Articles v Constitution
While the country was just three years old, and was being governed by the weak Articles of Confederation, there were obvious disturbances calling for a new form of government. In 1786, a band of farmers rallied together under the Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shay. The farmers believed that the Constitution of Massachusetts unfairly took away farmer's lands to settle the debts of the farmers. The rebels marched onto Springfield, Massachusetts. The group was turned away by a militia led by General Ben Jackson. This event scared many government officials so a convention at Annapolis was called. The Annapolis Convention, which was held at the capital of Maryland, was poorly attended. Only eight states sent delegates, amassing thirteen delegates in all. The convention, which was called by Virginia, was to discuss the erratic relationships among the states with trade and currency. What was decided was that a meeting would take place in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 that would establish better unity and relationships between the states. The brainchild of this convention came out to be one of the most important documents in history, a document that is always described as living, a document that
There is a reason why our Constitution of the United States of America is considered to be a living breathing document, a document that can be changed for the people and by the people, a document that has influenced may other governments such as Liberia, a document that still applies today, 212 years after it was originally drafted. The only representation the people had in this plan was to choose electors, part of the lower house, who chose the elected, part of the upper house, who chose the leader, called the Governor. The social compromises in the Bill of Rights are the most intriguing of them all. This was unfavorable to states with smaller populations such as Rhode Island because they would not have anywhere as equal power in the legislature compared to a state such as Virginia. There were a few important people from twelve states (Rhode Island did not attend) that proposed plans that would benefit their states as well as other states that may not share the same interests. The Articles of Confederation were much more of an Anti-Federalist approach to government than the Constitution would later prove to be. It is now apparent that two of the major topics of the Constitution would be representation and the power of the federal government. Madison wanted both of the houses, the upper and lower to be proportionally based on population. The issue was really who was going to elect our Senators and our House of Representatives and who would be able to run for these spots. Hamilton's Plan was aimed towards the aristocracy to run for the spots. The smaller states wanted equal representation for each state and the larger states wanted representation based on population. One of the first plans proposed was by James Madison of Virginia. This reason is that the framers were not only able to see what they wanted or what their state wanted, but they managed to support the majority yet also keep the rights of minorities intact. Political interests are the most diverse and abundant. The southern states wanted representation based on population solely, and did not favor any type of "king".
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Acceptance Essays
