After victory against the British for our independence in 1783 a need for a

government arose so we could manage ourselves. But what of a government? It

couldnt be too strong because it would be like another ruthless king, it couldnt be
only one person because that wasnt working the first time. With this in mind we
created the weakest form of federal government possible and gave all power to the
states and total sovereignty (the states were on their own with their own mini
government.) All under the at the time legal document known as the Articles of
Confederation. The Articles of Confederation crippled the federal government and
allowed for each state to become a sort of mini country of their own. Each had its
own currency and taxes on its own goods. This caused many problems within the
states over trade and transportation of goods. The taxes within each state itself
caused problems as well. Many poorer farmers who couldnt pay their taxes were
jailed with no way to pay off the unreasonable debt. This led to Shays Rebellion
when a group of angry debt owing farmers of Massachusetts led by Daniel Shays
had enough of being thrown in jail and owing money they would never have. Since
the federal government could not levy taxes there was no army to raise and they
could not force other states to help beat down the rebellion. Shays Rebellion only
ceased when George Washington rode up to the front of the rebellions line. No
fighting took place and the Rebellion was stopped quietly. However the fact of the
matter that if Washington had not done so or not been able to, the rebellion would
have continued, and to the fear of many, may have been successful. This caused
fright in the people and sparked the need for change. Little did we know then that it
would lead to the current government still in place today, The US Constitution.
Originally state delegates met in Philadelphia to merely amend the Articles
of Confederation. But it was proposed to scrap the whole thing and start from
scratch. This proposal was final nail in the coffin for the Articles of Confederation.
To make a new basis for the government it needed to be planned out carefully. The
Federal Government needed to be stronger but not so strong as to make a
malevolent monarch. Many people were still very weary of a strong federal
government and rightfully so since it didnt work so well previously. Many
arguments for and against a stronger federal government these were in several
documents known as the Federalists Papers which argued for a stronger Federal
Government, and the Anti-Federalist Papers which were against a stronger Federal
government. The Federalist Papers were written to persuade others that a stronger
federal government was necessary. 85 essays in length, the Federalist papers were
written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. All under the false
name Publius to protect their identities as they spoke their minds. Alexander
Hamilton believed that a stable government was crucial for the preservation of
peace, regulation of commerce, and general well-being of the union for which the
government overlooks. James Madison believed that a separation of powers was
necessary to prevent one person or a group from ruling with an iron fist. Also
while government was necessary to control the governed, it also needs the consent
of the governed to be controlled.
The Anti-Federalist Papers were written by scattered Americans fearing for
the loss of their rights at the hands of a too strong federal government. But that fear
was all for naught. Because in the process of being created the US Constitution
went through a thorough process to come to life, many things were dropped,
added, and amended. The Founding Fathers had thought things through based on
what was known previously about the workings of politics. James Madison
proposed Separation Of Powers and a system of Checks and Balances to prevent
any one branch of government from becoming too strong, this is still in place
today. Also there was a dispute for equal and population based representation in
the government. Population based representation would allow the bigger states to
make all the decisions while equal representation gave everyone an equal say. To
end the bickering Roger Sherman proposed a two house Congress or Bicameral
Legislature. This became todays house of Representatives which is Population
based, and the Senate which has 2 representatives per state no matter what.
On the topic of Checks and Balances it is very simple. If Congress passes a
law to the president, the president can veto the law. However if of Congress
agree then they can override the veto. The president can appoint Supreme court
officials who can determine if a law is unconstitutional and impeach the president
if he does not do his duties. In todays society no president has ever been
impeached to date, although the Watergate Scandal brought President Nixon close.
Today the Constitution is still very much in action as is The Bill of Rights set in
place to protect our basic rights. Many political debates are over whether we have
certain rights or if something should be illegal or not. For example: Gay Marriage.
This has been debated over and over for a while now in many countries of the
world. In the United States specifically we do not know if it is ok for people to
marry others of the same sex. I as a person do not see why you couldnt. But there
are religions that say it is a sin. However since we live in Constitutional
Democracy it is not up to just me or just religious nuts. We as a people need to
vote on such a topic. As of now Gay Marriage is an issue among the states as to
whether or not it should be legalized but I hear that it will in the future be pushed
to the Federal supreme court.
A discussion which is already between federal and state government is
weed. Certain states legalized the buying, selling, and ownership of weed. But on a
federal level it is a crime worthy of the death penalty depending on the amount you
handled. This debate goes on today and by the looks of it will probably never stop.
The Constitution was the basis of our government so that we could be governed
fairly, to create a more perfect union in which we are allowed to protest what is
unjust and so the government may not make laws for personal gain, but for the
greater good of the people by the people and their consent. Each person is an
individual with rights and the government cannot take that away.


Works Cited
"3 Constitution Senate Clauses." 3 Constitution Senate Clauses. The United States
Senate, 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.
<http://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/briefing/Constitution_Senate.h
tm>.
A+E Television Networks. "Watergate Scandal." History.com. A&E Television
Networks, 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.