the French Revolution by justifying the principles of modern republican governments. Paine attempts not only to justify the French Revolution but also to use the United States as a primary example of democracy in action. Paine attacks the notion of monarchy and privilege. Unlike Burke, who supported hereditary privilege, Paine argues that each generation has the right to establish its own system of government. No nation can legally be ruled by a hereditary monarchy because “ there is one general principle that distinguishes freedom from slavery, which is, that all hereditary government over a people is to them a species of slavery,
It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group; which began during and even after Andrew Johnson’s presidency. The Constitutional amendment became the primary vehicle for changing toward a more equal nation. In simplest terms, an amendment is a formal process that adds to, or takes something away from the U.S. Constitution. While the Constitution itself established a democratic system of government, because of the necessity of compromise, it left several important issues vague or undefined. Examples included voting rights and citizenship, and the founders passed this to the states to decide.