...“The essence of Government is power; and power, lodged as it must be in human hands, will ever be liable to abuse.”(Madison, 1787) The Federalists, writing under the pseudonym Publius, advocated a strong central government in the new nation. They argued against the Anti-Federalist writers like Brutus, whose ideas of an effective government resided with stronger state governments. Both views of the Federalists and the Anti-federalists were justified in unifying the newly emancipated American colonies. While there is much debate on who theoretically won the political battle that resulted in the ratification of the constitution in 1789, it is clear that the modern American government no longer represents James Madison ideals of a balanced federal...
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...Federalist Articles James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay were the authors of the federalist papers. James Madison was the principle author for article No 10 and article No 51. The immediate purpose for publishing these papers were to obtain support for the ratification of the Constitution, they wanted a diverse republic to prevent faction but with equality to maintain unity among the states. Madison addresses that a large faction will provide better representatives, since the cause of faction has been the unequal distribution of property. Those who have property versus those who don’t, have ever had different interest in society. He saw direct democracy as a danger to individual rights and addressed for a representative democracy to protect individual liberty from majority rule. In federalist No 10 Madison discusses to guard against factions, or groups of citizens, how the passion and interest of one group could mean a danger to the government. In article No 51 the purpose is for four aspects: Layered representation which is the people that are elected directly or indirectly to represent other people, Separation of powers are the three branches that make, and enforce the law; judicial, executive, and legislative branches, Checks and balancing is the ability of each branch to check the powers of the others so the power is balance in all three branches, and Federalism which is the existence of two governments, state and federal and both governments have dominance over...
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...During the ratification process of the United States Constitution, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay published a series of anonymous articles in the New York Times. Published under the name Publius, "The Federalist Papers," as they were called, advocated for the ratification of the new Constitution by New York State. Each of the papers, therefore, outlines the benefits of one united nation, as well as the interests of, and supported by, the proposed government. Written by Madison, Federalist Paper No. 10, generally considered one of the most important articles, concerns itself with the problems of and plausible solutions for the formation of factions. Through multiple assertions concerning the dangers of factions and the benefits of a republic, Madison formed one of the major arguments in favor of the United States Constitution. Federalist No. 10, titled "The Same Subject Continued: The Utility of the Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection," expanded on dangers of factions outlined by Hamilton in Federalist No. 9. Defined by Madison as, "A number of citizens, whether amounting to a minority or majority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion or interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community" (Madison), factions are comparable to the modern day interest or lobby groups. That is to say, Madison defined factions as groups of people with...
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...Confederation had already been established in 1781, however, the debate over the necessity of a Constitution was underway. The Constitutional Convention, beginning in 1781 in Philadelphia included delegates from 12 of the 13 states. During the convention, the delegates discussed issues to be resolved in their proposed Constitution. Public debates outside of the convention also emerged where the common people debated over the Constitution as well. In the late 1780s, following the Constitutional Convention, two groups, the Federalists and Anti-federalists, debated over the necessity and potential dangers of the proposed Constitution....
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...Rights became the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The Bill of Rights purpose was to tell the liberties of the people that the government could not infringe upon. Each amendment are very important to the way we live society today. The Bill of Rights helped settle many issues, but also took many hours and debates to what it consisted of. All of the 27 amendments define citizens rights or the second Bill of Rights (11-27) mostly deal with government issues. The beginning of our rights started with “All men are created equal” since then many documents like the Constitution have been made. From that point up to the creation of our Bill of Rights, the struggle for freedoms would possess the nation to inherit many different reforms and ideas to create the ideal society that the nation desired during the tyranny of England. The Second Continental Congress was formed during the times of revolution as a form of government represented by all thirteen American colonies. The Congress noted delegates from each state to represent that state, a total of fifty-five in all from all states except for Rhode Island, although a total of seventy-four delegates were chosen to represent. They created the Constitution and the debates began the last struggle between the Antifederalist that were opposed the Constitution and the Federalist that voted for the Constitution. The two parties were on opposite sides of a spectrum in their terms of relevant thinking. The Anti Federalist lashed out against...
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...number of years there has been plenty of debate on whether the Constitution shall become ratified or rejected. I would now like to finally invite each individual to come together as a whole to officially ratify the new Constitution of the United States of America. Once ratifying the Constitution, there will be more visibility of the ambition, unity, and liberty offered. The idea of having the Constitution will add ambition to connect with the individuals and the government. In the journal by James Madison, Madison states to the people that "If men were angels, no government would be necessary" (Madison, The Federalist No.51). What Madison meant was that the people were not angels,...
