In the years following America’s victory for independence in 1776, the country was ruled by a small Confederate government consisting of a Congress bound by the Articles of Confederation. However, according to Leibiger (2019), this Congress could not solve the nation’s Revolutionary War debts and tax collection problems. This dire state of affairs led the Founding Fathers to consider the need for a federation with a proper Constitution. George Washington and 55 delegates from various states gathered in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation, but it was no easy task. There were several political differences between the founders of the future Constitution. Namely, they had different visions of how the country should be governed and whether slavery should be preserved. Solving such problems and creating a unified Constitution was accomplished by achieving a consensus vision, documenting regional differences, and focusing on compromise. At one point during the convention, Edmund Randolph declared that the Articles of Confederation should be repealed in favor of a new constitution. This convention became known as the Constitutional Convention.
Delegates discussed interstate and foreign policy, tax control, leadership, and effective ways to prevent tyranny and dictatorship. According to Annenberg Classroom (2018), James Madison played an integral role in his idea of governing the country. Based on the principles of separation of powers, the government of the United States would have been divided into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. Here, too, the delegates compromised to please both Southerners and Northerners. These branches guaranteed that each would not have absolute power over the other. After nearly four months of tireless deliberation, the document was finalized.
In conclusion, the Constitution of America is important, representing the desire for a strong federalist and, most importantly, a functioning government. It sought to prevent the concentration of power around one man and created a central state with three branches. Most importantly, all of these efforts were aimed at the prospect of a promising future for the United States. I would follow the same path as the delegates, recognizing the historical perspective of the state and seeing the excellent opportunity for its growth in developing the nation’s critical law. Through this video, I realized how ambiguous and non-uniform the key decision-making process was and how important it is to be able to negotiate.
References
Annenberg Classroom. (2018). Key constitutional concepts [Video]. YouTube.
Leibiger, S. (2019). The constitutional convention of 1787: A reference guide. ABC-CLIO.