Introduction
There were moments in American history that became critically important in the road to the national government and new constitutional dispensation that would guide it. It is noted that The Revolution was not just the Declaration of Independence, neither was it the War of Independence as some may argue but a continuous process that continued after these events. Some people like Wilson (10) argue that real revolution was “the radical change in principles, opinions, and sentiments, and affections of the people.”
The periods involved the reign of the Articles of Confederation, followed by the Constitutional Convention, and then into the turbulent politics of Jacksonian America and the 1840s and 1850s. During these times, the general sentiment was that political power could not rest on tradition but only on consent. There was serious doubt as far as the national government was concerned. This paper seeks to elaborate on why ambivalence became a common feature among many American people during those times of political troubles.
The Article of Confederation
Immediately after declaring their independence, the thirteen former British colonies formed what would be termed as a loose alliance under the Article of Confederation. However, this alliance did little to support the colonies in their war of Independence. The arrangement created turmoil, uncertainty, and fear among the people of America between the time of the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the signing of the Constitution (1787) (Wilson 11).
It was a tough decision for General George Washington to wage war against the British with just minimal support of the thirteen states. However, when peace was finally restored, many parts of the nation were in a mess. The British rule was still rampant in North America, with their soldiers occupying Canada and a huge number of navy officers at the sea. This same time saw Spain claiming the Mississippi River Valley and went ahead and occupied Florida State as well. Soldiers who returned to their firms were heavily indebted and at the same time lacked the money to pay the debts. Moreover, the paper money had generally become worthless (Wilson 11).
The national government became ineffective since they did not have the powers to collect taxes and regulate trade between states. In other words, the thirteen states had only a slight semblance of a national government with which to bring order and stability, and each state retained its sovereign powers. This did not give any chance for the national government to express its ability to bring order and the people of America developed skepticism throughout this period. However, many leaders like George Washington and Alexander Hamilton had seen the need for a stronger national government. With successive meetings, the need for a constitutional convention was agreed upon by the people.
The Constitutional Convention
The period experienced remarkable views since no national government existed. However, by 1778, eight states had set the pace by writing their constitutions, and within a few years, every state had adopted a similar constitution except the states of Rhode Island and Connecticut because they still relied on their old colonial charters that continued to guide them. The respective constitutions basically handed the authority to the elected representatives of the states.
The Articled succeeded when it helped congress adopt the resolution calling for the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the subsequent forwarding of the work of the convention to the states for their approval (Wiecek 237). However, within this period, the fear of excessively strong or weak national government had engulfed many people, after watching the case of the State of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
The Pennsylvania Constitution that was adopted in 1976 handed all the powers to the unicameral legislature and there was no real executive to control issues, hence enforcing the belief that too strong a national government was dangerous to the people of America (Wiecek 239). The Massachusetts Constitution on the other created a less strong state government with a clear separation of powers. The Shays’ Rebellion had a strong impact on public opinion, considering the fact that it occurred between the aborted Annapolis convention and the Philadelphia convention (Vile 213). It literally led to mixed feelings among many Americans as to what type of government they should have, hence creating confusion.
Jacksonian America
Jacksonian America saw the emergence of an important period of Jackson’s democracy. Elected on the platform of the common man’s friend, Jackson faced numerous riots within his time of mass politics as he was seen as a strong supporter of slavery (Pessen 39). This is even though the election of Jackson was based on his perceived credentials as the election of the common man’s choice.
Currently, everyone is familiar with the American written constitution, elected leaders as well as bill of rights. However, when they were being produced, many Americans were doubtful on whether they would succeed or not. The common argument was that such an arrangement would be either extremely strong that the liberty of the Americans would be threatened or so weak that they would lead to chaos. As seen in the Jacksonian era, the concentration of powers to him was seen as the problem behind the continuation of the slave trade that created political instability throughout the turbulent periods.
Works Cited
Pessen, Edward. Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics. Illinois. University of Illinois Press, 1985.
Vile, John. The Constitutional Convention of 1787: a Comprehensive Encyclopedia of America’s Founding. New York. ABC-CLIO, 2005.
Wiecek, William. A peculiar Conservatism and the Dorr Rebellion: The Constitutional Clash in Jacksonian America. The American Journal of Legal History, 1978, Vol.22, No. 3, pp. 237-253.
Wilson, James. American Government. Washington D.C. Cengage Publsihers, 2008.