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...When Kramnick is speaking about Liberalism, he speaks much about Locke’s Libertarianism. Meaning they believed in everyone having equal rights without jeopardizing liberties. Kramnick states that there was a divide amongst the colony. As stated in the Federalist number 10, land was as the center of this divide; it broke people up into creditor and debtors. The Federalist also states manufacturing and money interests played a role in this divide (Kramnick 6). Locke was against this divide, he quotes “justice gives every Man a Title to the product of his honest Industry” (Kramnick 6). Locke Madison and the Federalist believed in a liberal society where everyone should be treated fairly, and be respective of their “private rights” and “property rights” (Kramnick 6). Kramnick refers to CIvic humanism as the government should provide a place for this equality. The government should represent equal rights. As Hamilton states, “The idea of an actual...
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...When forming a democracy, many attributes are required to make a successful one. In the two separate essays, “The Federalist Papers” and “Democracy in America,” the authors describe and analyze how they see democracy. The authors of “The Federalist Papers” concentrate on the formal, permanent structures of government, such as the separation of powers and the expansion of the union. However, Alexis de Tocqueville in “Democracy in America” writes about the unceremonious, unwritten success of American democracy, those being civic and political participation and self-interests. A government with separate branches that are able to act individually but rely on the other branches is ideal in a functioning democracy. Defined by Federalist #51,...
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...Debate on Universal Suffrage: Kent vs. Buel, N.Y In the midst of the revolutionary war in 1777, New York states constitution became official. In the constitution it stated that white male property owners were the only ones allowed to vote in the state elections. Between 1816 and 1821, the population of citizens who did not own property flourished; leaving about 10 percent of New Yorkers eligible to vote (Unit 3: Great Debates in American History). In September 1821, the state of New York held a convention to revise its constitution; eliminating property ownership as a requirement to vote was a key issue. A great debate ensued between committee members David Buel and James Kent, resulting in the state endorsing Buel’s beliefs. This essay will discuss James Kent and his position on universal suffrage, David Buel and his position on universal suffrage, and some critical thinking questions will be addressed. James Kent was born in 1763 in New York. After graduating from Yale in 1781, Kent studied law in Egbert Benson’s office, New York’s first attorney general. In 1791, Kent was elected to the New York Assembly; after serving two consecutive terms, James Kent relocated his law office to New York and started delivering lectures in law at Columbia College. In 1798, Kent was named Associate Justice of the New York Supreme Court, which then led to him becoming Chief Justice of that court in 1804. After serving as the Chief Justice for 10 years, he was appointed Chancellor of New...
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...The Confederation and the Constitution | | | | | Shortly after Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the delegates at the Second Continental Congress agreed that a new government was necessary to govern the now-independent colonies. After much debate, they drafted and adopted the Articles of Confederation in 1777. Although the Articles were not officially ratified until 1781, they served as the actual constitution until that time. Under the authority of the Articles, the states created a national Congress comprised of annually elected delegates from all thirteen states. Each state had one vote in Congress, and, in most cases, decisions were made based on majority rule. The National Congress’ powers over the states were specific and definite: it had the sole power to negotiate treaties, declare war, and make peace. It also reserved the right to maintain an army and navy and regulated interaction with Native Americans in the West. The delegates also granted Congress the power to resolve interstate disputes, grant loans, print money, and operate a national postal system. Eventually, Congress was also authorized to govern western territories until they achieved statehood. All powers not granted to Congress were reserved for state governments. Congress had no power to levy taxes. For example, it could only request that the individual states raise revenue to cover their share of national expenses. Furthermore, any amendments made to the Articles...
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...States. This document, which has served as "the Supreme Law of the Land" for more than two centuries, is the world's oldest written constitution still in use (Bloom, 1987). The United States Constitution is a foundation of basic laws and principles that defines the rights of American and sets limits on what the government can and cannot do. It provides the framework for the National government and establishes a system by which responsibilities are divided between the national government and the states' governments. The first Constitution was the Articles of the Confederation. In this essay I will compare the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution, analyze the drafting of the Constitution, and compare the debate over ratification between Federalist and ant-Federalist. The Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781, providing the first form of a national government in the United States. When the United States won its independence from England in 1781, a majority of Americans felt a stronger allegiance to their individual states than to their new country. Most people did not wish to create a strong national government, over which they felt they would have little or no control. The Articles gave each state a great deal of independence and represented little more than a “league of friendship” between the states. The primary purpose of the Articles was to establish a system by which the states could co-operate if they needed to defend themselves against a...
