American Constitution Reform

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The U.S. Constitution: Reform or Counter- Revolution Danielle Therrien Professor Telfare AP American History (Hour: 4th) February 8th, 2012 As a result of the bicentennial of the United States Constitution, Americans have found themselves inundated with books, articles, television specials, and other assorted productions on every aspect of that famous document. With rare expectations, this outpouring repeats and embellishes the standard myth about the Constitution’s adoption. The myth celebrates the Constitution as a triumphant culmination of the American Revolution. After winning their independence form the British crown- this myth runs- the American people had slid into a critical period of economic depression, political turmoil, and international peril. The promising…show more content…
Fortunately, the country’s most distinguish statesman assembled at Philadelphia during the hot summer of 1787. Through a process of judicious compromise, they hammered out a new constitution for the country, one that carefully divided power between the state and national governments. Although opposed by many irresponsible state politicians, the American people enthusiastically embraced the new plan and the country was rescued from impending anarchy. This account is mythical not only in the neutral sense of being the established American folklore, retold in every school in text, it is mythical also in the negative sense of being largely untrue and misleading. The alleged “critical period” was not one in which independent survival of the American experiment was jeopardized. Those who assembled at the Philadelphia Convention were not disinterested demigods, nor did they intend to establish a federal system of divided government powers. The Constitution did not have the support of most Americans. And finally,
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