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...in place. The Articles of Confederation led to the Constitution of the United States. Although similar in some aspects, very different in others. The articles had many weaknesses that were changed in the Constitution. There were many compromises made between the states in order to effectively draft the Constitution. Roger Sherman’s Plan kept the Constitutional Convention together which was later known as the Great Compromise. The fight for the Constitution had just begun and the ratification processes needed to take place. Even with some states being in favor of the Constitution it would take time to get the nine states needed to complete this process. The states in favor would called themselves The Federalist and those opposed were called the Anti-Federalist. The Federalist set out to change the mind of the remaining states with a series of letters that were written to newspapers. The Articles of Confederation were used as a base for the Constitution. The ideas from the Articles of Confederation were used in the writing of the Constitution. Both the Articles and the Constitution established “federal” systems of multiple sovereigns whose continued existence was constitutionally guaranteed. Despite the fact that both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution established federal systems, there were certain fundamental differences between the two systems. The Articles of Confederation gave states the power of federal government whereas the Constitution derived its authority...
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...specific rights guarantees: protection against states impairing the obligation of contracts, provisions that prohibit both the federal and state governments from enforcing ex post facto laws (laws that allow punishment for an action that was not criminal at the time it was undertaken) and provisions barring bills of attainder. The framers, and notably James Madison, its architect, believed that the Constitution protected liberty primarily through its division of powers that made it difficult for an oppressive majorities to form and capture power to be used against minorities. In the ratification debate, Anti-Federalists opposed to the Constitution, complained that the new system threatened liberties, and suggested that if the delegates had truly cared about protecting individual rights, they would have included provisions that accomplished that. With ratification in serious doubt, Federalists announced a willingness to take up the matter of a series of amendments, to be called the Bill of Rights, soon after ratification and the First Congress came into session. The concession was undoubtedly necessary to secure the Constitution's hard-fought ratification. Thomas Jefferson, who did not attend the Constitutional Convention, in a December 1787 letter to Madison called the omission of a Bill of Rights a major mistake: "A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on Earth." James Madison was skeptical of the value of...
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...Writing an Outline | An outline is a “blueprint” or “plan” for your paper. It helps you to organize your thoughts and arguments. A good outline can make conducting research and then writing the paper very efficient. Your outline page must include your: * Paper Title * Thesis statement * Major points/arguments indicated by Roman numerals (i.e., I, II, III, IV, V, etc.) * Support for your major points, indicated by capital Arabic numerals (i.e., A, B, C, D, E, etc.) Roman numeral I should be your “Introduction”. In the introduction portion of your paper, you’ll want to tell your reader what your paper is about and then tell what your paper hopes to prove (your thesis). So an Introduction gives an overview of the topic and your thesis statement. The final Roman numeral should be your “Conclusion”. In the conclusion, you summarize what you have told your reader. Following are 3 sample outlines, from actual student papers. YOUR outline can be MORE detailed, or might be LESS detailed. Remember that a good outline makes writing easier and more efficient. Sample Outline #1 Title: Frederick Douglass Thesis: Frederick Douglass played a crucial role in securing the abolition of slavery and equality of African-American rights through his actions, ideas, and efforts as a lecturer, author/publisher, and politician. I. Introduction A. Thesis B. Roles/Arguments II. Douglass as Lecturer A. History as slave and acquisition...
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...“In 1798, the Federalist-controlled Congress exploited the anti-French sentiment sweeping through the colonies to pass a series of laws that, on the surface, promoted American safety but actually were designed to quiet their Democratic-Republican counterparts” (article 2). Adams goal was to weaken Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party to make the Federalist Party stronger (and to protect the United States from foreign influence). The Alien and Sedition Acts were made up of four individual laws. The Alien Acts was composed of the Alien Friends Act “which empowered the president to deport any alien whom he considered dangerous” (article 1), and the Alien Enemies Act “which allowed the deportation of any alien who hailed from a country at war with the United States” (article 1). The Sedition Act was passed that allowed for punishment to anyone who printed “false, scandalous and malicious writing” (article 1), directed towards the president but Congress was also included in the bill. The Naturalization Act was the last bill that extended the time an immigrant can become an American citizen—from five to fourteen years. Although these bills were made to protect American citizens, Adams main goal was always to increase the power of the Federalist Party. His idea for these laws didn't go as planned, many citizens were furious with the abuse of...
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